[Review] Medal of Honor

[Lunix I]

Medal of Honor is a series of first-person shooter video games. The first game was developed by DreamWorks Interactive (now known as DICE Los Angeles, formerly Danger Close Games) and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation in 1999. Medal of Honor spawned a series of follow-up games including multiple expansions spanning various console platforms and personal computers. The first twelve installments take place during World War II. The main characters are usually elite members of Office of Strategic Services (OSS), while later games focus on modern warfare. The story of the first three games was created by film director and producer Steven Spielberg. The music in the franchise was composed by Michael Giacchino, Christopher Lennertz and Ramin Djawadi

The series began in 1999 with Medal of Honor. The game was developed by DreamWorks Interactive, with a story by filmmaker Steven Spielberg. The game was released for the PlayStation on October 31, 1999. Spielberg's inspiration for the series emerged while directing and producing the World War II film Saving Private Ryan to create a game that can concurrently be an educational and entertaining experience.

In 2000, Medal of Honor: Underground, the second game in the series, was released for the PlayStation and Game Boy Advance. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, the third game in the series, was developed by 2015, Inc. and released for the PC, Mac OS X and Linux in January 2002. Allied Assault has expansion packs titled Spearhead (2002) and Breakthrough (2003). Medal of Honor: Frontline, the fourth game in the series, was developed and released for the PlayStation 2 in May 2002 and the Nintendo GameCube and Xbox in November 2002. It was later remastered in high-definition and released in 2010 with the PlayStation 3 version of Medal of Honor (2010), the first game in the rebooted series. Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, the fifth game in the series, was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube in 2003 (a planned sequel was cancelled due to the game's mixed reviews).

The gameplay originally focuses on the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), an American espionage organization during World War II, placing emphasis on using false papers and silenced pistols, but as the series and the technology has progressed, it has shifted emphasis towards front-line combat, and has now almost completely abandoned the original focus. Since the release of Medal of Honor: Rising Sun the series has focused on providing a more open-ended element to the games, allowing the player to have more options in each level and getting away from one linear path. In the later games in the series, the artificial intelligence (AI) of the enemies and fellow soldiers has been notorious for being below or above current FPS expectations.

The violence, up to Medal of Honor: Rising Sun is bloodless and simple, usually consisting of elaborate animations, while the violence in Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault and onward contains the occasional sprays of blood. The newest Medal of Honor contains realistic figures, surroundings, and effects giving it a modern FPS look.