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PSP | Action | Medal of Honor: Heroes

Publisher: EA
Developer: EA
Release Date: 10/24/2006
Genre: Action
Number of Players:
ESRB Rating: Teen
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32 screen shots

GRAPHICS: 3.25
SOUND: 3.50
CONTROL: 3.75
FUN FACTOR 3.25
AVG USER SCORE 4.4
AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.5

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Review: Medal of Honor: Heroes

Review by Patrick Shaw | 11/28/2006 | 15:13:46 PM PST

EA's first-person Nazi blasting franchise makes its PSP debut with Medal of Honor: Heroes, but the results are less than heroic.

In Medal of Honor: Heroes, the second FPS to disembark on the PSP, you battle Hitler's foot soldiers in historic World War II campaigns such as the Battle of the Bulge and Operation Avalanche, which stretch across the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy.

PROTIP: The StG44 is the perfect balance of power of a high rate of power. Always try to carry one of these babies into firefights.

The Missions are split up between three heroes from past Medal of Honor games. Lieutenant Jimmy Patterson from the original Medal of Honor and Frontline, Sergeant John Baker from Allied Assault, and Lieutenant William Holt from European Assault are all playable characters in the game, but in spite of what you might think, the characters you play as have no impact on the gameplay whatsoever. It's right there in the title, "Heroes," and yet they all play as generically and identically to one another as if they were named G.I. Joe 1, 2, and 3. A minor quibble, yes, but there is much more to dislike about the game, but let's first take a look at what the game does right.

For starters, the game destroys the notion that first-person shooters do not work on the PSP, with its relatively tight controls which are simple to use. Aiming is done with the face keys, firing is done with the R trigger, and moving around is done with the analog stick. They might feel a bit stiff at first, but you can adjust the aiming sensitivity in the Options and tweak it to your liking.

WWII Death Goes Online

Although the MOH series has always concentrated on its single player action, Medal of Honor: Heroes' main strength remains in its multiplayer mode. You can wage war against as many as 31 players in an internet match. The best part about this is that you won't be waiting in a lobby for an eternity, as you can join in progress games at any time. There is also a wireless Ad Hoc mode for you and 7 of your buddies to host your own frag-fest. No matter how many soldiers are running around in a multiplayer match, none of the game's 15 multiplayer maps will leave you feeling crammed, as they have more than enough room for you to spread out.

PROTIP: Never whip out your handgun, which is about as effective as a water pistol.

Medal of Dishonor

The game's three major downfalls are its repetitiveness, its horrid AI, and its exceedingly simplistic mission objectives, which all fall into one of three categories, guarding a specific location, placing an explosive, or collective an item. That's it, folks. After completing one or two missions in Medal of Honor: Heroes, you may think "hey, this isn't so bad," but half way into the game it will become all to clear that you are doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over, (insert new enemy type), and over again.

If the dreary missions don't rub you the wrong way, the buggy AI will. There were times when I was face to face with an SS officer, only to have my men bail on me and attack an enemy that was on the other side of the map. You'll also discover that your fellow soldiers like to senselessly spin around in circles, pace back and forth, and run right in front of you as you are firing. These are all reoccurring problems with the AI that anyone who plays the game will encounter.

There are also some other flaws in the game such as enemies spawning out of midair and a load time of a couple of seconds that happens when you switch the PSP on from sleep mode.

If you're desperate for a decent first-person shooter for the PSP, you're still going to have to wait, because Medal of Honor: Heroes is not the answer you are looking for. Heroes is easily the worst MOH game yet, and yes that includes the PlayStation versions that came out over half a decade ago.