The gun-toting action is more frantic in the multiplayer mode, an experience completely disconnected from the single-player campaign. Several target-painting pursuits and one explosive air mission aren’t enough to break up the monotonous ground battles scattered across the Afghan terrain. Graphically, it doesn’t help that “Medal of Honor” isn’t as smooth looking as “Modern Warfare,” or what’s been glimpsed of “Black Ops,” the Cold War era “Call of Duty” entry developed by Treyarch. The solo gameplay is at its best with sustained firefight scenarios that are realistic enough for a Ken Burns war documentary yet exhilarating enough for a Michael Bay blockbuster. Brad “Hawk” Hawkins, an Apache helicopter gunner. Dante Adams, a U.S Army Ranger, and Capt. Other missions find players portraying Spc. soldiers.įor most of the story-driven portion, players flip-flop between playing as “Rabbit” and “Deuce,” a pair of never-seen-or-heard operatives who take orders directly from the top and operate stealthily behind enemy lines. However, the turbans and improvised explosive devices remain in the multiplayer mode by “Battlefield: Bad Company” developer DICE, making the name change a needless concession, especially considering how integral Afghanistan and the Taliban are to developer Danger Close’s solo campaign, told from the perspective of four U.S. announced those characters would instead be dubbed as the more ambiguous Opposing Force. Military officials decided not to stock “Medal of Honor” (Electronic Arts, for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360, Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3, $59.99) after protests over the multiplayer mode, which allowed gamers to play as combatants representing the Taliban. military bases because the video game’s single-player campaign is more an interactive tribute to troops fighting in the Middle East than any other shoot-'em-up. Modders will have a field day.It’s unfortunate that “Medal of Honor,” the reboot of the 11-year-old military shooter franchise set in present-day Afghanistan, was banned from being sold on U.S. I've already seen players try to kill it with a grenade. I guess there isn't one! I suspect the Call of Duty community will end up trying lots of different ways to try to kill the baby. But still: you pulled the trigger on an innocent, defenseless baby. It's worth noting you never see the baby get shot - if you pull the trigger the game fades to black before any gore is displayed - very much a good thing, I think. But if you keep shooting the baby, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has a special message for you, you absolute monster: "Are you serious?"Īnd then you're booted to the mission map screen, Infinity Ward's words of condemnation still ringing in your ears. Clearly, Infinity Ward wants you to know shooting the baby is bad. You get the "children are non-combatants" message and restart from the previous checkpoint. (I got a game over for accidentally shooting Captain Price in the face - sorry, mate!).
In Modern Warfare, shooting innocents or soldiers on your side triggers game over and you see a text explanation. If you shoot the baby it's game over and you start again from the last checkpoint. One of your soldier friends slowly picks up the baby and puts it back in the cot. The baby, still crying, is a problem, you think as you consider what to do next, as it's loud and loud is bad when you're trying to be quiet. "Sort yourself out or I will," Captain Price adds. "What the fuck are you doing?" one soldier says.
If you shoot the mother, she dies, slumping to the floor as the baby screams. The game has set you up to consider every person in the house a potential enemy - this is the reality of modern warfare, we're told, and the bad guys often look like good guys.
One of the campaign's best levels - a raid on a house in Camden Town - sees the player skulking about in the dark, creeping up stairs, slowly opening doors and, hopefully, checking targets.Īt one point you enter a room and startle a mother who runs over to a cot to pick up her crying baby. The gritty story includes a raft of set-pieces designed to put the player in an uncomfortable situation - and even includes opportunities for player choice. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is now out and people are soldiering through its campaign.