MEDAL OF HONOR SERIES

'Medal of Honor'

Developer(s):	Dreamworks Interactive, EA Los Angeles, EA Canada, 2015 Inc., Netherock Ltd, Budcat Creations, Rebellion, TKO Software
Publisher(s):	Electronic Arts
Release date(s):	1999–present
Genre(s):	First-person shooter
Mode(s):	Single player, Multiplayer
Platform(s):	PC (Linux, Windows), Mac OS X, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, GameCube, Wii, Game Boy Advance
Website:	Medal of Honor Franchise Website

'''Medal of Honor''' ('''MOH''') is the name of a series of first-person shooter games set in World War II. The first game was developed by DreamWorks Interactive (currently known as EA Los Angeles) and published by Electronic Arts in 1999 for the PlayStation game console. ''Medal of Honor'' spawned a series of follow-up games including multiple expansions spanning various console platforms and the PC and Apple Macintosh.

Contents

Plot

Controversy

Gameplay

Reception

Upcoming titles

Games In Series

PC

Mac

Xbox

Xbox 360

PlayStation

PlayStation 2

PlayStation 3

PlayStation Portable

GameCube

Wii

Game Boy Advance

Mobile Phone

Playable Characters

External links

Plot

The ''Medal of Honor'' series puts the player in the boots of an Allied combatant during World War II, with weaponry appropriate to the time period. The player fights for the United States, and the main character's name is James 'Jimmy' Steven Patterson. The games are often characterized by linear gameplay through recognizable WWII-era areas of conflict, which is sometimes presented in a cinematic tone (e.g., inspiration from modern films like ''Saving Private Ryan'', ''The Thin Red Line'' and ''Enemy at the Gates'' and the television miniseries ''Band of Brothers'' is obvious, since the game was 'created' by Steven Spielberg).
In the later games in the series, the artificial intelligence (AI) of the enemies and fellow soldiers has been notorious for being under current FPS expectations. The violence is bloodless and simple, usually consisting of elaborate animations.

Controversy

In Germany, the ''MOH'' series is a controversial video game because of its delicate subject matter (WWII). The game is uncensored in terms of flags, and the swastika can often be found. This conflicts with German laws which state that the swastika may only be used in historical references. The game was put on the index of youth endangering media by the German BPjM in 2000, making it only available for people over 18; advertising for it had to be discontinued.
Ever since the controversy that "Medal of Honor" had raised back in 1999/2000, EA has taken precautions to eliminate all the "Nazism" content before releasing it to the German market. This often results in the removal/change of all "Nazi" flags, swastikas, and on some occasions the "blood puff" (the effect that takes place when the player shoots another player) from the games build.

Gameplay

The gameplay originally focused on behind-enemy-lines intelligence gathering, or some other type of special missions, 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. The last time false papers were used was in Frontline. Since the release of European Assault 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.

Reception

The overall critical response towards the Medal of Honor series has been quite positive up to the release of Rising Sun.
Medal of Honor was a huge success when it was released for the PS back in 1999. Receiving many positive reviews it's still praised as being the father of the world war 2 FPS genre. The game was such a huge success that Dreamworks Interactive released a sequel in 2000 called Underground. Although the game didn't live up to the hype that was Medal of Honor it still received very moderate reviews from critics and fans alike.
Later when Electronic Arts bought out Dreamworks Interactive the franchise was revived with Allied Assault and Frontline. Both games proved to be the franchises biggest success since the first Medal of Honor and received many positive reviews as well as a "game of the year award". To this day many critics and fans of the genre refer to Allied Assault and Frontline as the best of the franchise.
After Allied Assault and Frontline the series took a brief break and returned with the mediocre Rising Sun for Gamecube, PS2, and Xbox. The reviews from many critics varied from "poor" to "mediocre". Although it was the first and only title of the franchise to feature online capabilities on Xbox and PS2, it lacked much gameplay elements that was needed for a "good" gaming experience.
Pacific Assault was the next installment of the series and it would prove to be a great addition to the franchise. Receiving several positive reviews, it was praised for its single player but was lost for its lack luster multi player. The game still managed to receive overall positive reception but many fans of the series were livid at the multi player portion.
The series has released two titles since Pacific Assault, and both received moderate reviews from the majority of critics. European Assault for Gamecube, PS2, and Xbox, received "average" reviews, mostly because of its lack of innovation and strange new gameplay features. Vanguard for Wii and PS2 received poor/moderate reviews, partly because of it's lack of innovation (similar to European Assault) but mostly because of it's short game length. Leaving the average gamer only 4-8 hours of gameplay.

Upcoming titles

'' is also in the works for the Wii and PSP. each version is being built from the ground up for its respective system and will feature 32 player online play on both versions. The Wii version will be released November 6th, 2007.

Games In Series

PC

★ - (Linux, Windows)

★ (Allied Assault Expansion Pack) - (Windows)

★ (Allied Assault Expansion Pack) - (Windows)

★ - (Windows)

★ - (Windows)

Mac

★ - (Mac OS X, MacOS9)

★ (Allied Assault Expansion Pack) - (Mac OS X, MacOS9)

★ (Allied Assault Expansion Pack) - (Mac OS X, MacOS9)

Xbox

★

★

★

Xbox 360

★

PlayStation

★ Medal of Honor

★

PlayStation 2

★

★

★

★

PlayStation 3

★

PlayStation Portable

★

★

GameCube

★

★

★

Wii

★

★

Game Boy Advance

★

★

Mobile Phone

★

Playable Characters

★ Lt. Jimmy Patterson (MOH, MOH:Underground as a bonus character, MOH: Frontline, MOH: Heroes)

★ Manon Batiste/Manon DuChamps (MOH: Underground); also appeared in MOH, MOH: Allied Assault,MOH: Frontline and MOH: European Assault

★ Lt. Mike Powell (MOH: Allied Assault)

★ Sgt. Jack Barnes (MOH: Spearhead)

★ Sgt. John Baker (MOH: Breakthrough, MOH: Heroes)

★ Cpl. Joseph Griffin (MOH: Rising Sun)

★ Cpl. Jake Murphy (MOH: Infiltrator)

★ Pvt./Pfc./Cpl. Tommy Conlin (MOH: Pacific Assault)

★ Lt. William Holt (MOH: European Assault, MOH: Heroes)

★ Cpl./Sgt. Frank Keegan (MOH: Vanguard)

★ Pfc. Boyd Travers (MOH: Airborne)

★ OSS Operative John Berg (MOH: Heroes 2)

External links

★

★

★ GameSpot on ''MOH Airborne''

★ Planet Medal of Honor

★ OS X compatibility

★ Medal of honor homepage