S&S; Review: Medal of Honor Warfighter

Title: Medal of Honor Warfighter
Format: PS3(reviewed), Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: October 23, 2012
Publisher: EA
Developer: Danger Close
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M

Medal of Honor Warfighter is the second next gen MOH game, and even though the first game wasn't received so well, Warfighter looks to remake its name in genre cluttered with military shooters.
Story and Presentation:
Medal of Honor Warfighter is a direct sequel to the 2010 Medal of Honor, in terms of story, it picks right up with Preacher and Stump.  Although your time will be split pretty evenly, you can tell the game focuses more on Preacher's narrative and experiences.  Seeing how the events that happen in the game were actual operations, its nice to see that they added a few out-of-combat moments that focus on the soldier's personal tale.  You've seen it before, so don't expect any new groundbreaking war stories.  Ultimately, if you're sick of seeing how the war affects the soldiers and their families, MOH won't change your opinion in the slightest.  The game runs on the Frostbite 2 engine, and it shows.  Everything in the game just pops with realism and beauty, definitely making it one of the best looking shooters to date.  There is a ton of destructible environments for you to blow up, and some pretty impressive set pieces that rival those of Crysis games.  The opening level itself sees huge cranes falling over and huge shipping crates being flown at you.  The game also has some gorgeous weather effects, pouring rain and blinding lightning has never looked so good.  The voice acting is solid, on the frontlines and off,  and a wonderful orchestral score rounds out the terrific presentation.  
Core Gameplay and Multiplayer:
Since we have so many modern first person shooters out there, the controls almost felt second nature to me.  They weren't as tight as other shooters, but they felt really good, to say the least.  The 6 hour campaign is paced well, with a lot of different mechanics thrown into the mix.  There is a pretty good mix of driving sequences that help break up the monotony of just aiming and shooting.   The game really focuses on its comprehensive buddy system, and this is what separates it from other games in the same genre.  Instead of putting its emphasis on four man squads, the fireteam mechanic really works well offline and online.  When you take the game online, you can choose from between 12 different Tier 1 Operators.  From the american SFOD-D to the Polish GROM, you have a ton of options from the beginning.  As you play through several matches, you'll unlock more scopes and attachments for your weapons.  As I stated before, the teamwork between you and your fireteam partner is what makes the game stand out.  It may seem like a minor change or addition, it really keeps the action fast paced and intense.  Team Deathmatches are really hectic, spewing on your buddy help keep you in the action if you get picked off.  The game stands in between the two FPS behemoths, Call of Duty and Battlefield.  Its not as enclosed as COD, but its not as open as BF3, it stands in the middle, giving you the right amount of variety in your gameplay.  
Final Thoughts:
Medal of Honor Warfighter is a great game, and although it struggles to find its own identity, its still a terrific FPS.  The game is beautiful, and its musical score is second to none.  Any fan of the genre should definitely pick this one up, even if you weren't a fan of the original game two years ago, its better in every way than the first.
S&S Rating: 8.75/10 @whatsPlay