Medal of Honor: Warfighter - Limited Edition

First things first, I'm playing this post patch, so the review will make no mention to the various issues in the published reviews because, to be frank, they're not there anymore. A lot of cynicism over the review embargo has led to some excessively negative reviews as if day 1 patching is exclusive to Warfighter. Given how many games, MW2 and BF3 included, that have had to have day 1 patches to fix last minute issues, this seems, to me, to be a ridiculous criticism. Heck, I still remember Rockstar taking more than a week to fix the completely unplayable PS3 version of GTA4 that constantly crashed and wiped it's own saves. How short people's memories are. Secondly, I'm coming to this as a fan of the last Danger Close instalment of MoH. Their campaign came across as far more personal and far closer to reality than the Michael Bay/Jerry Bruckheimer inspired nonsense that has marred every Call Of Duty since Modern Warfare 2. Concentrating solely on a dramatised account of a real world operation paid off fantastically well. The characters were far better realised and the fate of Tier 1 operative "Rabbit" actually had genuine emotion.

So, what of Warfighter? Well, the same characters are back but Danger Close has spread the plot a bit more thinly this time. Whilst, apparently, based on real operations, the round the world tour of this campaign just feels less realistic and a little too close to CoD's nonsense campaigns of the past 3 instalments. Thankfully, Preacher, Mother and Voodoo still come across as real soldiers rather than the Rambo types of Modern Warfare, or the cardboard cutouts of BF3s awful single player mode, but it's a shame to find some the authentic feel has been sacrificed for unnecessary set pieces and a world tour that seems to exist purely to offer multiplayer map variety. But, despite that, the action, especially the guns' noise and weight, is far more grounded than CoD, the AI less thick and the trigger points where enemies are added to a level far less obvious. Where it veers into set piece ,it does look fantastic, and the vehicle sections are the best in an FPS I've ever played (not that driving actually belongs in an FPS, let's be honest). Graphically, I have no idea what game some people are playing, but the MoH I bought looks fantastic. A step on from BF3 and a whole league above Modern Warfare 3 with it's overly saturated and cartoonish look. The CoD engine, able to trace it's roots back to id's Quake, is just feeling horribly dated nowadays, and Frostbite 2 really shows that up. I won't comment on multiplayer too much as I've only had a chance to play a few games, but I'm not yet convinced of the buddy system and the slight hints of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. The last game's MP, by DICE, was effectively a cut down dry run for BF3 and, while some of the spawning was ridiculous, was, again, more grounded and realistic. Squads had to cover each other and think tactically to survive, unlike CoD's run around like Usain Bolt with akimbo shotguns approach. But it seems solid, matchmaking is rapid and no connection issues so far. It certainly provides enough options to be fun, if not essential. We'll see.

So, if you enjoyed the last game, there's more to enjoy here. Perhaps a little more watered down and unoriginal, but still, in my opinion, far more enjoyable than every CoD since the first Modern Warfare. And for the people claiming it has a 3-4 hour campaign....it does have a regular and hard difficulty as well you know. You might want to try those too. It's also interesting to see that the 1 star reviewer's histories reveal them to be serial givers of 1 star and claiming they constantly throw £40 games in the bin after finishing them in 5 minutes. Don't worry guys, we really do believe you, honest.

EDIT: I've had a lot more time with the multiplayer and would give a warning to people expecting a CoD clone, as reviewers have suggested. It's not. In fact, it couldn't be further from CoD if it tried. Try running around like most prepubescent MW3 players do and you'll die in seconds, repeatedly. It's also not at all like the Battlefield series, unlike the previous outing. I'd say it's far closer to Rainbow 6 Vegas (the better first game, not the rushed sequel) with elements of GRAW2 (in first person). You need to be tactical, approach the objectives as a team and back each other up. The OCD suffering Cod crowd will absolutely hate it. Expect more 1 star reviews of people claiming they put it in the bin incoming, but if you're a grown up looking for a military sim that's more military and less Michael Bay, definitely give it a go. Graphically, the MP modes suffer compared to single player. I have no idea why. Maybe Danger Close couldn't keep the frame rate up without sacrificing texture detail? Doesn't remotely bother me as I'm actually enjoying this, instead of swearing at glitchers and hackers on Modern Warfare. The crowd that's taken it on board seem more mature and friendlier than the usual FPS bunch so I'd recommend it. Just make sure you give it time. This won't grab you immediately.

Also now played through the campaign on hard and starting Tier 1 difficulty. Still throughly enjoying it. It is a bit more Tom Clancy than I'd have liked (I fully expected Matt Damon or Ben Affleck to turn up) but it's still grounded enough in reality to be different from the competition. Ok, back to reading and laughing at all the 1 star reviewers that completed it in 5 minutes.....

Let's get one thing totally straight here right out of the blocks, when I first played Warfighter, I thought it was average. Nothing more, nothing less. A huge patch day one does not bode well, nor does a lack of review copies being sent out. I played because I had bought it, I work hard and money is tight so stuck by it probably more than I would have If I had money to burn. And, honestly I am so glad I did.

I purposely put off this review until after I had played the latest in what is arguably the biggest FPS franchise right now, in the Call Of Duty Franchise, Black Ops 2. Activisions latest installment is a great game. I have added a review over there if you so wish to read it. I wanted to see if the pro reviewers were right, in that MOH is just a COD and Battlefield hybrid that delivers the thrills of neither of them. Were they right? Well no, no they weren't, not in the slightest.

The truth be told, yes MOH is more paced at Battlefields levels. If you go Rambo style like you do on COD, you'll be mowed down in a blaze anything but glorified. COD is more fast paced, and it certainly is more of an Arcade game to this. More so, MOH may use the same engine as Battlefield 3 (it's not quite as pretty, but stay with me) but that's all it does do. You see, Warfighter isn't a hybrid of it's two main rivals, it is it's OWN game. Nearly every reviewer has attempted to compare it to these franchises and in turn, panned it. INJUSTIFIABLY!

The fact is MOH Warfighter is it's own game. It doesnt try to be any of the other games, it was only other people thinking it should be like them that really lowered it's review score. After 24 hours solid online play, I can honestly and truthfully say, I have not touched BF3 for weeks, and as I type this, the date is the 16/11/12, Black Ops 2 has been out 3 days. I have completed it's single player, played around 6 hours online and have just today sold it on. I am hooked on Warfighter. Just bare with it, it might take a few hours, but it will consume you eventually.You will realize that FPS games don't end with BF3 or COD, and that there is room for a Warfighter. It's a grower, and one that will keep me consumed for months to come.

If you find yourself a little tiresome with the others out there, just give it a go. You might just be surprised.

This review is of Medal of Honor: Warfighter on PS3 - CAMPAIGN ONLY

1st impressions:-

The "story" is weak and having met most of the main characters in MOH, I found I still didn't care about any of them! The gameplay is AWFUL, glitch ridden (floating weapons,doors you can walk through etc,etc) and most of the weapons are samey when firing. The numerous cut scenes are boring at best and add little, if anything, to the campaign and at times detract from the overall gameplay. I must admit I was doubtful before ordering this, having bought MOH and being disappointed. and my doubts have now been confirmed. Until EA re-write the entire concept behind the MOH "series", I will not be purchasing any game bearing "Medal of Honor: Whatever" as a title.

Conclusion:- Based on the campaign, I cannot honestly recommend this game to anyone and is nowhere near good enough to be an addition to anyones game collection.