- Medal of Honor: Frontline
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Medal of Honor: Frontline
North American cover artDeveloper(s) EA Los Angeles Publisher(s) Electronic Arts Composer(s) Michael Giacchino Series Medal of Honor Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 3 Release date(s) PlayStation 2
Xbox & GameCube
PlayStation 3
Genre(s) First-person shooter Mode(s) Single-player, Split-screen Multi-player (GC, Xbox) Rating(s) Media/distribution DVD
2 x GameCube discMedal of Honor: Frontline is the fourth game in the Medal of Honor series, and was published by Electronic Arts. The player character in the game is that of Lt. Jimmy Patterson, from the American OSS. Frontline chronicles Patterson's journey as he fights his way across Europe into Nazi Germany during World War II. Frontline was released in North America for the PlayStation 2 on May 28, 2002 and for the Xbox and GameCube consoles on November 10, 2002.
Contents
Development
For Medal of Honor: Frontline, "EA LA decided to make Patterson the star of the D-Day level in order to streamline the plot and eliminate the confusion of switching main characters."[1]
Gameplay
In Frontline, the player takes on a first person view and fights as an American OSS operative in D-Day. There are six missions in Frontline, each made up of several smaller levels. Briefings take place at the start of each mission, which advance the plot and introduce new characters. The smaller missions take place in a linear path, with the player fighting through towns and countryside, killing enemies and completing objectives. Objectives are explained to the character in a smaller briefing before each level, which prepares the player for that particular mission. The "War Room" serves as the game's main menu, and is reminiscent of Britain's secret underground intelligence bunkers during WWII.
Like other Medal of Honor games, Frontline allows the player to earn medals as they complete certain requirements:
- Army Commendation Medal
- Soldier's Medal
- Dutch WWII Commemorative Cross
- Legion of Merit
- Distinguished Service Flying Cross
- Army Distinguished Service Medal
- Distinguished Service Cross
- Bronze Star
- Silver Star
One of the more popular game play aspects was the use of historically accurate speeches and footage. One example is the appearance of the Soldiers poem right before the opening level on D-Day. This poem is well known by many who play the game.
Plot
Frontline starts with Lt. Jimmy Patterson storming Omaha Beach as a part of Operation Overlord, after which the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) sends him to disrupt German U-boat operations. The OSS discovers that the Germans are building a secret weapon, but their contact in the Dutch Resistance goes missing. As a result, Lt. Patterson joins up with the 82nd Airborne during Operation Market Garden to find him. After finding the contact and rescuing him from German custody, the OSS learns that the secret weapon is a highly advanced jet fighter called HO-IX. Lt. Patterson embarks to destroy the aircraft, however en route he has to cross the Nijmegen Bridge, disarm explosives, and send supplies to the British 1st Airborne in Arnhem. The OSS track down the man in charge of building the fighter (an SS officer called Sturmgeist). Lt. Patterson is sent to Emmerich to track Sturmgeist, but once aboard the SS Officer's personal train, Patterson is unable to catch him before he is able to escape. Even though the man-hunt for Sturmgeist was fruitless, Lt. Patterson manages to destroy a vital German supplies cache. Lt. Patterson infiltrates the secret airfield outside Gotha where the fighter is held, cripples German aircraft production, fights and kills Sturmgeist, and escapes the airfield using the HO-IX.
Reception
Reception Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings 86.61% (PS2) 78.59% (Xbox)
78.58% (GC)Metacritic 88/100 (PS2) 81/100 (Xbox)
80/100 (GC)Review scores Publication Score 1UP.com B+ Eurogamer 10/10 IGN PS2: 8/10 Xbox:7.9/10 Gamecube:7.9/10 PS3: 6/10
Medal of Honor: Frontline was met with mostly positive reviews. The game received a rating of 8.0 out of 10 (PS2 version) from IGN, stating, "[An] unbelievably good combination of good graphics, good gameplay and excellent music combine to create an unparalleled experience..." It received a rating of 9.0 out of 10 (PS2 version) from Gamespot, which praised the level design, graphics and gameplay. Gamespot also commented on the audio, saying, "Frontline has some of the best music and sound effects of any game, on any console, or on any gaming platform for that matter." The PS2 version was rated the highest. Play Magazine awarded the game 10 out of 10. Playstation Magazine also awarded Frontline 10 out of 10, with the reviewer calling it, "One of the most incredible experiences I have ever had with a game."
GamePro wrote that, "Frontline revolves around the heroics of Lt. Jimmy Patterson (Medal of Honor's original star)... While the overall goal is the HO-IX, Patterson frequently stops to help out as Operation Market Garden (the Allies' infamous paratrooper assault) takes place all around him. He storms Arnhem alongside British airborne troops, infiltrates a German armored train, rescues a prisoner from a Nazi-held manor, demolishes a U-boat, and much more. You truly get the sense that you're a cog in a much bigger machine, and it's both refreshing and enjoyable that, for once, you're not the caricatured hero with the only chance of saving the day."[1][2]
HD Edition
During 2010 a remastered version of Frontline was included in the PlayStation 3 version of Medal of Honor with updated gameplay options and also trophies support and remastered with High Definition Graphics, The player when starting a new game has the option to play with the classic gameplay or modern gameplay similar to Sonic Generations.[1] In August 2011 Frontline was released as a digital download title for the Playstation network. [2] The product has since remained an exclusive for Playstation 3
References
External links
- Official site
- Medal of Honor: Frontline at the Internet Movie Database
- Medal of Honor: Frontline at MobyGames
Medal of Honor series Historical era Medal of Honor (1999) · Underground · Allied Assault (Spearhead · Breakthrough) · Frontline · Rising Sun · Infiltrator · Pacific Assault · European Assault · Heroes · Vanguard · Airborne · Heroes 2Modern era Medal of Honor (2010)Categories:- 2002 video games
- Electronic Arts games
- Nintendo GameCube first-person shooters
- Nintendo GameCube games
- Interactive Achievement Award winners
- Medal of Honor games
- PlayStation 2 games
- PlayStation 3 games
- PlayStation Network games
- Xbox games
- Video games set in France
- Video games set in Germany
- Video games set in The Netherlands
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