Electronic Arts' new controversial "Medal of Honor" game is being released October 12 and while critics have praised its "unnerving" realism, many think it can't live up to "Call of Duty."
Here's what reviewers are saying:
PC Gamer: Medal of Honour is a game that struggles with identity. It's sometimes brave enough to let players not be the hero, and it's invigorating when it does so. The back half of the game is more retreat than fightback, sprints away from combat and into the welcoming rotors of evac choppers. Moments like these carry the sense of martial respect that the game's developers have tied the game up with, but they're undone by tiresome tropes cribbed from contemporaries.
Electricpig: [T]he multiplayer is excellent, offering a solid structure which encourages you to improve your skills and rewards effort with enhanced equipments and rank. Ultimately, Medal of Honor combines a decent single-player mode with a superb online component, but we're not entirely sure this package is going to be enough to drag people away from the still popular Modern Warfare 2, or the newly-launched Halo Reach. The solo campaign isn't as enjoyable or innovative as either of those games - in fact, it brazenly borrows many elements (including the slow-motion door-busting mechanic, employed to empty a room of enemies) from Activision's illustrious best-seller.
Joystiq: Where the game falters is in its reliance on scripted events that take control away from the player. [...] The graphics are a mixed bag as well. [...] In spite of its occasional shortcomings, the campaign in Medal of Honor kept me immersed in its world, and made me further appreciate the efforts of our real-world armed forces. [...] In any other genre, a stellar single player experience would be enough to garner a whole-hearted recommendation. But it's impossible to ignore the importance of multiplayer, especially when Medal of Honor's primary competitor tends to excel at both. Medal of Honor's campaign is an exceptional experience, but the total package simply doesn't beat Call of Duty.
Wall Street Journal: War is hell, and it's probably especially so in the rugged mountains and valleys of Afghanistan. It's also bloody, chaotic and deadly -- something that "Medal of Honor" from EA and developers Dice and Danger Close capture admirably. [...] Medal of Honor: Limited Edition is not revolutionary or even a major leap from previous versions. But it sucks you in and makes you want to play for hours in a row.
Kotaku: Medal of Honor's campaign is a short, though taut experience with engaging level design, deft pacing and surprising audio and visual touches. Online, the game maintains most of what makes the campaign sing, but doesn't quite deliver the number of options modern day shooter fans may expect. Despite the hoopla over modern settings and the inclusion of enemy Taliban, there are no deep messages in Medal of Honor beyond one of the effectiveness of the U.S. military in the Middle East.
Medal of Honor ($59.99) is available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Will you get it? Have you tried it? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.