So I know it seems I am running behind on this review, it is because I really wanted to get some good stick time before I gave my opinion on the game. Setting aside what I have seen around the net, I felt the only true justice would be to play this game in full both in Single Player and Multiplayer.
So let’s start with the single player which is based on various past and current events including sniping the pirates out of the lifeboat from an US Navy Destroyer. I was a little underwhelmed by the single player only because of the length. I miss the games that you would have to play for days on end to complete. We actually did live broadcast the single player as we played through it and manage to finish it in a few sessions, but overall I feel it was short. I know this seems like a knock against Medal of Honor, and it is, but it seems to have become the accepted practice these days.
Outside of the length, there were some minor issues with freezing during single player. As I found out the second freeze happened right before the point where the campaign completed which was quite irritating to say the least. Also, the AI is a bit on the naïve side which seems to be the case in more and more games.
On the positive side, the graphics are rich throughout the game. I really enjoyed the attention to detail throughout the game. It made for a truly immersive effect for me, which I highly enjoy. I was taken by surprise when I had to drive vehicles including a level of evading. It was a nice break from the norm. The sniper mechanics were fantastic; I appreciate the fact that you had to factor in bullet drop to hit your targets.
I will say the check point system was surprisingly well thought out. Both of the game freezes I experienced were mid to late level and had I known that I would be able to pick up at the last checkpoint I probably would not have raged as much.
Over all the Single Player is rich in graphics and true to scenario gameplay, but almost too linear and short in my opinion. But I would still recommend it to my friends with no regrets at all.
Now let’s talk multiplayer. Now don’t get me wrong I enjoyed Battlefield 3, but I am sorry, Medal of Honor blows it out of the water. I know, I know, the comms are crap and by all means you cannot function effectively without proper communications. I blame this on the lack of a beta for PlayStation. I am only speculating that had there been a beta on PlayStation, they could have identified this issue before release.
To continue on the negative side of the multiplayer, I feel that the maps can be a bit small at times. I understand that you have a two-man fire team, but your full team is large enough for a larger map size. Now don’t go overboard of course, but I would like to see some larger open maps personally. The only other issue I really see is with the wealth of weapon unlocks, a majority of them seem to be more cosmetic than function. I mean who really wants three versions of the same magazine? And who’s idea was it that secondary weapons would have unlimited ammo? I would love to smack the guy that had this idea.
Our biggest gripe is that there is a lack of means to set up a match between two clans. We have voiced this directly to the team and it really hurts the extended playability that is paramount to keeping your players coming back for more. DLC can only do so much. Now we are hearing rumors through the moderators at Battlelog that private servers are coming in a few months, but why are we not seeing this day one. We had written this game off for tournaments because we were advised this was neither an option nor a priority.
Finally the other irritation I have is with the invite system, I love the idea of being able to send a mass invite, but could you limit it to only those online in Medal of Honor. I spent ten minutes apologizing to friends that did not even have the game after I sent a mass invite out.
Moving along to the positive side, well this is a surprise that the game was quite stable on release. I was able to dive right into the servers with no issues. The party system is pretty great. You are able to lock your fire team buddy so that you can stick together and joining a server is quite easy.
Once you are in-game, having the ability to adjust your loadouts according to the situation at hand is simple and actually quick. You are able to set up each of your soldiers loadouts before you are in a match, but if needed you are able to adjust it on the fly with little issue. I have noticed that every now and then it will switch you back to what you started with, but it only takes a second to switch it back.
The gun mechanics are pretty spot on, no gun seems to overpowered beyond the rage metered though I think there could be some minor adjustments here and there. I spend a lot of time sniping since that is my thing and I like how when you activate the supported function, you are limited in your movement.
Gunfights really do come down to skill in most situations and the PDM is not overly powerful such as the PMN was in Socom. With the secondary weapons having unlimited ammo, you have to be on your toes with your primary magazine. That point where your opponent runs out of ammo and switches to their secondary can mean life or death.
The modes are quite pleasing as well, you can opt to play a single mode or a couple of mixtures, but I would love to see a matchmaking option that includes all modes. I really enjoy Hot Spot and even Team Death Match. I have never been big on respawn games, but I can live with the respawn limit in many of the modes.
Outside of TDM, the modes do require that you use teamwork to really have any chance of winning. Especially in the bomb planting modes, you will find that the locations are well balanced with multiple plant options. Many of us remember the single plant in a circle set up in Socom making it very easy for the defending team to camp on that location from a few different angles.
With the varied plant locations, you are able to get in a blind spot and plant while giving you the ability to try and setup to defend your plant.
I could go on for days, but overall I am pleasantly surprised by the Multiplayer and actually look forward to playing with friends nightly. If we really do see private servers, the game will be worthy of tournament play and we will make sure to get the word out very quickly once it happens.
Overall I would recommend everyone give this game a good try. And if you are a PlayStation Plus member, you can hit up a one hour open trial. Strap on your boots boys, there’s a military shooter that needs your attention!!
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With the current issues we are rating this an 8 out of 10, but had there been private servers and the comms were working out of the gate this would have easily been a 9 out of 10 hands down!
Your first mission is to meet up with your international counter parts while trying to keep a low profile, but nothing is that simple. Right away you are recognized as a threat by the enemy robot force as you have been dropped in Japan which is already in conflict between humans and robot forces.
