Medal of Honor (2010 video game)
Medal of Honor | |
---|---|
Unreal Engine 3 (single player) Frostbite 1.5 (multiplayer) | |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
Release | |
Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Medal of Honor is a
Development of Medal of Honor began in 2007 following the release of
Medal of Honor received positive reviews from critics upon release. Praise was directed at the game's engaging multiplayer, audio and voice acting, the explosive, gritty and realistic single-player campaign while criticism was directed at the short length of the campaign, minor technical issues, and resemblances to other similar games like
Gameplay
Medal of Honor is a modern warfare first-person shooter. Gameplay focuses on portraying operations set in Afghanistan.
Single-player
The game's single-player campaign features typical in-game objectives include raiding enemy hideouts and calling in
Multiplayer
Medal of Honor's multiplayer is class based, with three classes available – Rifleman, Special Ops, and Sniper. The player earns experience during gameplay to level up and unlock additional weapons and weapon accessories. For example, at the start of the game the sniper class does not have a proper sniper scope available, and the player must reach level 3 to unlock a combat scope. If a player earns a certain number of points before dying, called a score chain, they will be granted the choice of an offensive support action such as a mortar strike or missile attack or a defensive support action such as intel or ammo. The player is not limited to one support action per life and can earn them continuously.
Gameplay features two opposing sides, the Coalition, usually referred by the in-game battle chatter to as "Python 1", against the Opposing Forces . The Coalition troops use American equipment such as the
On November 2, 2010, DICE released two DLCs for multiplayer—a game type called "Hot Zone", which is a
The game's online servers along with Medal of Honor: Airborne and Medal of Honor Warfighter were shutdown on February 22, 2023.
Synopsis
Characters and setting
Medal of Honor takes place in Afghanistan. For half of the game, players assume the role of a
Plot
The story begins in late 2001 during the opening days of the
Meanwhile, AFO Wolfpack, consisting of four
Deuce and Dusty move up the mountain, eliminating enemy positions and providing sniper support for AFO Neptune, which is in heavy contact on the adjacent mountain,
While on approach, the QRF Chinook is hit by heavy fire and crash lands. After securing the crash site, Hernandez, Ybarra, Adams, and Patterson head for the mountain pass. Hernandez is wounded while attempting to open a spider-hole and Ybarra brings him back to the landing zone for treatment. Adams and Patterson link up with Preacher and Voodoo. After engaging multiple enemy strongholds with the help of a CIA Predator drone, they locate Mother and the grievously wounded Rabbit. Rabbit's condition worsens and, despite his squad-mates' aid, he succumbs to his wounds before extraction arrives. While observing a pair of F-15Es bombing the remaining insurgent bunkers, Preacher collects a rabbit's foot charm from Rabbit's body; Mother and Preacher then note that the war is far from over.
In an epilogue, Preacher and Ajab (a CIA asset) converse with each other in
Development
EA Los Angeles began development of Medal of Honor in 2007 after the release of the three titles Medal of Honor: Vanguard, Medal of Honor: Airborne, and Medal of Honor: Heroes 2. Instead of pursuing another World War II title, EA Los Angeles decided to take the series to the modern era. The game was formerly known as Medal of Honor: Operation Anaconda.[7] In July 2010, EA Los Angeles was rebranded to Danger Close Games to focus on the development of Medal of Honor games.[8] Danger Close Games consulted with U.S. Special Operations soldiers in order to make the game feel realistic, and make players understand what they have to go through as an actual operator. EA DICE, best known as the creators of Battlefield series, was tasked by Electronic Arts to develop the multiplayer mode for the game. Medal of Honor was the first game in the series to receive a M rating in the United States.
At the Game Developers Conference 2010, it was announced that the PS3 would be the lead development platform.[9]
Electronic Arts released multiplayer
Marketing and release
Editions
The Limited Edition version of Medal of Honor includes an invite to the
After the announcement of the Limited Edition, EA Los Angeles stated that they would release a special Tier 1 Edition in Europe. The Tier 1 edition costs the same as the Limited Edition and features the same benefits as the Limited Edition (including the Battlefield 3 Beta Key). Additionally, owners of the Tier 1 Edition will receive a code to have access to the Class Operational Tier 1, "a select group of soldiers in order to unlock the M60 Light Machine Gun".[15] The Tier 1 Edition was released in Europe, on October 15, for all three platforms.
Music
The official soundtrack was released on September 28, 2010. An extended version of the soundtrack was released in the Medal of Honor Soundtrack Collection (which contains all of the music in the Medal of Honor franchise released up to that point) which was released on March 1, 2011.
Reception
Critical response
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
1Up.com | B[19] |
Edge | 7/10[20] |
Eurogamer | 8/10[21] |
Game Informer | 7/10[22] |
GameSpot | 7.5/10[23] |
IGN | PS3/X360: 6/10[24][25] PC: 6.5/10[26] |
Joystiq | [27] |
Medal of Honor has received generally positive reviews from critics, praising the game's engaging multiplayer, audio and voice acting but criticizing minor technical issues, and resemblances to other similar games like Call of Duty and EA's very own Battlefield series. Aggregating review website Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version 75/100,[17] the Xbox 360 version 74/100,[18] and the PC version 72/100.[16] Game Informer scored it a 7 out of 10.[22] Eurogamer acknowledged that Medal of Honor has "a solid multiplayer accessory that owes a lot to Bad Company 2", and gave it an 8/10.[21] Joystiq commended the single player experience but faulted the game's graphical power: "The framerate is shaky, and the lackluster texture work certainly doesn't help", stating that the single-player is ultimately enjoyable. However, Joystiq states that the game's "initial impressions coupled with the obvious lack of features give me little reason to abandon Call of Duty's multiplayer offerings", and gives it a 4 out of 5 stars.[27] According to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, "Shares [are] down because apparently some investors are disappointed by these early reviews." In a return statement, EA reminded the investors that critic's reviews are "highly subjective" and that "This is an essentially big achievement considering Medal of Honor has been dormant for several years. This is the first year in rebooting the franchise. Medal of Honor is part of a larger EA strategy to take share in the shooter category. This is a marathon, not a sprint – today's Medal of Honor launch represents a step forward in that race."[28]
During the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Medal of Honor for "Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design" and "Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering".[29]
Taliban player choice controversy
The online mode created a controversy when it was revealed that in the multiplayer mode of Medal of Honor, players could play as the
Due to pressure from various military officials and veterans organizations, the word Taliban was removed from the multiplayer part of the game and instead replaced with the term "
Sales
At the time of the release, Medal of Honor had the highest number of
Sequel
A sequel to Medal of Honor, Medal of Honor: Warfighter was released on October 23, 2012. The sequel received mixed reviews and was a commercial disappointment.[48]
References
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- ^ Tor Thorsen (November 10, 2009). "2010 Need for Speed confirmed, Medal of Honor reboot details soon". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 31, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
- ^ Johnny Cullen (May 5, 2010). "Blog Archive » EA announces October release for Medal of Honor". VG247. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ Patrick Garratt (December 2, 2009). "Medal of Honor reboot is shooter, will hit in 2010". VG247. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
- ^ Grayson, Nathan (January 26, 2010). "Medal of Honor using two game engines". VG 247. Archived from the original on January 16, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
- ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (February 23, 2012). "Medal of Honor: Warfighter Coming in October". IGN. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012.
- ^ Wiley, James (September 6, 2008) http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/06/rumor-next-medal-of-honor-in-afghanistan-based-on-2002-operati/ Archived August 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Joystiq. Retrieved May 26, 2011
- ^ Gilbert, Ben (July 22, 2010). "'Danger Close' studio formed at EA by Medal of Honor team". Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "PS3 is Lead Platform For Medal of Honor". playstationlifestyle.net. March 11, 2010. Archived from the original on April 15, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
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- ^ Snider, Mike (July 27, 2010). "Linkin Park links up with EA for 'Medal of Honor'". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
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