Review: Medal of Honor: Airborne (X360)

Welcome to Medal of Honor Airborne a game that really shouldn’t have been released yet for one simple reason… it's not finished.

Anyone who’s ever played a Medal of Honor game before will know what to expect (they haven’t really changed in ten years or so.). You play a WW2 Rambo, killing any German that gets in your way. Fair enough I guess, but all EA ever seem to do with a game nowadays is keep the core gameplay the same (NFS anyone?) then add a new gimmick or two and make a big fuss. The new gimmick here is in the title - Airborne. Yep, you have to parachute into battle. This sounds like a really cool idea, because it should be. Only problem is it doesn’t really matter because the game always plays out the same wherever you land. The idea is a great one, but in true EA style they haven’t thought it through. Also the game as a whole feels rushed, want some examples, ok.

How about enemies that run around like headless chickens? Or your squad mates shooting at boxes? Or thin air? Or just disappearing? The AI is SHIT no other word for it.

The Hit detection is way of at times too, it took me five headshots to kill a guy with a Sniper Rifle once! And a whole MP40 clip to see one German off. This could and should have been sorted before the game shipped… bad form EA, very bad.

Another moan is that one minuite you can be doing great, have five squad mates around you and have just accomplished an objective. Then out of nowhere Five Germans appear and blow your head off. I swear that the green dots on my radar turned red as if the Germans in WW2 could do that thing the Agents do in the Matrix and just take over a person! I think the reason for this is that the enemies in Airborne don’t die, they respawn. The idea being that the game never lets up and its “action, action, action” that’s an ok idea, but they respawn so thick and fast that you can spend AGES clearing one building out and getting to one of six objectives which are something that I don’t like too. Because all of them are “blow this up” or “Destroy this by shooting it” dull is a good word.

The Graphics are nice enough (I like the “glass” effect when you look through a scope) and at times really show off what the 360 can do but can also look “last gen” at times too. The campaign is short, really short. How short? Try Six (maybe seven) levels, uninspiring ones at that.

The multiplayer is a great addition and probably Airborne’s strength. But it’s nothing that you haven’t seen before with a EA “gimmick” attached. If you want a war FPS, wait till COD4. If you want a WW2 FPS then just replay COD2 and 3. Simple really.

I can’t express how much of a disappointment this game is for me. With a bit more work (and maybe a few more levels) it could have been a really great title. As it is its just EA shelf filler, NOT worth £40 in any way.

7/10