medal-of-honor-2010
Latest
EA won't bow to Medal of Honor controversy
Allow gamers to take up the mantle of the Taliban in your game and you're bound to receive some ire. EA is learning all about that with Medal of Honor, as the mainstream media and the British government have vocalized concerns. British Defence Secretary Liam Fox has actually called for a countrywide ban of the game outright, stating that it's "shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban against British soldiers," even though you don't actually kill any British troops in the game. Still, EA Games president Frank Gibeau isn't sweating the bad press. "We respect the media's views," Gibeau replied, "but at the same time [these reports] don't compromise our creative vision and what we want to do. The development teams care very much about what they're building, and of course a bit of criticism from the media causes some to get demoralised, but at the end of the day we're proud of what we're doing." Gibeau even compared the flak to the same types of reports that went on about Modern Warfare 2's infamous airport sequence -- one of many comparisons the two games have received. Gibeau is of the mind that the collaboration between EA and the US Military and Congressional Medal of Honor Society is what will win people over in the end, not just because of the accurate depiction of the ongoing conflict, but because it has allowed EA to produce "the best story for the game." Plus, we all know the world has a natural affinity for whiskered gentlemen -- just look at the popularity of Grizzly Adams! [Thanks, fais]
EA explains how beta feedback changed Medal of Honor's multiplayer
Have you been waiting to harvest the fruits of the many, many hours of labor you put into Medal of Honor's multiplayer beta test? EA recently offered up a reward in the form of a laundry list of changes that will be incorporated into the final version of the game thanks to feedback from beta participants. After all, isn't knowing you helped a company improve its game really the greatest compensation of all? Well, other than money, of course. And free games. And hot dogs. Any -- okay, a lot of things. Check out the full list of changes (including improved hit detection, balanced unlock trees and a general graphical overhaul) over on PlayStation.Blog.
Medal of Honor's Tier 1 consultants stress gravity of gameplay
Medal of Honor is going to treat war seriously. No, really! EA doesn't want there to be any doubt in your mind that the game will respectfully display the kind of battles that actual Tier 1 operators experience on a regular basis. In fact, EA and DICE went as far as to get the actual Tier 1 operators that consulted on the game to explain as much in their latest trailer. As secretive and stealthy as these guys are, their faces aren't actually made of blurred pixels -- that's just EA concealing identities for security purposes, silly! Anyway, if these very serious gentleman speaking about their consulting positions very seriously doesn't convince you of MOH's seriousness, we're not sure what will. Perhaps this Linkin Park single?
Medal of Honor campaign detailed on GameTrailers TV
If you missed the latest episode of GTTV, fret not: just past the break, we've embedded the episode, which pulls back the curtain on Medal of Honor's campaign mode. Initially, all we knew was that the game would take place in Afghanistan and you'd be among one of the beard-sporting elite known as Tier One Operators. However, thanks to executive producer Greg Goodrich, we now know a bit more -- specifically, that the campaign will be divided up into three parts and follows a team on the hunt for Al Quaeda. Goodrich also mentions the story will be told "from two different sides," implying that players will eventually be able to take up the mantle of the terrorists themselves. But, hey, why are we still gabbing on? Head on past the break and absorb this intel first-hand for yourself, including a look at two never-before-seen single-player levels. Consider it an order, soldier!
Medal of Honor trailer debuts Linkin Park single 'The Catalyst'
Hey, Linkin Park slash shooting game fan, you look like you're just about to break. Good thing, then, that nu-metal band Linkin Park and EA have worked out a deal for the first single from forthcoming album "A Thousand Suns" to be featured in a trailer for Medal of Honor, which debuted this morning. As you might imagine, "The Catalyst" is said to be part of the game's soundtrack. You'll find the trailer embedded after the break, which, oddly, was directed by Linkin Park DJ Joe Hahn. Also, it's mostly live-action, so you might not want to bring the kids around to see this one.
Medal of Honor beta ending tomorrow on PS3 and PC, August 9 on 360
All good things must come to an end, friends, but -- wait a second, is war really a good thing? We guess not. In that case -- hey, great news! The virtual streets of Kabul are about to become a great deal more peaceful, as the Medal of Honor beta is slated to come to an abrupt stop tomorrow on PS3 and PC, and August 9 on Xbox 360. We know you're sad, but think about all the good you've done, figuring out all the things that were wrong with the game's online multiplayer component before it came out. Think about all the grief you saved your future self -- and, for that matter, our future self! We owe you a great debt of gratitude. Or rather, we will. In the future.
Medal of Honor LE tied up with Battlefield 3 beta invite
EA announced today that, in addition to some generally underwhelming digital goodies like early access to shotguns, the Medal of Honor Limited Edition will come with an invitation to the Battlefield 3 beta, being developed by MoH's multiplayer team at DICE. As for when to expect that beta to begin, an EA representative tells Joystiq that the company has "no further details" and that it'll start "within 12 month of Medal of Honor's release." Check out our multiple previews on Medal of Honor to find out what your Tier 1 self is in for when the game begins its retail assault on October 12.
Danger Close: The story behind EA LA's new name
"It was literally an exercise of about 20 minutes because it just came up, it happened, we went with it, and there you go," new Danger Close studio head Greg Goodrich told us in an interview last night, explaining how he and two of his colleagues came up with the new name of their studio (formerly EA LA). Late last evening, EA revealed that its Los Angeles-based development house would be rebranded. The studio is now known as Danger Close, which Goodrich told Joystiq is indicative of the reborn studio's direction. "I think the core of what we're doing right now and the sort of DNA of this team and this studio is the first-person shooter genre. I can't foresee us doing anything other than that in the near future, and specifically Medal of Honor." Goodrich did add, however, that his hands aren't tied creatively in terms of what the studio is allowed to do -- be it first-person shooter or whatever else it might have in store. That said, Goodrich wasn't speaking about anything other than Medal of Honor, and he remained coy about his studio's involvement with the game post-release. He's proud of the mutliplayer component built by DICE, but he's not ruling out Danger Close getting involved in multiplayer support, say through DLC. "Personally, I think that would be something that the guys here would be very excited about doing in the future," he offered. "But, you know, we're gonna see how this one works out and see how the fans accept it, and make those decisions at a later time." Goodrich is content to leave his studio's future plans a mystery. "That's also a part of creating your own identity and starting your own future, and throwing up a website that says 'Now hiring,'" he teased. "There's intent there."
Preview: Medal of Honor (single player)
You won't always play as a Tier-1 operative, a.k.a. "the scalpel," in EA's upcoming Medal of Honor reboot. I got to see a portion of "the sledgehammer" side of the single-player campaign at an EA event last week. While this segment stayed true to the core values that definine EA's vision for the game, one thing was clear: you can't always be the hero. With the player and his squad pinned down by a Gatling gun atop a hill, the situation called for a support effort, not heroics. While most games would have you storming the hill against all odds, or finding a convenient way around, Medal of Honor approaches this situation quite differently. You have to accept that you're rather powerless. You're told that your best option is to simply lay down some suppressive fire. I watched as the demonstrator stayed behind cover, peeking out just enough to roughly spot the target. Then he fired away. While you may not be scoring any kills doing this, you are providing a sufficient enough distraction for your squadmates to plant charges underneath the gunners and blow them to pieces. Seeing as how "modern warfare" was recently interpreted as "riding snowmobiles while dual-wielding Uzis," it's refreshing to see that EA's approach isn't obnoxiously bombastic.
'Danger Close' studio formed at EA by Medal of Honor team
In a somewhat unexpected announcement this afternoon, EA Los Angeles revealed the creation of a new studio, named "Danger Close," responsible for handling the upcoming reboot of Medal of Honor. If you've been paying close attention to the words of your generic soldier comrades in various war games over the past, say, 10 years, you've probably heard the term -- that's because "Danger Close" refers to "information in a call for fire to indicate that friendly forces are within 600 meters of the target" (according to About.com). Given that EA LA was the former studio working on Medal of Honor (alongside multiplayer developer DICE), this appears to be little more than a rebranding of EA's LA offices under the "Danger Close" nomenclature. That said, we've fired off a round of questions to EA and will let you know more about the studio as soon as we do.
Medal of Honor beta now available on Xbox 360
Xbox 360 owners have been patiently waiting their turn to go online in the Medal of Honor beta. After weeks of delays, it appears EA and DICE's multiplayer shooter is now available on Xbox Live. If you've managed to snag an elusive code, you'll be able to redeem it here to exchange it for an Xbox Live voucher. The beta is expected to end on July 31st, giving Xbox owners at least ten days to get an early peek at the FPS. If you haven't managed to procure a code, stay tuned to our Twitter account. We'll be giving away a few codes later in the day. [Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Medal of Honor beta extended to July 31, Xbox version still offline
Curious as to why you're still able to hop onto the online battlefields of Medal of Honor, when the beta was scheduled to end last Sunday? The game's official blog recently updated with the announcement that the multiplayer beta test had been extended to July 31 for the PS3 and PC versions of the game. This extension could possibly be due to the ever-lengthening delay of the 360 version of the beta test, which the blog post also referenced, stating, "we are continuing to work with Microsoft on the Xbox 360 beta and are dedicated to delivering it as soon as possible." We suggest trying to get it in before October 12, at which point a beta test would be fairly redundant.
PSA: Bad Company 2 Steam owners have access to Medal of Honor beta ... right now!
Tired of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and yearning for a more twitchy shooter, but you only play games made by Swedes? You'll be glad to hear that the Sweden-based DICE has opened up the multiplayer beta to Medal of Honor on Steam to folks who own the former. Get to it!
Medal of Honor limited edition includes ability to jump the gun
Following the E3 reveal that the PS3 limited edition of Medal of Honor would include a remastered version of Medal of Honor: Frontline, EA has announced additional details of the limited-edition release for PS3, Xbox, and PC. Sadly, no fake beard is included. Yet. The "limited edition," as it turns out, is simply the normal release with some extra free content for early adopters. Buying the limited edition (which, according to statements given to Shacknews, is a separate SKU despite the identical price) grants an exclusive gun, the MP7, and early access to two shotguns, the TOZ-194 and 870MC2, that normally require higher ranks. You can get your first look at these weapons after the break, unless you're a real Tier 1 Operator, in which case you've seen them. [Update: The post originally included an erroneous reference to pre-ordering. Also, the status of the LE as a separate SKU from the original has been noted.]
Preview: Medal of Honor beta
It may surprise you, but you've actually already played Medal of Honor before. No, we're not talking about the Nazi shooting gallery that was the 1999 original. If imitation is a form of flattery, then Modern Warfare 2 must be blushing up a storm right now. There's no way the comparisons can be avoided. From the setting, to the twitchy lone-wolf gameplay, right down to the class progression, Medal of Honor is incredibly reminiscent of Modern Warfare 2. We knew EA wanted to dethrone Infinity Ward's shooter, but we had no idea EA would go as far as to try and create Modern Warfare 2.5. That's not entirely a bad thing for gamers, though. If you enjoy Modern Warfare 2, you're going to find a lot of value in Medal of Honor. Though Medal of Honor isn't entirely the same game as Modern Warfare 2 -- where Infinity Ward went right, on occasion DICE and EA LA have seen fit to go in the opposite direction, sometimes to the detriment of the experience. %Gallery-79326%
Medal of Honor beta to be extended for Xbox 360 players
Patience is a virtue, and nobody knows that better than the Xbox 360 owners waiting to experience the Medal of Honor beta. "Unfortunately, we have experienced a delay with the beta on the Xbox 360," said executive producer Greg Goodrich in a recent press release. "To the Xbox 360 community, we say thank you for your patience. We are working to fix the issues that have caused this delay." EA said that it will extend the beta period to compensate for the Xbox 360's late addition to the program, though it's still unclear just when all the technical difficulties are expected to be resolved. Those who pre-order the game -- the only way to gain access to the beta on Xbox 360 -- will apparently have "ample time to play and provide feedback." Medal of Honor deploys to the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on October 12.
Medal of Honor beta June 21 on Xbox 360, PS3 & PC
The Medal of Honor multiplayer beta will launch June 21 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Beta codes will be distributed by retailers to pre-purchasers of the game. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 "VIP" members (anyone who bought the game new or bought VIP access) who have also pre-ordered Medal of Honor will receive early access to the beta, beginning this Thursday, June 17. The beta will include two maps, Helmand Valley and Kabul City Ruins, and support for up to 24 players across two gameplay modes, Team Assault and Combat Mission. During its E3 press conference today, EA showcased a live demonstration of the DICE-developed multiplayer. It looked sharp, and it looked a lot like Modern Warfare too. Additional details about beta enrollment are available on medalofhonor.com. Medal of Honor is scheduled for release on October 12.
EA Gun Club loyalty program grants early Medal of Honor beta access
EA just announced a new loyalty program for those who like to shoot at stuff in an e-military manner. The EA Gun Club will offer exclusive weapon unlocks and early access to game demos, among other niceties. Details are slim at the moment about how to get in (do you need to own an EA Gun?), but people will begin benefiting from it soon. Gun Club members will be able to get into the Medal of Honor beta on June 17 -- before the general public. That means that only the people who are likely to be really good will be in the game then. Killing you.
'Online Pass' specific to EA Sports, 'no announcement' on Medal of Honor
Listen, we get it. You're a "pre-owned" type of game buyer. To us, and your online comrades, we're equals in the game owning world. To EA, well, you're sucking its server's bandwidth. Defending EA Sports' "Online Pass," Senior Vice President Andrew Wilson told Develop, "We want to reserve EA Sports online services for people who pay EA to access them." We were curious to find out if the same held true for non-EA Sports titles; specifically, if this program would be implemented with Medal of Honor's online multiplayer. A company representative informed Joystiq, "Online Pass is a program specific to EA Sports. However other EA titles and franchises are planning similar offerings to reward players with bonus content and online services. No announcements today related to Medal of Honor." Begun, the game-owner class wars have.
Medal of Honor trailer calls home
Rather than blast our senses with copious amounts of explosions and military bravado, this new Medal of Honor trailer opts for a more muted approach: a soldier calling home to convince his wife and daughter that everything is going to be okay. Medal of Honor will be released this October.
