HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Medal of Honor'' is a
first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
video game developed by Danger Close Games and
EA DICE EA Digital Illusions CE AB (trade name: DICE) is a Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm. The company was founded in 1992 and has been a subsidiary of Electronic Arts since 2006. Its releases include the ''Battlefield'', ''Mirror's Edg ...
and published by
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...
. It is the thirteenth installment in the ''
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...
'' series and a
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is phys ...
of the series. The game was released for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, W ...
, PlayStation 3 and
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
on October 12, 2010. While the previous titles were set during World War II, ''Medal of Honor'' takes place during the
War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...
. The game is loosely based on parts of
Operation Anaconda Operation Anaconda was a military operation that took place in early March 2002 as part of the War in Afghanistan. CIA paramilitary officers, working with their allies, attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. The operation took place ...
; specifically, the events surrounding the Battle of Roberts Ridge. Development of ''Medal of Honor'' began in 2007 following the release of '' Medal of Honor: Vanguard'', '' Medal of Honor: Airborne'', and '' Medal of Honor: Heroes 2''.
EA DICE EA Digital Illusions CE AB (trade name: DICE) is a Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm. The company was founded in 1992 and has been a subsidiary of Electronic Arts since 2006. Its releases include the ''Battlefield'', ''Mirror's Edg ...
was recruited to develop the multiplayer component of the game. ''Medal of Honor''s single-player campaign uses a modified
Unreal Engine 3 Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter game ''Unreal''. Initially developed for PC first-person shooters, it has since been used in a variety of genres ...
while multiplayer uses the Frostbite Engine. It is the first game in the ''Medal of Honor'' series to be given a "Mature" rating from the ESRB. ''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 ''Call of Duty'' and ''Battlefield''. The game was a commercial success for Electronic Arts, selling 5 million copies from October to November. A sequel, '' Medal of Honor: Warfighter'', also developed by Danger Close Games, was released in October 2012.


Gameplay

''Medal of Honor'' is a modern warfare first-person shooter. Gameplay focuses on portraying operations set in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is border ...
.


Single-player

The game's single-player campaign features typical in-game objectives include raiding enemy hideouts and calling in airstrikes on enemy positions. The modification of Unreal Engine 3.0 allows players to slide to cover and perform other combat maneuvers. Players can request ammo from teammates in the single-player campaign, though this is limited.


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 Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
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
M16A4 The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...
,
M4A1 The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensively u ...
, M21,
AT4 The AT4 is a Swedish unguided, man-portable, disposable, shoulder-fired recoilless anti-tank weapon built by Saab Bofors Dynamics (previously Bofors Anti-Armour Systems and before that FFV Ordance). The AT4 is not considered a rocket launc ...
and
M9 pistol The Beretta M9, officially the Pistol, Semiautomatic, 9mm, M9, is the designation for the Beretta 92FS semi-automatic pistol used by the United States Armed Forces. The M9 was adopted by the United States military as their service pistol in 19 ...
, while the Opposing Forces represent forces similar to the
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
and use according equipment such as the
AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms de ...
,
AKS-74U The AK-74 (Russian: , tr. ''Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1974 goda'', lit. 'Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1974) is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974. While primarily associated with the Soviet U ...
, SVD,
RPG-7 The RPG-7 (russian: link=no, РПГ-7, Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт, Ruchnoy Protivotankoviy Granatomyot) is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Th ...
, and "Tariq" pistol. Each weapon is designed to have a counterpart on both teams, although that counterpart may or may not have the same stats. Initially, the weapons are team-specific. However, as the player progresses, they will unlock weapons that are available for both sides, as well as unlocking the ability to use enemy weapons. Once reaching level 8 in any one class the player is considered Tier 1 and assumes a different appearance, and when killed the tier 1 player's killer receives 5 extra points for killing a tier 1 player. On November 2, 2010, DICE released two DLCs for multiplayer—a game type called "Hot Zone", which is a king-of-the-hill style mode and another game type called "Clean Sweep", a last-man-standing game type.


Synopsis


Characters and setting

''Medal of Honor'' takes place in Afghanistan. For half of the game, players assume the role of a
Navy SEAL The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting ...
DEVGRU The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU ("Development Group") and commonly known as SEAL Team Six, is the United States Navy component of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The unit is often referre ...
operator codenamed Rabbit. For the remainder, the player alternates between the roles of a
Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task F ...
sniper codenamed Deuce, a U.S. Army Ranger Specialist Dante Adams of the
75th Ranger Regiment The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as Army Rangers, is the U.S. Army's premier light infantry unit and special operations force within the United States Army Special Operations Command. The regiment is headquartered at Fort Benning, Ge ...
, and an
AH-64 Apache The Boeing AH-64 Apache () is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night visi ...
gunner Brad "Hawk" Hawkins.


Plot

The story begins in late 2001 during the opening days of the invasion of Afghanistan. AFO Neptune, composed of Tier 1
DEVGRU The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU ("Development Group") and commonly known as SEAL Team Six, is the United States Navy component of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The unit is often referre ...
SEALs codenamed Mother, Voodoo, Preacher, and Rabbit, are sent to meet with an Afghan informant named Tariq who has intelligence on the
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
. ''Neptune'' is ambushed by Chechen jihadists, and fights their way through the village to recover Tariq. He informs them that the Taliban and
Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...
have a significant force of 500 to 1,000 combatants in the
Shah-i-Kot Valley The Shah-i-Kot Valley (also Shahi-Kot, Shah-e-Kot and other variant spellings) is a valley in Afghanistan's Paktia province, southeast of the town of Zormat. The terrain in and around the valley is notoriously rugged, located at a mean altitude ...
. Before dealing with them, though, ''Neptune'' is tasked to secure
Bagram Airfield Bagram Airfield-BAF, also known as Bagram Air Base , is located southeast of Charikar in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. It is under the Afghan Ministry of Defense. Sitting on the site of the ancient Bagram at an elevation of above sea le ...
with a contingent from the ANA. By March 2002, the airfield is re-purposed as a base by
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
forces. U.S. Army Colonel R. Drucker, commander of all local forces, is a cautious and competent officer in contrast to his commanding officer, General Flagg, a career-oriented officer directing the war from his office in the United States who is dismissive of the AFO teams' capabilities. While Drucker plans to use the Tier 1 operatives to reconnoitre insurgent positions in the valley and then have Afghan
Northern Alliance The Northern Alliance, officially known as the United Islamic National Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan ( prs, جبهه متحد اسلامی ملی برای نجات افغانستان ''Jabha-yi Muttahid-i Islāmi-yi Millī barāyi Nijāt ...
soldiers eliminate them, Flagg is mistrusting of the locals and gives the Colonel a 24 hours to deploy the
10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to re ...
, the
101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...
, and the 75th Rangers. Meanwhile, AFO Wolfpack, consisting of four
Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task F ...
operators code-named Panther, Vegas, Deuce, and Dusty, infiltrate the valley and proceed to their observation point "Clementine" while AFO Neptune moves to "OP Dorothy". Drucker sends a task force of Northern Alliance soldiers led by Army SF teams to eliminate several insurgent positions. Flagg, angry that Drucker still has not deployed conventional US infantry, unknowingly orders an AC-130U crew to open fire on the Afghan/US task force. The surviving Northern Alliance forces panic and withdraw, leaving the Colonel no choice but to deploy the Rangers as ordered. During insertion into the Sha-i-kot Valley, the Rangers come under heavy fire and a Chinook is shot down. A fireteam led by Sergeant Patterson consisting of Specialist Dante Adams, Corporal Hernandez, and Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) Tech Sergeant Ybarra, flank the enemy positions and destroy the machine guns. They move to secure an LZ for extraction, but are ambushed by numerous insurgents. Surrounded and running out of ammunition, Ybarra radios Bagram for reinforcements, which arrive in the form of a pair of
AH-64 Apache The Boeing AH-64 Apache () is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night visi ...
s, saving them from being overrun. The Apaches move through the mountains destroying a Taliban armory and enemy mortar positions. As they return to base, a Taliban
ZU-23-2 The ZU-23-2, also known as ZU-23, is a Soviet towed 23×152mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon. ZU stands for ''Zenitnaya Ustanovka'' (Russian: Зенитная Установка) – anti-aircraft mount. The GRAU index is 2A13. Developm ...
anti-aircraft gun crew attempts to shoot the helicopters but are killed by sniper fire from Deuce of AFO Wolfpack. 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, Takur Ghar. ''Neptune'' withdraws over the ridge line, and fights their way to the extraction point. Mother and Rabbit make it to the helicopter, but the Chinook is damaged by heavy enemy fire and forced to leave Voodoo and Preacher behind. Defying orders to return to base, Mother and Rabbit re-insert at nighttime, barely escaping death when their Chinook comes under fire and crash lands. They search for Voodoo and Preacher but are eventually compromised and Rabbit is severely wounded in the firefight. The two jump off a cliff in an attempt to escape pursuit but are eventually captured by insurgents. Back at Bagram, General Flagg refuses to risk additional losses and orders them to pull back and reassess, dooming the SEALs. Defying orders, Drucker instead sends in the Ranger
Quick Reaction Force In military science nomenclature, a quick reaction force (QRF) is an armed military unit capable of rapidly responding to developing situations, typically to assist allied units in need of such assistance. They are to have equipment ready to res ...
to extract ''Neptune''. 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 push on and link up with Preacher and Voodoo. After engaging multiple enemy strongholds with the help of a
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
Predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill t ...
drone, they eventually 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 In some cultures, the foot of a rabbit is carried as an amulet believed to bring good luck. This belief is held by individuals in a great number of places around the world, including Europe, China, Africa, and North and South America. In variatio ...
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
Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official language ...
while observing the street. They identify the man they are looking out for and move to approach him before the screen cuts to black.


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''. In July 2010, EA Los Angeles was rebranded to Danger Close Games to focus on the development of ''Medal of Honor'' games. 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 EA Digital Illusions CE AB (trade name: DICE) is a Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm. The company was founded in 1992 and has been a subsidiary of Electronic Arts since 2006. Its releases include the ''Battlefield'', ''Mirror's Edg ...
, best known as the creators of ''Battlefield'' series, was tasked by
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...
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 The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tutori ...
2010, it was announced that the PS3 would be the lead development platform. Electronic Arts released multiplayer
beta Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; grc, βῆτα, bē̂ta or ell, βήτα, víta) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Modern Greek, it represents the voiced labi ...
keys for the PlayStation 3 and PC on June 21, 2010. The
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
beta was initially delayed, but eventually opened on July 20, 2010. The beta featured 3 different weapon classes, two different maps and two different game modes. EA announced a PC open beta for Medal of Honor which ran from October 4, 2010 to October 7, 2010, 11:59 PDT.


Marketing and release

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drumm ...
's "
New Divide "New Divide" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song is released as a single and was recorded specifically for the soundtrack, '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – The Album'' to Michael Bay's film '' Transformers: Revenge of ...
" was featured in the 2010 E3 multiplayer trailer. Another Linkin Park song, entitled " The Catalyst", was featured in the final ''Medal of Honor'' trailer set released on August 1, 2010. The trailer featuring the song was directed by Linkin Park's own
Joe Hahn Joseph Hahn (born March 15, 1977) is an American musician, DJ, director and visual artist best known as the DJ of the American rock band Linkin Park, doing the scratching, turntables, sampling, and programming for all seven of Linkin Park's a ...
. The song was featured in the end credits of the game. The music for the game was composed by Emmy-nominated composer
Ramin Djawadi Ramin Djawadi (, fa, رامین جوادی; born 19 July 1974) is an Iranian and German score composer. He is known for his scores for the 2008 Marvel film ''Iron Man'' and the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', for which he was nominated for Gra ...
, who recorded his score with ethnic instruments, electronics, and a string orchestra in Los Angeles. A soundtrack album was released on iTunes on October 5, 2010. A book written by
Chris Ryan Colin Armstrong (born 1961), usually known by the pseudonym and pen-name of Chris Ryan, is an author, television presenter, security consultant and former Special Air Service sergeant. After the publication of fellow patrol member Andy McNab ...
was released around the time as the game and explains the backstory of the game. Through the EA Gun Club website players who registered on the site and bought the VIP version of '' Battlefield: Bad Company 2'' were granted the
M24 Sniper Weapon System The M24 Sniper Weapon System (SWS) or M24 is the military and police version of the Remington Model 700 rifle, ''M24'' being the model name assigned by the United States Army after adoption as their standard sniper rifle in 1988. The M24 is re ...
sniper rifle for multiplayer immediately upon the game's release.


Editions

The Limited Edition version of ''Medal of Honor'' includes an invite to the ''
Battlefield 3 ''Battlefield 3'' is a 2011 first-person shooter video game developed by DICE (company), DICE and published by Electronic Arts for Windows, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is a direct sequel to 2005's ''Battlefield 2''. In ''B ...
'' beta and a token to download '' Medal of Honor: Frontline''. ''Frontline'' is available only in the PlayStation 3 version. The Limited Edition will also feature content out-of-the-box such as early access to weapons attainable only via upgrades and a Limited Edition exclusive
Heckler & Koch MP7 The Heckler & Koch MP7 ( German: ''Maschinenpistole 7'') is a personal defense weapon chambered for the HK 4.6×30mm armor-piercing cartridge designed by German defence manufacturer Heckler & Koch. It was designed (together with the new car ...
personal defense weapon and the M60
Light Machine Gun A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridges of the same caliber as the other riflemen of the s ...
. 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". 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

''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 Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
gave the PlayStation 3 version 75/100, the Xbox 360 version 74/100, and the PC version 72/100. ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated video game cons ...
'' scored it a 7 out of 10. ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair E ...
'' acknowledged that ''Medal of Honor'' has "a solid multiplayer accessory that owes a lot to ''Bad Company 2"'', and gave it an 8/10. ''
Joystiq ''Joystiq'' was a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 as part of the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs, now owned by AOL. It was AOL's primary video game blog, with sister blogs dealing with MMORPG gaming in general and the popular MMORPG ''Worl ...
'' 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. According to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, "Shares redown 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."


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
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
.New Video Game Will Let You Play as the Taliban
AOL News AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo! Inc. ...
, August 13, 2010
The developers responded by stating the reality of the game necessitated it. "Most of us having been doing this since we were 7 – if someone's the cop, someone's gotta be the robber, someone's gotta be the pirate and someone's gotta be the alien", Amanda Taggart, senior PR manager for EA, told
AOL News AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo! Inc. ...
. "In ''Medal of Honor'' multiplayer, someone's gotta be the Taliban." The UK Defence Secretary
Liam Fox Liam Fox (born 22 September 1961) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for International Trade from 2016 to 2019 and Secretary of State for Defence from 2010 to 2011. A member of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Pa ...
criticized the game in advance of its release stating that it was "shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban against British soldiers". "At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands". "It's hard to believe any citizen of our country would wish to buy such a thoroughly un-British game. I would urge retailers to show their support for our armed forces and ban this tasteless product." Canadian Defense Minister
Peter MacKay Peter Gordon MacKay (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2015 and has served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General (2013–2015), Minister of National Defence (2007� ...
has also criticized the game, saying he "finds it wrong that anyone, children in particular, would be playing the role of Taliban" and that "Canada and its allies have fought far too long in Afghanistan and it's not a game". Some
Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
veterans were appalled by the game that takes place in the
Helmand Helmand ( Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...
province where Danish troops are stationed. Danish Defense Minister Gitte Lillelund Bech finds it "tasteless" and supports Danish veterans who oppose the game. However she has said she will not legislate on the subject and has confidence in the ability of Danish youth to discriminate between right and wrong. Various branches of the US military, including the US Navy and
US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, c ...
and
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
Exchange Services have banned the sale of the game on all United States military bases worldwide, but military personnel can still buy the game off base and it will be allowed on base. The reason given by a spokesperson for the US Navy was that it is, "out of respect for the men and women serving and their families." 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 "
Opposing Force An opposing force (alternatively enemy force, abbreviated OPFOR) is a military unit tasked with representing an enemy, usually for training purposes in war game scenarios. The related concept of aggressor squadron is used by some air forces. T ...
." The singleplayer campaign as well as overall gameplay was not affected by the change. However, even in light of this change, the game was still not sold on military bases. The
AAFES The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES, also referred to as The Exchange and The PX or The BX) is the retailer in U.S. Army and Air Force installations worldwide. The Exchange is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and its director/chief exe ...
Commander Maj. Gen. Bruce Casella said, "Out of respect to those touched by the ongoing, real-life events presented as a game, Exchanges will not be carrying this product." He continued, "I expect the military families who are authorized to shop the Exchange are aware, and understanding, of the decision not to carry this particular offering."


Sales

At the time of the release, ''Medal of Honor'' had the highest number of
pre-order A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...
s in the series. On October 19, 2010,
GameSpy GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the Game ...
reported that the game topped 1.5 million in sales on its first week and went on to sell 2 million copies on its second week. It was very successful in the United Kingdom, debuting at #1 on the UK sales chart, beating out '' FIFA 11'' and '' Just Dance 2''. In the United States, ''Medal of Honor'' was the third best-selling game in October behind '' NBA 2K11'' and '' Fallout: New Vegas''. On February 1, 2011, EA reported that the reboot of ''Medal of Honor'' was a commercial success with over 5 million copies sold from October to November along with '' Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit''. "It's on a sharp uptick the last couple of years as we've driven high-quality titles ever higher in the charts, particularly in Europe but also in North America," John Riccitiello, EA CEO, said during the publisher's overnight Q3 earnings call. The game was later released as a part of three budget lines:
Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
and Platinum Range for the PlayStation 3 and
Platinum Hits Platinum Hits is a term used to refer to a line of select Xbox games that were considered by Microsoft to have sold considerable units on the platform in the nine months after release, and have dropped in price from their original MSRP to a newer, ...
for the Xbox 360.


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.


References


External links

* {{Authority control
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A ...
2010 video games Digital Illusions CE games Electronic Arts games First-person shooter multiplayer online games Multiplayer online games PlayStation 3 games Video game controversies Unreal Engine games Video game sequels Video games about Delta Force Video games about the United States Navy SEALs Video games developed in Sweden Video games scored by Ramin Djawadi Video games set in Afghanistan Video games set in 2001 War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) video games Windows games Xbox 360 games Video game reboots Multiplayer and single-player video games Video games developed in the United States