Medal of Honor Vanguard

The deafening hum of the aircraft engines make it hard to concentrate but even if you could pause to reflect on your current situation all you will be thinking about is your parachute and whether you’ll still be alive to pull the ripcord. Suddenly, an explosion rocks the aircraft violently and where your comrades were once standing you can see the night sky. You are sucked out of the plane but you make no sound and when you do manage to pull the ripcord you descend towards the Sicilian town that grows closer and closer. Forget the landing; it’s the enemy tank and German soldiers you’ll have to worry about. This is Medal of Honor Vanguard for the PS2, the latest installment of the Medal of Honor series.

Assuming the role of an 82^nd Airborne paratrooper Corporal named Keegan, you find yourself jumping out of a plane to carry out Operation Husky off the coast of Sicily, Italy during World War II. As the opening military film footage reveals, you are part of a military unit that was still in its experimental phase and while the Airborne unit has seen action, the 82^nd still has much to prove to top military brass. The game takes you through some of the war’s most well-known operations from Market Garden to the bloody Varsity. Through Keegan’s eyes we experience what these brave men have experienced during the war and how they gained acceptance and respect from the top military brass.

Yes, we’ve seen Airborne in action before with the Brother in Arms games and while Keegan’s story isn’t deep and involving, we catch enough of a glimpse to realize the sacrifices these men made and the jumps they made to give Allied forces an advantage over Hitler’s own. It’s a story that takes us through four operations in Europe and the battles that helped turn the tides of war and secure victory for the Allied forces. In the opening mission, we follow Keegan and the 82^nd as they attempt to capture a key location in Sicily and reclaim an entire town. We then follow deeper in operation Neptune, then Market Garden and finally to operation Varsity.

Vanguard doesn’t do anything particularly different from other Medal of Honor games but it does try to include some new moves. You can easily slam the butt of your rifle for close-quarter battles and you can pull the pin of a grenade and hold it for a few seconds before tossing it for an earlier blast that will give enemies less of a chance to jump out of the way of the blast. Enemies also react differently in this game. No longer do they just stand around waiting to get shot (like in Medal of Honor: Frontline) nor expose their position by firing blindly (like in Medal of Honor: Rising Sun). Instead, the enemy ducks for cover and if your troops get closer they will actually pull back to find better cover.

The problem with this game is that amid the exciting battles and tank missions, the game slows down its action to the point that you will find yourself bored during various segments through the game. In other words, Vanguard isn’t able to maintain the energetic, bullet-fueled action of some objectives throughout each level in the game. Secondly, there are no real surprises so if that Nazi that pops out of a window in one segment he will pop up again at the same spot and the same time. My biggest gripe also happens to be that checkpoints don’t pop up often in this game so you’ll be forced to start all over from a checkpoint you passed several minutes ago.

Graphically, Vanguard might not be the most attractive game in the series and is actually a step down for the series but it does backgrounds nice enough. You’ll be surrounded by everything from a lush countryside to old European streets as well as marvel at the good visual effects such as explosions and smoke effects. Even the character models look decent but when it comes to character movement you’re in for a nasty surprise. Characters don’t move realistically and you’ll know it the minute a comrade crawls. The clipping can get pretty bad as well so expect enemies to phase right through walls sometimes or somehow push a rifle right through a solid object. Oh, and don’t get me started with the disappearing corpses the simply blink out of existence.

What the game does well is the soundtrack that is a highlight of the series. The beautifully orchestrated score is dramatic, emotional and powerful but, then again, this was to be expected since all Medal of Honor games contain amazing music. The sound effects are also handled well enough, but unlike other games in the series, sometimes the sound can come off as muffled for most the baffling of reasons. Let’s say explosions fill the screen as well as your ears. Suddenly, you turn to look at something behind you and somehow the volume of said explosions diminishes considerably. Yeah, I know, what’s up with that? At least the voice acting is good.

Medal of Honor Vanguard is a straightforward WWII shooter that doesn’t do anything really new but still manages to be one entertaining PS2 action game. While there are moments in the game where the action slows down considerably and the action can get a tad repetitive, there are several moments in the game where the action does get pretty intense but these moments are fleeting. In the end, Vanguard feels more like a rental but if you’re a hardcore fan of the series you might just want to consider picking this one up.

Gameplay: 7.2
Vanguard literally drops you into the middle of some truly spectacular and thrilling skirmishes but it also mixes these exciting moments with some really dull ones that slow the action down. Still, it’s good to see the series attempt to push the action further with some variety and interesting levels.

Graphics: 7.0
This isn’t the prettiest game in the Medal of Honor series. In fact, earlier games in the series have looked better than this but at least the backgrounds and visual effects look good. The character models aren’t bad but they don’t move or react realistically. Oh, and the clipping problems are just plain awful.

Sound: 8.5
Once again the soundtrack is powerful and cinematic and will - no doubt about it - make each sequence feel like you’re a part of an epic. Even the voice acting is excellent to the point that my roommates thought I was watching a war flick. The sound effects, strangely enough, vary from detailed to occasionally muffled even on a good sound system.

Difficulty: Medium
There are moments in the game where you’ll be overwhelmed by the number of enemies and even more times when enemies will have the common sense to move for better cover. Unlike past games in the series, you can’t just run and gun your way through these levels.

Concept: 7.5
The game isn’t big on story but it’s great to see the war through the eyes of the first American paratroopers. Many of the levels are actually pretty intense but the few changes (such as the ability to hold a grenade a little longer to blow just when you need it to blow) but it’s clear that the Nintendo Wii gets the best version of this game.

Multiplayer: 7.0
The lack of online multiplayer is disappointing but there’s four player action (using a PS2 Multitap, of course) and four multiplayer game types (Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, King of the Hill and Scavenger Hunt). It’s all standard stuff here but at least Scavenger Hunt is pretty fun.

Overall: 7.2
Medal of Honor Vanguard for the PS2 is a strictly by-the-numbers WWII shooter that might not do anything revolutionary but is still fun first-person shooter worth a look. Sure, the there are moments where the action gets repetitive but for the lower price sticker this one offers enough bang for the buck. If you’re a Medal of Honor fan, you might just want to pick this one up.