14 DAY TRIAL // 2010’s Medal of Honor tried to reboot the franchise by going into full-on realistic mode, basing its gameplay on the strategies used by actual special forces.
This year’s Medal of Honor: Warfighter once again uses this recipe, while adding some stunning graphics, powered by the Frostbite 2 engine, and a more engaging story based on actual missions completed by Tier 1 Operators.
Does the new shooter manage to actually impress or do its hyper-realistic attributes turn it into a boring mess? Let’s have a quick look.
Warfighter debuts with a stealth operation in the night that once again shows off just how gorgeous the visuals produced by the Frostbite 2 engine can be. Sadly, the gameplay ends up disappointing right away, as you’re not really sure what to do and just end up following your squad mate while infiltrating a shipping yard.
After a few brief sequences of actual shooting, you’re then treated with a spectacle of explosions that once again drives the point home concerning the visual quality of the title.
You’re then thrown into the shoes of an undercover agent, with a group of actual terrorists for one of the most surprising tutorial sections in shooters nowadays. After a bit of regular shooting in a firing range, you’re tasked with completing an obstacle course in which you take down painted targets as fast and as precise as possible right in the fuselage of an airplane.
While they’re still just metal targets, the airplane backdrop and the encouraging words from an Islamic leader make the whole thing a rather shocking experience.
After this stark introduction, the first mission shows a rather tedious amphibian assault that’s been done to death by a variety of other shooters, with the only high point being the moment you call in an artillery strike from a nearby warship.
Overall, Medal of Honor: Warfighter feels like a decent shooter with stunning visuals but, if it doesn’t attempt some more original ideas throughout its campaign, it won’t be enough to make an impression.
Check out a gameplay video with the new title above and look forward to our review next week.