As for spawning, this is one element that needs to be fixed and quick. I lost count at the number of times I respawned frustratingly in front of the enemy. While MW-style rewards like UAV and air strikes are present, one nice tweak is that they are awarded for points not for kills, meaning assists and revenge kills help you edge closer to the rewards.
Occasional graphical issues affecting the single-player campaign such as draw distance and frame rate are absent from the multiplayer. This seems to prove that DICE’s frostbite engine would have been a far better choice for the single player that Unreal Engine 3.
Tier One
On top of the single player campaign is Tier One mode, which takes levels from the campaign and tasks you with running through them again picking up points for quick kills, headshots and the like. These achievements are then ranked up on an online scoreboard. If the stages were more fun this might have been an added draw rather than becoming a point-ladened chore.
Controversy
Whether the issue with the multiplayer Taliban was pure PR or a genuine management mistake mixed with an appallingly clumsy management cock-up, sorry 'clean up', the fact is that I was surprised by the difference it made to a game being based on a current conflict.
You can change the name to 'Opposing Force' if you want but I did find it a little uncomfortable to be blowing up IEDs in multiplayer using a mobile phone. It felt in bad taste for a game that EA have claimed is sensitive to US troops.
I’d like to have seen EA take the fact that this was based on a real war to make a statement or at least give some subtext to a game whose only plot is that the pencil pushers in Washington make decisions that affect the men on the ground and these can often go wrong.
Conclusion
For someone who is a fan of stealth and range then MOH has much appeal, if only in brief single-player campaign that suffers from graphical stutters. However, the distance game can get dull after a while. If sniping isn’t your cup of tea then you’ll find much to enjoy in the multiplayer, I just hope some DLC comes along to give it legs as once Black Ops lands there is going to be quite a fight.
SPOnG Score: 77%
Occasional graphical issues affecting the single-player campaign such as draw distance and frame rate are absent from the multiplayer. This seems to prove that DICE’s frostbite engine would have been a far better choice for the single player that Unreal Engine 3.
On top of the single player campaign is Tier One mode, which takes levels from the campaign and tasks you with running through them again picking up points for quick kills, headshots and the like. These achievements are then ranked up on an online scoreboard. If the stages were more fun this might have been an added draw rather than becoming a point-ladened chore.
Whether the issue with the multiplayer Taliban was pure PR or a genuine management mistake mixed with an appallingly clumsy management cock-up, sorry 'clean up', the fact is that I was surprised by the difference it made to a game being based on a current conflict.
You can change the name to 'Opposing Force' if you want but I did find it a little uncomfortable to be blowing up IEDs in multiplayer using a mobile phone. It felt in bad taste for a game that EA have claimed is sensitive to US troops.
I’d like to have seen EA take the fact that this was based on a real war to make a statement or at least give some subtext to a game whose only plot is that the pencil pushers in Washington make decisions that affect the men on the ground and these can often go wrong.
For someone who is a fan of stealth and range then MOH has much appeal, if only in brief single-player campaign that suffers from graphical stutters. However, the distance game can get dull after a while. If sniping isn’t your cup of tea then you’ll find much to enjoy in the multiplayer, I just hope some DLC comes along to give it legs as once Black Ops lands there is going to be quite a fight.
SPOnG Score: 77%
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Comments
Bi0raptor 13 Oct 2010 19:18
1/10
I had this title pre orders for ages and was looking so forward to playing it,
then came in all the negative reviews.
Usually I do not listen to game reviews or at least let it decide to weather I get a game or not?.
Although I thought half a dozen game reviewers can not be wrong in saying the same negative feedback,can they?.
So I cancel`d late last night and with the money I saved myself I ordered 3 games for the price of 1....Result but so disappointed that this game fell sort as I really did want to believe in it....
then came in all the negative reviews.
Usually I do not listen to game reviews or at least let it decide to weather I get a game or not?.
Although I thought half a dozen game reviewers can not be wrong in saying the same negative feedback,can they?.
So I cancel`d late last night and with the money I saved myself I ordered 3 games for the price of 1....Result but so disappointed that this game fell sort as I really did want to believe in it....
Joji 14 Oct 2010 11:45
2/10
Have a copy on the way, but if its not outstanding, i don't mind. What's roughly an 8/10 game is good enough for me and my collection, until CoD7. Multiplayer and achievements will help extend the life of the game more, so that should have me playing for ages.
And you know the weirdest thing, is I haven't seen a single tv ad for this game, as if EA want Solid Snake to sneak it to shelves. You are supposed to take advantage of the controversy train and ride to the last stop, EA. Once CoD7, Fallout NW and Fable 3 hit, MoH might get lost in the crowd.
Better luck and bigger balls, next time, EA.
And you know the weirdest thing, is I haven't seen a single tv ad for this game, as if EA want Solid Snake to sneak it to shelves. You are supposed to take advantage of the controversy train and ride to the last stop, EA. Once CoD7, Fallout NW and Fable 3 hit, MoH might get lost in the crowd.
Better luck and bigger balls, next time, EA.
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PaulRayment 14 Oct 2010 11:55
3/10
Thanks for the feedback.
This is by no means a bad game and a near 80% mark should back this up. It's more that the errors that are in it are those that you wouldn't accept from a AAA title.
The multi-player is great too, just odd that it's limited.
In a world where Call of Duty could easily monopolise videogame warfare I'd encourage people to give this a try and maybe if it wasn't coming out around peak time it would probably fare much better.
This is by no means a bad game and a near 80% mark should back this up. It's more that the errors that are in it are those that you wouldn't accept from a AAA title.
The multi-player is great too, just odd that it's limited.
In a world where Call of Duty could easily monopolise videogame warfare I'd encourage people to give this a try and maybe if it wasn't coming out around peak time it would probably fare much better.
DoctorDee 14 Oct 2010 13:48
4/10
The thing is, MoH is coming out before the peak season really gets going, and three whole weeks before CoD: BO. I think that fact could give it a bite of the cherry before CoD: BlackOps comes crashing through here like a retail steamrollercoaster on acid.
Hufandpuf 14 Oct 2010 15:28
5/10
@Joji There were ads all over the place for MOH, I saw at least five of them on TV the sunday before the game came out.
Joji 18 Oct 2010 19:27
6/10
Really, my mistake then. Maybe I've not been watching enough tv to see them. Blame reality tv for that.
After completing the single player, I'm mixed about this game. Its good, but is also very meh in places. Multiplayer is no where near as polished, as other games of this ilk. I wanted to get back to BC2 after playing it, fast.
I was, for the first time actually considering, trading my copy in (something I never do with my games. Its nowhere near what I expected from EA.
After completing the single player, I'm mixed about this game. Its good, but is also very meh in places. Multiplayer is no where near as polished, as other games of this ilk. I wanted to get back to BC2 after playing it, fast.
I was, for the first time actually considering, trading my copy in (something I never do with my games. Its nowhere near what I expected from EA.
MRXBOX n VAN BC 20 Oct 2010 00:59
7/10
Wow this doesn't say much for the whole gaming industry . The MLG types on my friend list. Well they traded Halo in for Medal of Honor . Now that they played Medal for the 1000 points of LAME achievements . They called Medal a trade in TURD , to be used to get a cheaper COD 7 . So my question is , how is this saving money ! 60 for Halo + 60 for Medal = 120 minus 40 for Immediate TRADE IN = 80 + 60 for COD 7 . Grand total = $140 FOR COD 7 ! Sorry but I am in Canada so we pay 60 TO 80 for a game after TAXES are ADDED ! So if you live outside of Canada , maybe you can help me with the Math on getting RIPED OFF by the gaming makers in your Country .
DoctorDee 20 Oct 2010 05:51
8/10
I can't see how anyone was ripped off. I can't see who was twisting anyone's arm up their back.
If people didn't want to buy these games, they didn't have to. If they wanted to buy Halo:Reach and keep it, then buy CoD they could do that.
There's a really simple process here, if you think that an item or service is not worth the price you are being charged for it - don't buy it. With the exception of the basics (water, food, heat) the free market still works amazingly well.
No one is being coerced, except by a rabid marketing machine But I thought people were all inured and post-modronic about that now, I thought modern sophisticated consumers could increasingly see through the marketing hype and make informed buying decisions. There was a huge opportunity, when Activision hiked the price on CoD for the consumer to show how they felt by leaving it on the shelf... instead they made it the best selling game in the history of best selling games, and at record breaking speed too.
If people didn't want to buy these games, they didn't have to. If they wanted to buy Halo:Reach and keep it, then buy CoD they could do that.
There's a really simple process here, if you think that an item or service is not worth the price you are being charged for it - don't buy it. With the exception of the basics (water, food, heat) the free market still works amazingly well.
No one is being coerced, except by a rabid marketing machine But I thought people were all inured and post-modronic about that now, I thought modern sophisticated consumers could increasingly see through the marketing hype and make informed buying decisions. There was a huge opportunity, when Activision hiked the price on CoD for the consumer to show how they felt by leaving it on the shelf... instead they made it the best selling game in the history of best selling games, and at record breaking speed too.
PreciousRoi 20 Oct 2010 23:17
9/10
I'd say that says less about the gaming industry "ripping people off" and more about the "MLG types" on your friends list being MLMorons...
That said, the game was, for me, a massive disappointment. As I detest the multi-player in CoD, I was really hoping that with this reboot, the FPS franchise that holds the place in my heart most reserve for (overrated trash) GoldenEye, as my first real console FPS, would manage to take a large chunk out of CoD (without copying any of the things I hate about CoD). It failed in singleplayer, and I hear the multi borrows some of those hated CoD elements, so it fails there as well.
First off, lets get the 4-wheeler out of the way...it sucked. Controls sucked, which didn't really matter much, as the sense of speed you got out of them was reminiscent of a Barbie™ PowerWheels™ on half charge. Instead of being thrilled by flying though the badlands in the dark, I was pretty bored by it...I've had more fun backtracking in Halo in the Warthog. The chopper level...well it was kinda fun, but the "scripted events" ruined the level for me about halfway through because I wasn't using rockets. (at one point, if you haven't blown up a certain building with the rockets, you will die, no matter how many 30mm rounds you put into the spot where the people firing RPGs must be, I think on one try I even blew up 2 of them mid-flight, which only prompted the game to send 4 more in quick succession as I'd failed to follow the script, and must therefore be punished)
The game sounded great, looked pretty damn impressive, but consistently falls back on crap like invisible walls, "magic" enemy spawns, (very noticeable in the chopper level) inconsistent utility of the "jump" function, invincible enemies who perform scripted actions while being shot in the head repeatedly then, and only then becoming vulnerable to your fire, enemies with infinite clips in their AKs, (I once waited just on the other side of some cover for someone to reload so I could knife them in relative safety...after approximately 7 minutes and countless rounds expended with no reload, I finally just knifed him, taking a few in the process) and other things that were acceptable the first time this franchise reared its head, but are completely inexcusable now.
The invisible walls were particularly jarring, given the rugged terrain...I mean, if you don't want me to take that obvious path (which might allow you to flank the enemy)...DON'T PUT IT THERE. Make it a frigging cliff, or too steep to climb, or behind a BIG rock, not the pathetically small one, which you are inexplicably unable to jump over (well, explicable by an invisible wall) I mean for crying out loud, much of the game takes place either on a mountainside, or in a canyon, giving me actual, visible reasons why I have to follow your path would be simplicity itself...there's absolutely no reason to ever have an invisible one.
The control schemes were nothing to write home about either...none of them felt quite right...
Then I hear that the multiplayer "features" "rewards" a la CoD...you know, kill 7 people without getting killed you get a cookie or something, one of the things which always annoyed me about CoD Multi. I mean, lets just go out there and shoot at each other...If you're good enough to get 7 kills in a row you should be winning anyway, right? This other nonsense is completely unnecessary, and utterly destroys any game balance, IMNSHO.
In response to the review...I actually had quite a bit of Close Quarters Combat, either slaughtering tangoes in the dark with my nightvision, or sprinting around their cover to knife them in a more open battle.
Ultimately, this was an ambitious title, which had a lot of potential, which was, unfortunately, almost completely wasted, and has abandoned the field to CoD's innumerable iterations' continued, and unfortunate, domination of the FPS realm for the foreseeable future.
That said, the game was, for me, a massive disappointment. As I detest the multi-player in CoD, I was really hoping that with this reboot, the FPS franchise that holds the place in my heart most reserve for (overrated trash) GoldenEye, as my first real console FPS, would manage to take a large chunk out of CoD (without copying any of the things I hate about CoD). It failed in singleplayer, and I hear the multi borrows some of those hated CoD elements, so it fails there as well.
First off, lets get the 4-wheeler out of the way...it sucked. Controls sucked, which didn't really matter much, as the sense of speed you got out of them was reminiscent of a Barbie™ PowerWheels™ on half charge. Instead of being thrilled by flying though the badlands in the dark, I was pretty bored by it...I've had more fun backtracking in Halo in the Warthog. The chopper level...well it was kinda fun, but the "scripted events" ruined the level for me about halfway through because I wasn't using rockets. (at one point, if you haven't blown up a certain building with the rockets, you will die, no matter how many 30mm rounds you put into the spot where the people firing RPGs must be, I think on one try I even blew up 2 of them mid-flight, which only prompted the game to send 4 more in quick succession as I'd failed to follow the script, and must therefore be punished)
The game sounded great, looked pretty damn impressive, but consistently falls back on crap like invisible walls, "magic" enemy spawns, (very noticeable in the chopper level) inconsistent utility of the "jump" function, invincible enemies who perform scripted actions while being shot in the head repeatedly then, and only then becoming vulnerable to your fire, enemies with infinite clips in their AKs, (I once waited just on the other side of some cover for someone to reload so I could knife them in relative safety...after approximately 7 minutes and countless rounds expended with no reload, I finally just knifed him, taking a few in the process) and other things that were acceptable the first time this franchise reared its head, but are completely inexcusable now.
The invisible walls were particularly jarring, given the rugged terrain...I mean, if you don't want me to take that obvious path (which might allow you to flank the enemy)...DON'T PUT IT THERE. Make it a frigging cliff, or too steep to climb, or behind a BIG rock, not the pathetically small one, which you are inexplicably unable to jump over (well, explicable by an invisible wall) I mean for crying out loud, much of the game takes place either on a mountainside, or in a canyon, giving me actual, visible reasons why I have to follow your path would be simplicity itself...there's absolutely no reason to ever have an invisible one.
The control schemes were nothing to write home about either...none of them felt quite right...
Then I hear that the multiplayer "features" "rewards" a la CoD...you know, kill 7 people without getting killed you get a cookie or something, one of the things which always annoyed me about CoD Multi. I mean, lets just go out there and shoot at each other...If you're good enough to get 7 kills in a row you should be winning anyway, right? This other nonsense is completely unnecessary, and utterly destroys any game balance, IMNSHO.
In response to the review...I actually had quite a bit of Close Quarters Combat, either slaughtering tangoes in the dark with my nightvision, or sprinting around their cover to knife them in a more open battle.
Ultimately, this was an ambitious title, which had a lot of potential, which was, unfortunately, almost completely wasted, and has abandoned the field to CoD's innumerable iterations' continued, and unfortunate, domination of the FPS realm for the foreseeable future.
MRXBOX n VAN BC 21 Oct 2010 02:30
10/10
The death of vidgaming came when they created the PERK PERK SHOOTER ! I should know i Created Hard Core in COD3 for myself . Then i smashed every 1 including the Cod 4 gamers and bragged about being HARDCORE WOLFINSTEIN . Wolfinstein to me was the best ever team game ever . YOU , ME , and my Gun = Wolf . The team part of
Wolf has hardly ever been PROPERLY REPRODUCED ! I have mastered playing all my games with out a CROSSHAIR ! One problem , all games after Cod3 force a cross-hair on you . In hardcore you run around without it but if you shoot someone . Look out a Big Old Baby Aim-er pops up ! Luv that Dbl Tap Crap . Also my mom is a solid 1 for 1 now that she drops my anti Teabag Device . The game makers call it Martyrdom . I call it being Teabag over 50,000 times in BF2 Modern Combat . Hey games have changed and so have the people who make them . All the game makers should start doing 1 thing to fix alot of problems immediately ! Bring back the Vote . I didn't mind being voted out by bad players , it was like An Early Achievement !!!
Wolf has hardly ever been PROPERLY REPRODUCED ! I have mastered playing all my games with out a CROSSHAIR ! One problem , all games after Cod3 force a cross-hair on you . In hardcore you run around without it but if you shoot someone . Look out a Big Old Baby Aim-er pops up ! Luv that Dbl Tap Crap . Also my mom is a solid 1 for 1 now that she drops my anti Teabag Device . The game makers call it Martyrdom . I call it being Teabag over 50,000 times in BF2 Modern Combat . Hey games have changed and so have the people who make them . All the game makers should start doing 1 thing to fix alot of problems immediately ! Bring back the Vote . I didn't mind being voted out by bad players , it was like An Early Achievement !!!