The Medal of Honor series has been going strong since its debut on the PlayStation back in 1999, but eight years later, it could be in for its biggest year to date. Electronic Arts has not one but two games coming out in 2007. The first, Medal of Honor: Airborne, has received much fanfare due to its advanced visuals and intense action. Not to be outdone, Medal of Honor: Vanguard for the Wii and PlayStation 2 has been earning accolades all its own -- and for good reason.

Like Airborne, Medal of Honor: Vanguard features a new style that players should quickly love. Instead of automatically starting their mission on the ground, soldiers in the 82nd Airborne Division jump from a plane and control their parachuted descent. As they float through the sky, scenes of war play out. This includes planes engulfed in flames and patches of smoke clogging the air. Eventually, the player spots green flares on the ground, a clearly marked landing point. However, he or she won't be limited to landing right on that specific spot. They can aim for an alternate location, gaining access to new weaponry or setting up a secondary position. Exploration reaps many rewards here -- but it can also lead to a nasty Nazi ambush.

Throughout the adventure, gamers control Frank Keegan -- corporal for the 82nd Airborne Division -- as he ventures through a huge World War II-themed European campaign. This takes the Division through many locations, including the shores of Sicily and, eventually, Germany's Nazi filled streets. During some side missions, however, players take control of another soldier that has their own mission to complete. No matter who tackles these tasks, however, the artificial intelligence packs quite a challenge. EA tweaked the enemy AI, so they won't just stand there and take a few shots to the chest. Instead, they strafe, hide behind objects and fire with uncanny accuracy. This could very well be the hardest Medal of Honor game to date -- but no one ever said war was easy.

EA's Los Angeles team, also working on the Airborne project, doesn't seem content on making this a second-place effort. Early glimpses of the game revealed extraordinary graphics, from the smoke effects upon a player's descent to some spectacular lighting effects, most of which show their colors when a big explosion goes off. The soldiers themselves look more realistic, with more polygonal detail than ever before. Some even express emotions, such as angst, fear and anger. (Sorry, no happy faces here.) This could easily shape up to be the best looking PS2 Honor to date, putting the older efforts of Frontline and Rising Sun to shame.

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