The first-person shooter genre has come a long way since its inception with the likes ofWolfenstein 3DandDoom. While both franchises are miraculously still going, they’re not quite at the top of the FPS pyramid, with military shooters likeCall of DutyandBattlefieldtaking that crown instead, but it wasn’t always this way. Back in the early 2000s, a different military shooter franchise was one of the biggest contenders in the ring:Medal of Honor.
Debuting in 1999 for the original PlayStation, the firstMedal of Honormade an explosive impact on the gaming landscape, featuring impressive visuals, incredible scope, and a story endorsed bylegendary filmmaker Steven Spielberghimself. Following the first game’s success,Medal of Honorfound its way to the sixth generation of consoles, where games likeMedal of Honor: Rising SunandMedal of Honor: Frontlinemade the brand a household name. Following a lackluster reboot in 2010, theMedal of Honorfranchise has been largely forgotten, but that doesn’t mean EA shouldn’t bring it back.
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It’s Time For a New Medal of Honor Game
Right now,Call of Dutyis the dominant force in the FPS market. WhileCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarandVanguarddidn’t quite hit the heights of theModern Warfareseries,Call of Dutyhas still held tightly onto that top spot for years now. Its only real competition has come from theBattlefieldfranchise, and over the last decade or so,Battlefieldhas only continued to stumble and fall.Battlefield Hardline,Battlefield 5, andBattlefield 2042have all been critical and commercial failures compared toCall of Duty.
WithBattlefieldflailing, it’s the perfect time for an old beloved franchise to rear its head once again;Medal of Honorcould fill a niche that no other big franchise can right now. WhileWorld War 2 shootersare a dime a dozen in the current market,Medal of Honorhas an edge over its competition. While most modern WW2 shooters focus on their multiplayer component, a newMedal of Honorgame could focus on its campaign, which was always a highlight for the franchise.
Beginning with the very firstMedal of Honorall the way back in 1999, the franchise has always made its campaign the main focus of the experience, and they’ve usually been pretty high-quality single-player experiences as a result. The aforementionedMedal of Honor: Rising SunandMedal of Honor: Frontlineboth had excellent campaigns, with thrilling action set pieces and compelling characters, which looking back is very ahead of their time, withCall of Dutytaking a good few years before it did the same. A return to the basics for the series could be exactly what the current FPS market needs.
Unfortunately, EA has left things on a bit of a sour note for theMedal of Honorfranchise. Following the poor reception of the 2010 reboot and itsWarfightersequel, theMedal of Honorfranchise was essentially put on hold, and it quickly faded into distant memory. Notably, in 2020, EA tasked Respawn Entertainment with creating another entry for the dormant franchise: aVR title calledMedal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Unfortunately,Above and Beyondstruggled to impress players due to its poor optimization and lackluster gameplay, but EA was on to something. Respawn may not be the best pick for a VR revival, but it could certainly create a bold new, single-player-focusedMedal of Honorexperience, and a reboot that would get immediate attention from fans.
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