Console Medal of Honor games have always made for a decent enough war experience. The D-day opening of ‘Frontline’, released at the turn of the century, will be a fond gaming memory for many, but the ‘one-man mission to win the war and personally kill Hitler’ direction, in contrast to the team aspects of rival games has likely left a hole in the helmets of those craving an element of realism. There was always something lacking, but for many years the series was unchallenged. Now though, the people will not settle. With the masses having now been introduced to the wonders of Call of Duty and Brothers in Arms, Medal of Honor is going to have to be equipped, disciplined and organized like never before to fight off the enemy advances, and EA know it.
Realising trench warfare just won’t cut it anymore, EA have brought out the paratroopers in an attempt to counter-attack, hoping to capitalize on Call of Duty’s concentration on the modern warfare front, by revamping the conventional Medal of Honour gameplay. As the sharper amongst you may have deduced from the title, players begin each level airborne. Taking control of a guy called ‘Boyd Travers’, you’ll be airdropped across various locations involved in WWII. In an innovative move to breathe new life into an arguably tired FPS setting, instead of being dropped off by some truck, players will experience a parachute jump every level. “Gimmick!” I hear you cry, but don’t write it off so quickly comrade. This is no tedious, generic cut-scene that will have you dropped off at the same point regardless, this is an introduction that will blow away the typical structure of moving from star to star until you’re informed that the level is over. For starters, the drop itself promises to be a significant part of the game. Players will have control over Travers’ movements while he plummets towards Earth, allowing you to dodge enemy bullets, choose your landing position and attempt to achieve a successful landing. Your actions at this stage will have a major effect on the game, they’re no warm-up. Screw up your landing and you’ll find yourself in a heap on the floor, flapping, tangled in your parachute practically offering yourself, like a fish to on-looking Nazis who are sure to be having a good chuckle. Land exceptionally well, on the other hand, for a running start that will strike fear into enemies. Perhaps the most interesting aspect though, is your control over where you land. Giving linearity a good bump on the head with the butt of a gun, players tackle objectives in the order they please. Of course there are set goals, otherwise there’d be no goal or focus in the game, but the ability to begin anywhere on the map, dependent on where you land, means Airborne will offer an experience that will never be the same twice. Achievements will also be awarded for touching down in particularly difficult places, which should offer an interesting challenge and accompanied with the lack of linearity; replayability.
AI is also being acclaimed as amongst the best in the genre, which of course is very important for an immersive shooting experience. This is also promising as fellow troops will play an important part this time around, with Airborne forcing tactical thinking instead of the ‘run and gun’ gameplay of old. Graphics too, are looking how we expect, but often don’t receive from next-gen, with impressive lighting, scale, detailed maps (which are set across Germany, France, Holland, Italy and northern Africa) and in-game cut scenes that hide loading periods. However, the series has not totally departed from its arcadey roots. Weapon upgrades are awarded for efficiency, which are demonstrated in slow motion sequences, reminiscent of corny action movies (“Noooooooo!”) and the somewhat fashionable ‘recharge’ system of health that seems to be adopted by most games now is snubbed for old school pick-up medikits.
