Looking back to 2010’s version of Medal of Honor, which struggled to stake its claim as a top tier first-person shooter, was an instant reaction for gamers when EA and Danger Close announced Medal of Honor: Warfighter. Even after some breathtaking screens from the Frostbite 2.0 engine, many were quick to shoot down the possibility that Warfighter could contend in a crowded genre. After an intense, twenty-minute multiplayer match, though, we were quite aware that the game means business and is shaping up to be one of the more addictive online shooters to date.
Our private hands-on play through began with a short briefing video from Warfighter’s lead producer, alongside the head of multiplayer for the game. The duo explained several of Warfighter’s online features, including a first look at the game’s six classes. Each of these classes truly redefines the entire class system seen in most shooters today through excellent diversity and weapon enhancement. In fact, EA announced that the title plans to ship with over 72 customizable options from outfits to gun skins, each different according to which class you’ll be playing as.
After the video ended, we were able to pick up our controllers and chose which class we wished to play. Like most shooters, Warfighter features your assault, recon, and medic classes (and three others), but differ in each player’s special abilities. For instance, our attack-ready soldier featured heavy armor rounds that could be clipped on at anytime for some extra firepower at the cost of some accuracy. We then were “shipped off” to Somalia to battle in the Pirate Town map where our match began.
The first major addition seen in our sector control play through was undoubtedly the “buddy system” feature where you and another player will act as partners to take down enemies. Work together and you’ll even receive some worthwhile points throughout each game. Secondly, we couldn’t help but notice the drastic graphical advancements from the 2010 installment. DICE’s Frostbite 2.0 engine is everything it’s been advertised to be, as we were presented with some gorgeous buildings and backdrops. It’s overwhelming, but in an oh-so satisfying way.
Our strategy throughout the entire match was pretty straightforward: work the streets, cap flags, and take down bad guys along the way. As we accumulated kills, we were offered the accustomed offensive or defensive attacks, which made from some intense ground battles as helicopters and air-strikes flew overhead. Everything from gameplay to controls was sound, and no one class seemed overpowering whatsoever.
Before we knew it, time had hit zero and our team had sadly failed, but we had an incredible time playing. Medal of Honor: Warfighter’s online multiplayer is indeed shaping up to be one of this year’s biggest surprises, and you can bet you’ll want to be on board day one.
