'Medal of Honor: Warfighter'
DEVELOPER: Danger Close Games
PUBLISHER: Electronic Arts
SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360 (PC, PS3)
PRICE: $59.99
ESRB RATING: Mature
REVIEW RATING: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
After the "Call of Duty" series moved from WWII to modern times with excellent results, the "Battlefield" series followed suit. Now that the infamous "Medal of Honor" series has released a second mediocre modern military game, this one titled "Medal of Honor: Warfighter," it's time for the series to return to it's WWII roots.
Players take on the role of Tier 1 Operator, Preacher, as he and his team try to stop a deadly explosive substance called PETN from being unleashed on innocent lives by the bad guys. It's a simple, predictable plot that's made overly-complicated by constant flashbacks to different points in time that are more confusing than useful.
Sadly, the game play and level design are just as predictable. High-res visuals and random destructible environments can't hide the fact that most firefights feel very similar. Players guide their soldier through a quiet area into an open area and then must eliminate every bandana-wearing thug they encounter. Sometimes a foot chase breaks up the monotony, but it usually just leads to the next open area firefight!
Slogging through the single-player campaign would be unbearable if there weren't occasional levels where players get to control deadly vehicles like helicopters and machine guns mounted on boats. However, it's easy to look past the illusion of battle and realize that many of these levels can be completed without firing a shot.
Enlisting with other players to take the battle online is more enjoyable than playing single-player, but the experience is still inferior to the aforementioned modern military series'. For starters, each class has distinctive features, such as armor boost, but their upgrades are limited to weapons only. In addition, the huge number of bullets required to eliminate opponents makes the game feel very unrealistic.
In the end, "Medal of Honor: Warfighter," is both bland and forgettable.
DEVELOPER: Rebellion Studios
PUBLISHER: 505 Games
SYSTEM: Windows 7/Vista/XP (PS3, Xbox 360)
PRICE: $39.99
ESRB RATING: Mature
REVIEW RATING: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Modern military shooters are a dime a dozen, so, much like the brave souls who enlist, I applaud developers that don't take the easy way out! The aptly named Rebellion Studios has recently released a WWII-based shooter called "Sniper Elite V2." If the dated European setting isn't enough to call you to duty, the accurate ballistics and kill-cam surely will!
As a highly trained elite sniper in the Battle of Berlin during the closing days of WWII, players must balance eliminating Nazi soldiers while moving around in shadows if they want to survive. After being dropped behind enemy lines, it's up to players to save highly valued Nazi scientists from being taken by merciless Russian troops.
Since players are on their own, they must use stealth and make tactical decisions if they don't want to be constantly overwhelmed! Sure, you can just shoot everything in sight, but this game is meant to be played incognito. Features, such as occasional background noise to disguise sniper fire and tossing rocks to lure enemies away from your position, help promising snipers remain unseen.
Unlike most modern shooters, cyber-snipers can't just place their reticule over an enemy and shoot them dead. Instead they must take realistic factors like wind and bullet-drop into consideration and adjust their aim to compensate. Adjusting the options can diminish the realism, but why would anyone remove this game's most distinguishing features?
Speaking of which, I love the gruesome slow-motion X-ray view of bullets tearing through flesh and bone during kill shots. Too bad that enemy A.I. makes them seem like automatons before players are detected, but I guess that makes it easy to take them out with one shot.
Not everyone will enjoy playing "Sniper Elite V2," but it does offer a great alternative to the over-abundance of modern shooters on the market.
'Medal of Honor: Warfighter'
DEVELOPER: Danger Close Games
PUBLISHER: Electronic Arts
SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360 (PC, PS3)
PRICE: $59.99
ESRB RATING: Mature
REVIEW RATING: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
After the "Call of Duty" series moved from WWII to modern times with excellent results, the "Battlefield" series followed suit. Now that the infamous "Medal of Honor" series has released a second mediocre modern military game, this one titled "Medal of Honor: Warfighter," it's time for the series to return to it's WWII roots.
Players take on the role of Tier 1 Operator, Preacher, as he and his team try to stop a deadly explosive substance called PETN from being unleashed on innocent lives by the bad guys. It's a simple, predictable plot that's made overly-complicated by constant flashbacks to different points in time that are more confusing than useful.
Sadly, the game play and level design are just as predictable. High-res visuals and random destructible environments can't hide the fact that most firefights feel very similar. Players guide their soldier through a quiet area into an open area and then must eliminate every bandana-wearing thug they encounter. Sometimes a foot chase breaks up the monotony, but it usually just leads to the next open area firefight!
Slogging through the single-player campaign would be unbearable if there weren't occasional levels where players get to control deadly vehicles like helicopters and machine guns mounted on boats. However, it's easy to look past the illusion of battle and realize that many of these levels can be completed without firing a shot.
Enlisting with other players to take the battle online is more enjoyable than playing single-player, but the experience is still inferior to the aforementioned modern military series'. For starters, each class has distinctive features, such as armor boost, but their upgrades are limited to weapons only. In addition, the huge number of bullets required to eliminate opponents makes the game feel very unrealistic.
In the end, "Medal of Honor: Warfighter," is both bland and forgettable.
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