Medal of Honor Rising Sun

"Sigh...Another bad WWII game"

It all started when I went to Best Buy in December '03. I had gift cards equaling the amount of $50, and was planning to buy Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Unfortunately, they didn't have it. But I soon saw Medal of Honor: Rising Sun. Liking the first one alot, I decided this would be the game I got. Big mistake. How did EA screw this one up? Read on.

Graphics: 5
Yep they are pretty bad. Dropping frame rates? ON THE CONSOLES??!! That doesn't fly with me. Besides that, all the American soldiers have the same face while all the Japanese soldiers have the same face to. The bodies also look very blocky, not even up to a early PS2 games standards.

Sound: 6
Sounds here are standard FPS affair. Nothing really special here, the gun sounds are really bland. Music is appropriate for each level, but nothing amazing.

Gameplay: 4
To sum it up in one word: BORING. EA Doesn't bring anything new to the already overused World War II shooting genre. Did I mention there are only 9 levels? Yep 9. They will take the average player about 30 minutes to complete, though earlier in the game some take 5 minutes. This game is also very glitchy. Quick question: how come when I shoot my enemies in the head they don't die, but hitting them with my gun butt will do them in right away? You tell me. Other glitches include game lock ups, and sound distortion. If there is one thing I like about the game, its the 2 opening levels, which revolve around the attack on Pearl Harbor. Very cool, maybe the reason I held onto the game a little while before selling it.

Multiplayer: 3
4-player splitscreen is just really not fun. Everything done in this multiplayer mode has been done in others released years earlier. They do also try to make the one player mode a bit better by adding co-op. If you've played one player mode, you've played co-op, as next to nothing has been changed.

Replayability: 3
This game gets old fast. Once you beat all the levels there is no incentive to playthrough them again, except the Pearl Harbor stages. Another gripe is how come us Gamecubers get no extras? Other versions have letters you recieve from home, and actual WWII films. Those are cool, and might add some replay value for those possessing other versions of the game.

Final Verdict: 4.2
There is no reason to buy this game, even if you see it in the bargain bin. Medal of Honor Frontline is a much better game, and is probably cheaper to.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 04/05/05