Medal of Honor: Airborne Review for PlayStation 3

System: PS3, X360, PC	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Electronic Arts	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Electronic Arts	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Nov. 19, 2007	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-12 (Multiplayer)	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
SRB Rating: Teen	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

As engaging as the enemy A.I. is, they aren't as smart as all hell. For the most part, they do take cover and are careful to peak around corners and send a hail of bullets in your direction. But there are times when they will run at you through an open field, opting for a totally inappropriate melee attack instead of taking cover and trying to pick you and your men off from a safe distance. By the same token, the friendly A.I. will also run at them to engage in hand-to-hand combat. It's something that you'll just learn to ignore. Sometimes the friendly A.I. will actually get in your way and block your shots. That's a little bit harder to ignore.

Medal of Honor: Airborne screenshot

An average gamer can blast through this in a couple of days. Fortunately, the faux open-ended gameplay will allow you to replay the single-player mission a couple more times. The ability to start your mission where you want and change the order of objectives gives you a sense of freedom. You may want to try different techniques to achieve the same objectives. And once you've exhausted the single-player mode, there is a multiplayer component that features Deathmatch and Capture the Flag-style modes. The multiplayer modes are fun, but they aren't the reason to purchase this game. I did have a bit of trouble finding a game for the PS3 at times, although that may change after the holidays. While I did experience some slowdown online, it was momentary.

Medal of Honor: Airborne is a good-looking game, but it's not amazing. It doesn't push the next-next gen envelope. It looks like a good Xbox game. The character models are well animated and look great close up. From a distance, the characters can be difficult to discern. Things do tend to look a little frenetic and messy. The guns sound great. They are loud and aggressive. Crank it up.

Medal of Honor: Airborne is definitely worth a weekend rental. There are few games that you could tackle in such short time that are of comparable quality. I applaud the developers for not dragging the gameplay out. It's as long as it needs to be, and even if that means a little on the short side, so be it. It just leaves me wanting more.

By Cole Smith
CCC Senior Writer

Features

Get ready to get airborne! Medal of Honor Airborne has gone gold. Medal of Honor Airborne is the most recent addition to the revered series that has topped 31 million copies sold worldwide.

PlayStation 3 gamers are able to jump into the largest Allied Airborne Operations of WWII and become the hero that suppresses the Axis powers throughout Europe.

Using an innovative approach to first-person shooter gaming, every level starts with the player's ability to airdrop into combat from a C-47 airplane and choose where they land on the battlefield. The first step is everything and the player's landing spot can change the course of battle.

Conflict on the ground offers strategic choice in vertical, open battle spaces with a wealth of attack routes and flanking opportunities.

Medal of Honor Airborne delivers an immersive experience of WWII which is complimented by award-winning composer Michael Giacchino who has scored the soundtrack. An esteemed composer for numerous film and TV projects such as "Lost", "Alias," M:i:III (2007), The Incredibles (2004), and most recently Ratatouille (2007), Giacchino has been repeatedly recognized for his contributions to theatrical composition and score.

Multiplayer modes extend replay value.

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.1

Graphics
Gritty and realistic. Environments could be more destructible.

4.2

Control
Weapons can be a little hard to handle. Recoil is powerful.

4.8

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Excellent sounding weapons. Huge, powerful, and loud. Inspires confidence.

3.4

Play Value
Replay single-player missions with different strategies. Multiplayer component includes Deathmatch and Capture the Flag-style modes.

4.6