Medal of Honor
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'Medal of Honor' returns as an Oculus Rift exclusive next year
When Steven Spielberg approached DreamWorks Interactive with his idea for a WWII video game (after wrapping Saving Private Ryan), even he couldn't have predicted the franchise's success. More than a dozen Medal of Honor games were released on 11 platforms between 1999 and 2012. After an eight year hiatus, Medal of Honor returns in 2020 on the Oculus Rift with an extreme take on first-person shooters.
First Call of Duty's project name was 'MOH Killer'
Call of Duty may be one of gaming's biggest and most popular franchises now, but it wasn't always that way. In a story by MCV, several ex-Activision and ex-Infinity Ward employees shed light on the early days of the iconic shooter, including it's original project name: "MOH Killer." It turns out, the Call of Duty series' biggest task in the beginning was stepping out of the shadow of EA's Medal of Honor games. Scott Dodkins, ex-Activision VP, explained that the original Call of Duty was developed as a response to Medal of Honor. "EA had games like FIFA, which we couldn't compete with," Dodkins told MCV. "But Medal of Honor was a genre we thought we could enter. So we were looking for a product that could emulate and beat it, and we came up with Call of Duty." It was Justin Thomas, an ex-Infinity Ward artist, who revealed Call of Duty's project name to MCV. "The project was actually named 'MOH killer' until an official name could be found," Thomas said. "We were focused more on fun than success, with the idea that if it was fun, it would be successful." Four years ago, then-CEO of EA John Riccitiello said that he wanted the leadership position in the FPS market back. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Humble Origin Bundle launches with Dead Space 3, BF3, Burnout Paradise Ultimate, Mirror's Edge and more
Huh, well would you look at that! It's a Humble Bundle, only it's made entirely out of EA games. Weird! Specifically, a dollar or more will net you Dead Space, Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box, Crysis 2 Maximum Edition, Mirror's Edge, Dead Space 3 and Medal of Honor. Paying above the average (currently hovering around $5) also unlocks Battlefield 3 and The Sims 3 "+ Starter Pack." Steam keys are available for Dead Space, Burnout Paradise, Crysis 2, Medal of Honor and Mirrors Edge, while the rest of the games on offer can only be delivered as Origin codes. Unlike most Bundles, however, which are split three-ways between a charity, the publisher/developer and the Humble folks, the Humble Origin Bundle is only being split between charities and the Humble Bundle organizers – EA takes no cut. The Humble Bundle folks have already tweeted that this bundle has surpassed $100,000 faster than any other in its history, so things seem like they're off to a good start for a good cause.
Rumor: Slant Six worked on Medal of Honor PS Vita game
At one point, Slant Six Games was apparently working on a Medal of Honor game for PS Vita. Some concept art for the game showed up over on an artist's portfolio site, spotted by the @supererogatory Twitter account. Medal of Honor: Warfighter was the latest entry in the Medal of Honor series, developed by EA's Danger Close studio. Following that game's poor reception, EA's Peter Moore announced the franchise is now "out of the rotation." Slant Six Games' last release was the lackluster Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City for Capcom - a spin-off that takes place during the outbreak of Raccoon City, first seen in Resident Evil 2. In April, Slant Six Games issued temporary layoffs, a stopgap measure to help keep interim operating costs down in-between contract work. Slant Six issued similar layoffs in 2010 and after shipping RE: Operation Raccoon City last year.
EA's Battlelog app updated for iPhone 5, Medal of Honor Warfighter
EA's Battlefield stat-tracking iOS app, Battlelog, just received a new update that will make iPhone 5 owners smile. The refresh adds full support for the iPhone 5's larger display, as well as the new ability to compare your in-game standing with that of your friends. On-the-go soldiers who recently replaced their Battlefield 3 habit with a Medal of Honor: Warfighter habit will be happy to hear that "initial support" for the new title has been added to the app as well. So far, this appears to just give you the ability to check basic stats and leaderboards, though given EA's choice of wording for the announcement, we imagine this will be fleshed out further in the future. [Via: Joystiq]
Getting friendly in Medal of Honor: Warfighter's multiplayer mode
The US government may tell us all it's an army of one, but Danger Close games is making a good case for the buddy system. At the heart of Medal of Honor: Warfighter is an interesting co-op dynamic, where two players are paired together into a fire team.There are six different classes in total that can pair up to form interesting compliments to each other; however, from the first moments of Medal of Honor: Warfighter multiplayer, Danger Close oddly chose to have one class unlocked. It takes a few hours before you have them all unlocked, as I experienced during a recent private multiplayer event. (You can sample the multiplayer now in an exclusive Xbox Live beta.)The initial barriers to other classes is a very odd design decision, meant to ease you into the experience. For someone like myself who has played tons of shooters and is well-versed in class-based multiplayer, it was an unnecessary stopgap and only served to invalidate the single best feature in multiplayer: fire teams.%Gallery-168105%
Get gritty with this Medal of Honor: Warfighter gameplay
Here's some gameplay video of Medal of Honor: Warfighter, delivered straight from E3 2012. If you want to experience it exactly the way that we did at EA's press event, make sure to turn your speakers up as loud as they will go, and boost the bass up as high as you can. Do that.
Medal of Honor Warfighter features international 'Tier 1 Operators' in multiplayer
Medal of Honor: Warfighter features warfighters from around the world, EA revealed today. The multiplayer mode features elite soldiers from 12 nations, "including the Australian SASR, British SAS, German KSK and Polish GROM among others." They'll be able to compete in head-to-head multiplayer. Pre-orders of the limited edition version will get an extra operator, the US Navy Seal Tier 1 Sniper.EA also detailed the story of the single-player mode, written by real US Tier 1 Operators. Warfighter stars "Preacher," whose home life is in a shambles due to frequent deployment. "But when a deadly explosive known as PETN penetrates civilian borders and his two worlds collide, Preacher and his fellow teammates are sent in to do what they do best – solve the problem." By warfighting.EA also confirmed the October 23 release date seen in today's trailer.%Gallery-149880%
Report: Medal of Honor: Warfighter is Danger Close's next game, hits in October [updated]
EA's been teasing the next Medal of Honor for some time now, so it's not a huge surprise to hear more about it on Twitter. Game Informer's Jim Reilly spent the past half hour sharing some info, saying the game is called "Medal of Honor: Warfighter," is arriving this coming October, and runs in DICE's Frostbite 2.0 engine.The info is apparently coming from a copy of OXM, which arrived a bit ahead of EA's intended marketing push, it would seem. Reilly also says the game's multiplayer will be handled in-house by EA Danger Close now, rather than DICE as was the case with 2010's Medal of Honor reboot.Update: The Medal of Honor blog offered a teaser image of the game, confirmed the title, and teased more details in the coming weeks. Boom! See the full image on the other side of the break.
Amazon offering dramatic discounts on digital EA games starting this Sunday
Amazon doesn't care for your silly stack of unplayed, unopened games -- it simply wants to trick you into buying more with a variety of impressive deals, albeit on games that exist only in the digital realm. Starting this coming Sunday (the 15th) and running through the end of the week (the 21st), individual EA titles will be offered day by day at ridiculously discounted prices: Bulletstorm and Dead Space 2 for $7 a pop, for instance. The daily itemized list is just after the break, should you be preparing for yet another (admittedly minor) assault on your bank account in the effort to catch up on 2011's best games. Might we suggest conquering the concept of time scarcity first?
Pre-order Battlefield 3 on Origin and get a free game
We already knew that pre-ordering Battlefield 3 on Origin (the only place on PC to offer the game digitally) would net gamers access to an early beta in September, but it would seem EA is sweetening the pot with another offer: a free game. According to Ars Technica, one individual was sent the following statement via email after pre-ordering the game through Origin: As a special thank you for pre-ordering Battlefield 3 early at Origin, we're offering you a bonus PC digital download game. Please apply the code below at the shopping cart to redeem one PC Digital version of one of our recommended shooter titles: Mass Effect 2, Dead Space 2 or Medal of Honor. The price will be reduced to $0 after applying the code at your shopping cart. Hurry-this offer is only good for the month of August, and is exclusive to Origin customers only. See below for more details. Regardless of how you feel about EA's new platform, the publisher has given you another reason to consider it.
EA grows digital sales in Q4, stems losses for fiscal year
EA enjoyed solid growth in the final quarter of its 2011 fiscal year (ending March 31), thanks in large part to a bump in digital revenue. Digital sales were up $67 million from the same period a year ago to $211 million. Good ol' boxed games weren't slouching though, as packaged goods revenue increased $44 million up to $838 million. In all, EA rebounded from its rough Q3 to record $151 million in profit during the fiscal fourth quarter. The engine for that growth was a surprisingly impressive quarterly lineup for the company. Seven of its titles from fiscal Q4 have surpassed 1 million units shipped, with Crysis 2, Dead Space 2 and Dragon Age 2 all over the 2-million-shipped mark. DLC for those titles (like Dead Space 2's "Severed" add-on) was the cornerstone of digital profits, as well. Over its entire 2011 fiscal year, EA shipped 12 million units of FIFA 11, 7 million copies of Bad Company 2 (released at the tail end of FY10), and five million each of Medal of Honor, Hot Pursuit and Madden 11. But it seems that, in the grand scheme, these titles weren't enough to alter EA's fortunes for the fiscal year, which ended in a $267 million loss for the company. We suppose there's still a bit of a silver lining, however -- those losses would seem to sting considerably less than the $677 million lost by EA just one year prior.
Steam has Ubisoft hits on sale this weekend; Impulse has Medal of Honor
Whether you're in the mood for shooting or shooting, Steam and Impulse have your back this weekend. Active now, Steam's offering Assassin's Creed, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, Far Cry 2 and Rainbow Six Vegas 2 in a bargain $3 bundle; while Impulse has Medal of Honor for $15.
Dragon Quest VI, Medal of Honor, and a bunch of Wii music items in Amazon Gold Box
Amazon is offering a spate of gaming deals in its Gold Box today, revealing a new time-limited offer every couple of hours. Strangely, the discounts are about half Wii music-game themed -- things like the Wii versions of Michael Jackson: The Experience (the Deal of the Day at $30), Rock Band 3, and Dance Dance Revolution. However, the non-Wii part includes savings on the DS version of Plants vs. Zombies, Dragon Quest VI, Civilization V and others, so the lack of a fully committed theme is forgivable. Find the list after the break.
Medal of Honor soundtracks getting reprinted in eight-disc collection
Are you looking for a metric ton of musical accompaniment for ... well, any event that would require you to get super, super pumped up beforehand? La-La Land Records and Electronic Arts have teamed up to create the most potent bundle of inspirational tunes you've ever heard: An eight-disc, ten-hour-long compilation of all the original scores from the Medal of Honor series. In addition to the almost-half-day of music from composers Michael Giacchino, Christopher Lennertz and Ramin Djawadi, the bundle includes a 40-page book with information on each game and soundtrack, complete with a foreword from the series' creator, Stephen Spielberg. The collection will be available through La-La Land Records on March 1, though a price wasn't included in the announcement. Really, though, can you put a price on inspiration?
EA earnings from digital distribution up in fiscal Q3, retail not so much
EA sent out its earnings for fiscal Q3 2011, which ended December 31 of last year, and it was a good quarter for EA ... 's digital distribution initiatives. Net digital revenue is up $62 million year over year, hitting $195 million, while net "packaged goods" publishing revenue dropped $78 million to $91 million in the quarter. Along with a drop in revenue from games distributed by EA, the publisher's year-over-year take dropped $190 million. Touting its digital domination, EA claimed to be the "#1 publisher in the Apple App Store for both iPhone and iPad and #1 on Microsoft Windows Phone 7" in the West during the quarter. It also touted large shipments of two of its Q3 retail releases, Medal of Honor and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, both of which have passed five million units shipped to date.
Call of Duty: Black Ops shoots at Target for $47, other games $10 off
There's a gag floating around in Target's current discount on Call of Duty: Black Ops -- now available at the retailer for $47 -- but we're having trouble finding it. Soldiers shoot at Targets, see? And there are a lot of soldiers in Call of Duty: Black Ops. And Target? It's the name of the store. There's gotta be some combination of those concepts that we can weave together into a pun, but it's eluding us. Target's knocking $10 off the price of a number of other recent releases as well, including Fable 3, Red Dead Redemption, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Medal of Honor, but none of those really have anything to do with targets, now do they? Except for Medal of Honor, which also plays host to a number of soldiers. Hm. Check out all of Target's gaming discounts -- available until Saturday, Dec. 18 -- after the jump.
October NPD: NBA 2K11 tops charts, Xbox 360 'best selling console in 2010'
Here is the second edition of the revised (and less informative) monthly NPD report. With the market research group no longer sharing specific hardware figures, it's noteworthy to point out that only Microsoft has (as of writing) released concrete sales numbers. Major Nelson tweeted that Microsoft sold 325K Xbox 360s in October. Although the figure represents a 32-percent drop from the previous month, it was enough to secure Microsoft's spot as best-selling console of the month. Major Nelson also added that the Xbox 360 "is the best selling console in 2010 [with] 3.5 million" sold so far. Sony's response doesn't offer console sales numbers, but Patrick Seybold commented on increased momentum for the company's PlayStation Move motion controller. "The PS3 Move Bundle had a 15-percent increase in sales since launch last month, and we're working hard to keep the inventory up across the country to meet strong consumer demand." In addition, Seybold reminded us of the impending launch of Sony's big holiday game: "With next week's launch of the industry's most anticipated title, Gran Turismo 5, we're sure to carry the momentum through the holidays." Nintendo, as of the time of publishing, had not offered comment. Software sales jumped 6 percent year-over-year for the month to $605 million. The multiplatform release of NBA 2K11 helped propel it to the top of the charts, undoubtedly aided by EA Sports' cancellation of NBA Elite 11. Fallout, Medal of Honor and Fable all made strong debuts -- but Rock Band 3's 15th-place position in sales has us concerned. NPD analyst Anita Frazier did make a special note in the report, assuring us that "this game has the potential to perform well over the holidays." The top-ten software breakdown is posted after the break.
DICE: Medal of Honor Taliban controversy affected reviews
We're not firm believers in the "any press is good press" maxim. Just ask the Xbox 360 and its Red Ring of Death which garnered many a headline -- headlines that reminded would-be consumers why they should hold off on purchasing the console. It would appear EA DICE, the developer behind the multiplayer component of Medal of Honor – the Afghanistan-based shooter in which the Taliban murders American troops – has now too learned this lesson. "The controversy did affect some reviews," DICE's Patrick Liu told Eurogamer. "It stirs a lot of feelings, just the setting. And that does affect people's judgment." While it may have affected some people's judgment, it didn't stop the reboot from moving two million units in just two weeks; not quite Call of Duty numbers, but a healthy start. But back to those reviews: "The game is better than today's reviews are indicating," EA' s Patrick Soderlund previously told Eurogamer. "We're also competing with ourselves," Liu continued, referring to DICE's own Battlefield series. "Obviously we're competing with Call of Duty. It's a very tricky situation to be squeezed in between those giants." He added that competing against Battlefield "can feel awkward sometimes" and, while plans aren't set for an MOH sequel, he replied both "yes and no" when asked if he'd want to work on one. "It would be cool to continue to develop the franchise. At the same time we have a lot of exciting stuff going on in DICE as well that we have been working on in parallel." We're guessing that would be: Battlefield 3, another installment in the Battlefield: Bad Company series, and Mirror's Edge 2. You are working on Mirror's Edge 2, right, DICE?
Medal of Honor discounted on Amazon today, as we enter the Hot Zone
Though the recently released Medal of Honor "Hot Zone" DLC doesn't come free with your EA Online Pass (the add-on is $10), saving $20 on a new copy of the game might help ameliorate your hesitancy to really heat things up. As its Video Game Deal of the Day, Amazon has dropped the price of Medal of Honor by a cool third to $40. Additionally, EA has released the Hot Zone trailer -- embedded after the break. Apparently, the "Hot Zone" moniker is related to the DLC's new multiplayer mode, and not the possibility of the Tier 1 gang returning home, shaving their beards and hitting the town in crisp party shirts. Fooled again!
