Medal of Honor Warfighter - Xbox 360

Once one of the most popular shooters around; the Medal of Honor series has seen a serious fall from grace. 2010’s reboot of the series is probably better known for the Taliban controversy than its actual gameplay. Met with tepid reviews, it looked like the end of the series.



Not one to give up easily, developer Danger Close is currently working on Medal of Honor Warfighter, the direct sequel to their 2010 game. The single player mode picks up where the last game left off, with many of the old familiar characters returning. Again, it will draw from the stories of a number of Tier 1 operators and take place in the recent past.

Whether or not the single player will make serious innovations or changes is yet to be seen. However, the multiplayer seems to be where Danger Close is focusing the majority of their energy. Featured heavily is the attention to detail and variety of Special Forces you can choose to fight as. Warfighter gives the player the unprecedented ability to choose to play as operators from a dozen different countries including Poland and Australia.

Among these, players can choose one of six classes, all with different abilities—some active and some passive.One class has a tank feature that allows additional armor when taking damage. Another does 20% more damage with bullets. My favorite class’ ability is simply a noob tube. And though I didn’t see it, I was told there would be extensive weapon customization. This is furthered by the fact that many countries use unique variations of common guns. Also, I got to see some badass ordinance, including a spider-mine that operates like a spider web version of a claymore, and a UAV-guided mortar.

In an effort to force players to work together in a team setting, Warfighter features a new multiplayer game mode designated “Fireteams.” This mode functions for the most part as a team deathmatch, but you are grouped with one other player who you can see regardless of where they are—as a brightly colored outline that can be seen through walls. Encouraged to stick together and support one another, you can spawn on your buddy, or if he kills whoever killed you, you’ll spawn instantly.

As should be clear, Danger Close has really done their homework. By hiring on dozens of Tier 1 operators as consultants and going so far as to use them for motion capture, the studio has practically guaranteed authenticity. What remains to be seen is if this is such a good idea.

While it’s really cool to spawn in a Blackhawk or call in a MH-6 Little Bird, at times the multiplayer feels like the gameplay has taken a backseat to hyper-realism. It at times can feel sluggish, and while it’s easy to pick up for any shooter fan, what it brings to the table isn’t really all that new or innovative. I couldn’t help but wonder if Danger Close is casting pearls before swine, giving gamers a truly authentic war experience when all they want is smooth gameplay and instant gratification.



Whatever the case, I’m not holding out on Medal of Honor Warfighter being any sort of a game changer following its October release. Published by the same company—and using the same game engine—as Battlefield 3, I fear Warfighter may just feel like another obligatory shooter from a huge publisher, but with Polish people.