Medal Of Honour: Rising Sun

You take the role of Joseph Griffin, a corporal in the US marines. On December 7th, 1941, Griffin is on The Californian in Pearl Harbour. From the very beginning, you’re involved in the action. After a very short intro, you’re thrown into the thick of things when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour begins. You have to make your way from the crew quarters up to the deck to help defend the ship.
This is a breath-taking level. From the moment you step on deck, you get the feeling of actually being there. As Griffin emerges onto the deck, the game takes over for a moment as everything slows down, as if Griffin is in shock. It’s only another soldier that snaps Griffin out of it and then it’s time to take out the planes that are swarming overhead and dropping bombs.

As you progress through different levels, you have the choice of different weapons as appropriate to your mission. Your sniper rifle will come in handy on the Guadalcanal level, while a shotgun is useful for getting yourself out of sticky situations when you’re searching for Yamashita’s gold.

There are a few extras that have been added since Allied Assault made its way onto the consoles. A dedicated grenade button comes in very useful (although you may find yourself hitting it in the heat of the moment) and the save points dotted around the levels can also come in very handy at times. Some of the levels are quite long and starting from the beginning each time you die can get a bit tedious.

As with all Medal Of Honour games, the scenery is fantastic. The design team has put a large amount of detail and effort into each level; you might find yourself actually taking time out of your mission to admire your surroundings.
The cut scenes are also quite impressive and historical footage is dropped in between levels. However, after a while you’ll probably find yourself skipping the history lesson to get straight to the action.

There are a few flaws with this game. For a start, the AI is a bit weak. You’re rarely left to your own devices, whether it is a platoon of soldiers following in your wake or a single soldier watching your back. In theory, this is a great idea – you receive help in taking out enemy soldiers, especially if you are running low on health. In practice, your soldiers can barely shoot straight and even if they get up close to enemy soldiers, they’ll take a lot of abuse without dying – or killing anything. It’ll take your personal touch to resolve any battles. Your soldiers get in your way quite a bit too. Shooting them in the head won’t kill them, but it might make them move enough for you to squeeze past or duck long enough for you to get a clear shot at your enemy.

The levels are quite linear too. While you have a certain amount of pathways to explore, there are very few levels in which you can just roam at will. In the Guadalcanal level, for example, you have the choice to remain in the boat with your squad or jump ship and head for the shore to fight the enemy one on one. Either way, you still end up at the same point, meeting up with your team a few minutes down the road.

However, the Medal of Honour brand carries a bit of weight these days and Rising Sun will by no means tarnish this reputation.

Medal of Honour: Rising Sun
Specs:
Rating: 88%
Price: EUR53.99
Contact: GameStop 01-8724305