Medal of Honor Rising Sun

"Could have been great."

INTRODUCTION

I have been a huge fan of the Medal of Honor series since its Playstation days and I was really looking forward to this game because of the new setting, smarter enemies and more freedom. What the hell happened?

STORY 7

It just so happens that I am a very huge fan of the war in the Pacific, and this game follows the ally victory exactly and that alone makes the story good. Throw in the in game plot and you have a realistic but overly dramatic story.

GAME PLAY 5

When I read the magazines and stories for this game I was promised a complete game play overhaul not seen in the Medal of Honor series. After getting the game I got more of the same, except worse. I am a positive person, so I will start with the good. You no longer are alone in missions but you usually have 3 or 4 people most of the time helping you out. There is also some variety in the objectives and there are bonus objectives.

Now for the bad. I don't care about graphics or freedom in games, I care about smart enemies. I was really excited that the enemies in this game went back to boot camp but I was disappointed. Come to think of it, none of the A.I. characters are all that smart. It is bad when the multiplayer A.I. is smarter then the 1 player A.I. bots.

Next is the freedom. EA promised multiple paths through the missions. As with the rest of the game it disappoints. Sure, there are multiple paths, but they are very limited. For example, in one mission you can cross the river by walking through it, or, brace yourself, by walking over the conveniently placed log. This type of freedom is all you will see.

AUDIO 9

By far the best part of the game. The soundtrack is superb with exciting and dramatic war tunes and none of them are bad. The guns and grenades all sound good and the sound of your character moving about in the grass is amazing. This does not disappoint at all.

GRAPHICS 5
This game is, well, ugly. Even the standout things are all very bland and this really kills the games attempt at a gorgeous new setting.

Level design ranges from excellent to horrible. Who new that in the jungle there is one path, and only one path to follow. Like I said, some are way better such as a Japanese carrier or a Unites States ship.

Textures are awful. Everything is muddy and blurred together. All of the bushes are one color and the tree sumps look like tree stumps except blurry and no texture.

Character models are pretty good. They are pretty rounded out and the uniforms sport a high amount of detail though they are far form what they could be.

The sky is the best I have ever seen in a game. The clouds all look real and it adds some life into the dead graphics.

Guns are all very nice but still lacking. The shapes and colors were well done but the texture and surfaces were just blended together.

REPLAY 7

This game features a two player cooperative mode but it is the one player with a few changes. The multiplayer is good granted you only like deathmatch as that is all there is. There are three difficult settings and ten real world medals to unlock but this will only last a few days. It must be noted that FPS players like myself will clear the one player in under 3 hours their first time through. Yes I said 3 hours.

FINAL 6

With a few more months in development this game could have been great. I highly recommend this as a rental only. If you need to play a World War Two game, buy Frontline instead. It is only 20 bucks.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/18/04