The Return of Honor

If you go down to the shops today, you might want to pick up a pre-Christmas treat: Medal of Honor is now on sale. The cutting-edge next-generation reboot of the much-loved military first-person shooter franchise has been wowing the critics, and at last you can find out for yourself what all the fuss is about.

Medal of Honor has come a long way from its World War II roots: this time around, its action takes place in roughly contemporary Afghanistan, and casts you as various American soldiers, either from the ranks of the stealthy, elite Tier 1 operators, or the famous US Rangers, equipped with the very latest in battlefield technology. Medal of Honor’s single-player campaign weaves its multiple protagonists into a coherent, compelling storyline that mixes under-the-radar “scalpel” gameplay with guns-blazing “sledgehammer” operations, and even includes variations like a mission controlling the weaponry of an Apache helicopter.

Its multiplayer side, developed by legendary outfit DICE (of Battlefield fame) has four modes – Team Assault, Sector Control, Objective Raid and Combat mission – and lets you play as Rifleman, Special Ops or Sniper. A levelling up system lets you upgrade weapons and kit as you gain experience, and it’s set to become the biggest draw on Xbox Live, the PlayStation Network and PCs across the world.

Medal of Honor has drawn considerable praise from the critics

Now Gamer awarded it 8.6/10
Gamesmaster gave it 85% and the accolade: “more realistic than Call of Duty”,
CVG 8.3/10 and
Eurogamer, which described it as “Compelling and enjoyable”, 8/10.
According to Nuts, “It’s ace,”
the News of the World thinks it “looks amazing” and
Loaded reckons it “has to have the most authentic feel to date”.

If you want to see it for yourself, we’ve picked our five favourite videos from the plethora available which showcase Medal Of Honor’s finer points and delve behind the scenes of those involved in making it:

Part Six: Danger Close
Medal Of Honor’s stunningly realistic graphics and scarily intense realism come to the fore, as US Rangers suppress an insurgent machine-gun emplacement while air support is on its way.

The MOH Experience Part 3: High Value Target
Here’s a taste of a multiplayer Objective Raid, showing the sort of fierce combat you will experience when you play Medal Of Honor online, and particularly showcasing your ability to call in air-strikes.

Part Three: Hammer and Scalpel
Heading behind the scenes, a real-life Tier 1 operator, with his identity obscured, and who acted as a consultant in the making of Medal Of Honor, explains the qualities that Tierr 1 operators must have.

The Medal Of Honor Experience Part Four: Friends From Afar
In this extract from the single-player campaign, a Tier 1 operator shows his extreme long-range sniping skills, and in the process, the game shows off its startlingly realistic evocation of real-life sniper optics.

Tier 1 on Day 1
If you’re wondering what’s so special about the limited-edition Tier 1 version of the game, this clip shows you the exclusive weapons you’ll have access to only if you buy it. Who could resist that shotgun?