While PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners wait for the forthcoming Medal of Honor Airborne this summer, Nintendo Wii owners get Medal of Honor Vanguard now. This new entry in the series provides a bit of good news for gamers who were sorely disappointed with Activision's muddy conversion of Call of Duty 3. The graphics look cleaner and the gameplay feels friendlier than that hard-to-control nightmare. However, that doesn't automatically qualify EA's latest as a must-buy. Vanguard still has its own woes to contend with.
In the game, players once again take control of Lieutenant Frank Keegan, part of the Airborne 82nd Division during World War II. Leading the U.S. Forces in a heated battle against invading German Nazi soldiers, players fight through several missions that should strike up some familiarity with war buffs. They take on Operation Market Garden in Holland before moving on to France and Germany for later campaigns. The game spans several levels, and gives players plenty to enemies to shoot down. Nazis pop up all over the place, attempting to stand their ground with various ambushes and sniper points.
Vanguard plays better than expected, although the Wii-responsive gameplay doesn't quite operate as smoothly at all times. Aiming on-screen works simply by pointing the Wii remote at the screen with the option to zoom in on targets (without the need to move the arm in and out either, a nice touch). Players can also find cover behind walls and other objects, along with the ablity to "peek" around corners to take quick shots while avoiding crucial damage (which once again works with a stamina system).
However, grenade throwing takes a whole lot of practice. Sometimes they can be overthrown, and other times they don't get thrown at all, resulting in a clumsy death. Vanguard also incorporates a quick-turn option, enabling soldiers to spin around quickly to shoot foes behind them. With that, though, it requires players to jerk the Nunchuk to execute the spin, and it turns into a real hassle during a heated firefight. It should've just been skipped in favor of more realistic controls. Finally, the parachute drops brought up an interesting question. Did players really need to hold up their Nunchuk and remote like parachute straps to navigate their landing when they end up landing around the same spot anyway? EA probably wanted to nail down the feeling of the descent, but it ends up being pointless.?
Medal of Honor Vanguard does have an acceptable presentation and it looks way better than Call of Duty 3. The soldiers animate very well, and the levels have outstanding design, particularly when little effects like gunfire and explosions scatter across the screen. The sound comes across as typical war-themed ambience, with yelling soldiers and the occasional orchestrated themes playing in the background.
EA also felt it was necessary to include multiplayer here. The game doesn't support online whatsoever, restricting players to off-line competitions. Up to four players can take part in a split-screen battle, choosing between typical deathmatch, capture the flag, and king of the hill modes. A new mode called Scavenger Hunt tasks soldiers with finding items while trying to keep alive. However, in split screen format, the game's scaled down visuals make it nearly impossible to see anything unless displayed on a big-screen television or high-detail HDTV. With the frustrating game play elements and smaller details, most won't even bother with multiplayer.
Medal of Honor Vanguard sits in an awkward spot. It could have been worse, but much better as well. The motion controls end up mixed between good and bad items and the multiplayer falls short in comparison to the heavily-loaded competition on other machines. At least it wasn't another Far Cry Vengeance. Fans of the World War II genre and EA's series sign up for another tour of duty, everyone else should sharpen their blades with the more entertaining Red Steel instead.
Final Score: 6 (out of 10)
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