Le Speilberg

I think this is the most game of all time. There is nothing specifically terrible about it, and there's nothing specifically great about it. It is just so average.

You play as a British soldier that has been promoted to do special missions. Every mission in this game is behind enemy lines and you're by yourself performing espionage and whatnot. I really wasn't expecting this, was really thinking this was gonna be a regular WW2 shooter. I think that is a unique thing about it, the game feels like you're playing as James Bond but in WW2.

There are 7 missions here, each having multiple levels. Every level is EXTREMELY linear, almost every map is just hallways after hallways. Due to this, the level design is OK, but it's just kinda meh, all the levels mesh together in my head cause they're all so similar in design.

The most unique mission in this game is a mission where you go undercover in a base and have to pull your identifications on soldiers to get by, it's neat.

The length of these levels are pretty short, really a short game in general, but that's ok because it doesn't overstay its welcome. There are also no checkpoints, if you die you go all the way back to the start of a level. This is acceptable only because of how short the levels are.

The game is also quite easy up until the last two missions where it does require a bit more skill and effort, due to a ton of enemies walking around with 1 hit kill rocket launchers. Oh also, enemies will always know exactly where you are and will randomly shoot you through walls.

The story is super forgettable, even after reading every text and watching every cutscene, all I can tell you about this story is that you blow shit up and kill nazis. The story is borderline nonexistent honestly.

The shooting and movement in this game is somewhat wonky but you get used to it fairly quickly. I actually enjoy all the guns in this game, they're pretty decent, but nothing here is remarkable. It's all just average run-of-the-mill gun play. Maybe in 1999 it was impressive but this is just OK.

The aesthetics of this game aren't really charming either, it certainly doesn't have that Goldeneye charm. It's generally pretty forgettable in all aspects.

There's really not much of a point playing this today as it's really just obsolete. Everything it does well, some other game does it better. I guess you could play this to see a part of video game history, as I would say this had some influence on Call of Duty and other shooters at the time.

Seriously, this is the most unremarkable fine game. It is a perfectly solid and playable experience that didn't cause me much frustration, but it didn't wow me or anything. I guess it kept me busy and entertained for a bit? I struggle on what to rate this as it's just so meh yet it doesn't have much faults. 3 it is I guess.

Oh also, there's a multiplayer mode that seems pretty cool but unfortunately I don't have anyone around at my house right now to play it with lol

Well how about that, the movie guy wrote a video game story!

You know, for someone just going off of his son playing goldeneye on n64, Spielberg didn't do so bad for his first try! Of course it's not without it's faults. The levels can be very short enough where you could probably beat this all in one sitting (whether that's a good or bad thing to you is subjective), and the AI can be a major pain to fight against when they can stand half a magazine of bullets halfway through the game. But other than that, I had a pretty good time playing this! Ah, and that Michael Giacchino ost will always be a treat to hear.

Can you believe the best song is through a small radio and in the credits if you check it out? Anyways, Is it going to be on a must play again for me? Probably not, but I am glad that I got to play through the franchise's first baby steps. Hell, even recommending something like this game can be rough with the control scheme and could be a huge barrier for gamers these days. I almost had blisters playing through this on an emulator, just because the dual stick option wasn't the best scheme for me. I did end up with scheme two, where it made me feel like I was playing doom with the way I was speed strafing all over the levels.

So I discovered the first Medal of Honor is a PS1-exclusive first person shooter, so I got curious and decided to check it out. And, I think it holds up remarkably well. In my Alien Resurrection review, I made a following statement:

the game was the first, or at least one of the earliest games to utilize dual stick control scheme which has become a standard in modern gaming

I might have exaggerated when I said “the game was the first”. Medal of Honor does feature a preset that allows for one stick to move, and the other to move the camera if you have a Dualshock controller. There are probably earlier examples of these controls that I’m not aware of (also, I’m talking about double analog controls in the context of a first person shooter, I know Ape Escape exists). Anyway, I thought these controls worked pretty well. Of course, just aiming with the camera isn’t precise or advisable, since there’s no reticle. That’s where aiming mode comes in, press and hold the left stick to aim. The game is inspired quite a bit by Rare’s Goldeneye 007, and it shows. I thought standing still and aiming while taking shots would be detrimental, but it worked fine in the end, and you can lean slightly left or right if you tilt the pressed stick, although it’s more for aiming accuracy rather than dodging. There are “stealth” missions where you act as a spy, you’re required to “shoot” your documents to make people let you pass and to avoid suspicion, although some people of higher ranking can bust you. Failing doesn’t result in an instant failure and isn’t severe enough, which I’m thankful for, although it’s still better to be sneaky. I’m also thankful that there are only a three of these levels in the entire game.

There’s a decent variety of weapons, although your arsenal changes from mission to mission. In one level you get a sniper rifle, in the other, a rocket launcher. There are a few minor things I like about combat. For one, the enemies will actually try to use your grenades against you or just kick them out of the way. It’s satisfying to throw a grenade, then stun them with a regular shot so that the grenade explodes in their hand. Although, the AI isn’t always smart about them, as they can kick a grenade towards a wall, bouncing back at them. Another small touch I like, is that the helmets are actually protective. I thought it was a neat thing in Darkest of Days, but I discovered this game did it MUCH earlier. It’s a mechanic I don’t see very often in First Person Shooters (not that I’ve played that many). The difficulty is mostly smooth, there aren’t any checkpoints, but there are rarely moments of frustration when you lose, actually, some levels are pretty short. That being said, it does get pretty tough towards the end, which automatic rifle men tearing you apart in seconds, and rocket launcher enemies, colliding with a rocket is pretty much an instant death, which does feel a bit much.

The graphics are actually pretty nice, the characters are well animated, and there are plenty for being hit in different areas. The framerate is mostly steady, with rare instances where there are many enemies that slow down the game. The only issue I have with the presentation is the draw distance, it’s not very far. Usually, it’s not actually an issue, but it can be difficult to spot enemies, like in that mine level towards the end where you have an open area and a rocket guy on the bridge, whom you can’t see and pick from the distance. And they can just bamboozle you from bad eyesight. When zooming in using a sniper rifle, you can see the geometry popping in and it still doesn’t give you much of visibility. The music and sound effects are cinematic, which I guess is to be expected from a Steven Spielberg production. And I’m not complaining, it sounds unique.

Overall, I had a surprisingly good and fun time with Medal of Honor for the Playstation. I can call this game a classic, the dual stick controls work well, the presentation is nice, and the gameplay is enjoyable. If you’re a fan of first person shooters, and especially if you’re a fan of retro games, this first entry into popular series may surprise you.

Something I was struck by while playing this was how different the vibe is to later WWII games. There's an almost slight pulp feel to it. It's got that idealised exceptional lone soldier thing going on. Lt. Jimmy Patterson, best in his class, moving through Nazi bases like a fuckin' train.

No subtitles, so in the cool missions where you're undercover and have to secure and show ID to access different areas, all the Nazis are speaking in English with accents straight out of 'Allo 'Allo. Plus by that point you've gained some infamy for your deeds, which results in officers who don't recognise your papers asking a few suspicious questions before shouting "You're Jimmy Patterson!" and setting the alarms off. It's great. So daft.

It suffers a bit with some things due to its age. Enemy AI is pretty decent, but it has that thing where they just know your location, and corners don't really work like actual corners and can be shot through, so you're often hit by rounds from an enemy you simply can't see. The game can be BASTARD hard. No checkpoints, and it sometimes feels like enemies just spawn in behind you. I cannot imagine beating it with the default controls. I spent 20 minutes trying to remap my Vita controls to something resembling modern shooters before realising there's an in-game control scheme option that's extremely close. It just means that firing your guns remains on square. Not ideal, but it got the job done.

I wish WWII shooters would go back to this kinda style. There's a movie-like quality to it that's hard for an idiot like me to put into words. Not a war epic, but a wee adventure. Less "dude with hyper-real guts hanging out crying for his mum" and more "Eat lead, Fritz!".

https://twitter.com/NightmareModeGo/status/1525832960733233152

Honestly, pretty cool!

Didn't expect a PS1 first-person shooter from 1999 to hold up as well as it did. Controls are obviously outdated but beyond that, it's palatable to modern tastes. Genuinely fun level design and impressive audio/music. I love that enemies roll around on the floor and will try to throw your grenades back at you, although it kinda makes them unusable. Also gotta love William Sheppard's narration, adds a lot to the game!

What I don't love is some of the game's more outdated elements. Low render distance, super inaccurate hitboxes, and buggy AI. But honestly all that is part of the charm; not only is this a history game but it's of historical significance for the medium. Pretty neat to see one of the foundations for the modern military shooter.

Could certainly see myself bumping this up to a 7 after some more reflection!

Easily the best FPS for PS1, if only for its controls. I can't stand using shoulder buttons for strafing or not being able to strafe altogether, but that was the reality for nearly all PS1 shooters at the time. The Dualshock controller definitely improved the situation drastically, but only a few first-person shooters actually utilized it, and even out of those some had horrendous aiming sensitivity (e.g. Delta Force: Urban Warfare). In terms of controls, Medal of Honor is undoubtedly the best of its genre on the platform. That being said, it's still a FPS for PS1. For all the achievements of Medal of Honor, it is still heavily held back by its limitations. In 1999 we had System Shock 2, Unreal Tournament, AvP, Half-Life had come out a year prior and was already receiving expansions.

Medal of Honor has a solid core gameplay. Shooting is fun, but still a little imprecise, since you have to stand still to use the crosshair. It becomes pretty fun when you get an assault rifle. Levels are mostly very linear and tasks usually involve either shooting enemies or interacting with objects. One time I missed one of those and had to backtrack the entire level to its very beginning. That wasn't fun. Though the gameplay is solid, it is very bare-bones and gets repetitive pretty quickly. It's very small scale, so it consists mostly of shootouts with 1-3 enemies. You rarely get to see any spectacle or get involved in some interesting scenarios. But easily the single worst thing about this game is the lack of checkpoints. If you die, you have to replay the entire mission, and they're long af. Sometimes you fail a mission because you didn't quite understand what you were doing (the PS1 graphics don't make it easier), and that leads to a lot of frustration. A single mistake sets you back like 15 minutes or so. But this wouldn't be a huge deal if the game actually offered you anything special, but the truth is there is no reason to play this in 2022. It was surely one of the best games to have for your PS1 in 1999 if you didn't have a PC, but there's really nothing here that haven't been done better in other first-person shooters, even at the time.

Still I can't overlook the stellar presentation: graphics, music, the general vibe of the game. Combined with great controls, this becomes the first (and possibly only) candidate when you're looking to play an FPS on PS1. Though I imagine nobody actually uses the actual hardware anymore. For example, I played this on PS Vita, where I could just download Medal of Honor: Heroes, a much better game.

Estado puro de qualidade para época

Os controles de fato envelheceram mal, mas toda a estética e história por trás desse game, fazem ele merecer essa nota. Um jogo que nasceu de uma ideia de filme e contou com a mente de Steven Spielberg para ser produzido e se tornar o que se tornou... fantástico.

Na época esse era um dos melhores jogos de todos. Extremamente realista em todos os sentidos e dou o destaque para a construção de cenários e de áudio desse game que é impecável.

Não é longo e nem curto, possui o tamanho ideal para uma jogatina de um dia que, no final, vai te trazer diversão, imersão e, para alguns, como no meu caso, nostalgia.

I started playing this game with an open mind - as one should when playing a game that's almost as old as I am on the ps1, a console not exactly known for its smooth controls. It's a delicate balance between reviewing a game keeping the time it came out in mind, and understanding that we have different standards in the current year and discussing the game in that light. I came out of this game pleasantly surprised. It still holds up really well for a game made two and a half decades ago, on a very old console.
Controls: Before you start playing this game, you'll want to change the control scheme to the more modern one on offer. It's pretty much the same as more modern FPS control schemes, but with a few catches: you have to stand still to aim, and aiming does not aim down the sights. It shows a crosshair that moves across the screen, temporarily changing your game into an arcade style shooter. The aiming is more or less smooth, and the aim assist is somewhat decent, which allows you to face the gauntlet that you'll be up against in the later parts of the game. The weapon swap is also very much a product of its time. You have to swap through a roster of four or five weapons that you're given to get a single weapon that you want. This includes grenades, which don't have a dedicated button. This isn't too bad, unless you're out of ammo and the next weapon you have is a bazooka, and you instinctively fire it and blow yourself up in the process. This predates something like the GTA weapon wheel.
Enemy design: There are multiple enemy types on tap here: riflemen, who have helmets that allow them to survive most headshots once before the helmet falls off and requires you to kill them with a second headshot. Submachine gunners, which can be absolutely ridiculous when paired with the level design. They can melt your health bar very quickly because they have a tendency to bum rush you and corner camp behind doors, so you can lose your entire health bar in a second after walking through the door. Finally, we have the panzerschrek users. These guys completely ruin some of the later levels, because they hide in dark corridors. The last thing you'll see is a rocket propelling towards you, and all of your progress through the mission is obliterated. I absolutely despise these enemies, and the game would be better if they were nerfed or taken out altogether. Luckily, half the time they fire their weapons, they end up killing themselves by accident. The enemy AI is intelligent to an extent, they can take cover, dive down, roll around, and zoom up to you like a Fortnite zoomer with ADHD. They can also throw grenades, but, like the panzerschrek users, they mostly just end up throwing grenades and running into them. The death animations are pretty cool too, though they can be distracting in crucial points of the game.
Graphics: They look good for a ps1 game. The animations do too. The lighting, however, is absolutely abysmal. You can't modify the brightness in the game itself, so you'll have to change the brightness on your TV because some of these levels can be pitch black since they're set at night. The draw distance is not helped by this either.
Difficulty: The difficulty curve on this game looks like a heartbeat monitor belonging to a meth head with cardiac arrhythmia. One mission can be disgustingly brutal, and the next could be an absolute breeze. The final two missions are a hilarious example of this. The second to last mission is one of the hardest in the game, with panzerschrek users and submachine gunners hiding behind every corner, requiring a ton of trial and error. The problem is, you'd think the final mission would be one last challenge to send off the experience. It's not. If you tried to properly play the mission by using the turret in the beginning and killing all the enemies, you'll get absolutely destroyed. In this regard, it's the hardest level in the game. However, this is completely optional. It's the easiest level in the game when you just saunter past the gauntlet of enemies, kill a few scientists, and then launch the rocket. I was baffled at how easy it was to skirt the "final boss", but I'm not complaining because that last gauntlet would've been ridiculously hard to beat.
Level Design: You have to do objectives to get past the levels. If you don't, and try to leave the level before finishing the objectives, you'll have to restart the entire thing. Why they didn't just prevent you from walking through is beyond me. The objectives usually just involve blowing something up, picking up some papers, or killing a certain type of enemy. It's like Goldeneye but slightly dumbed down. I think it adds a good amount of depth to the game, because you keep your eyes peeled for the next objective and it lets you use your imagination to fill in the narrative blanks that are in the game due to its age. Some of the levels don't benefit from their age though, because many of the areas look exactly the same and loop within each other. Sometimes the only way to progress is through a grate near the floor that's covered entirely in darkness. There will be times when you're wandering around for a while. There are no mid-mission checkpoints either, which is a frustrating relic of the fifth and sixth generations of gaming. If you die, you're going back to the start. Luckily missions are fairly short.
Story: Almost nonexistent. You're Steven Spielberg's World War II fan-fic OC Jimmy Patterson, who is good at literally everything, from killing Natzees to theoretical physics. You go through a series of episodic missions, which have you sabotaging certain pieces of the German war machine, such as the V2 rocket or the D2O reserves for their atomic bombs in Norway. It's a very standard World War II game.
Overall, I would've docked it two points for this dated design, but it gets half a point because it keeps score of how many times you can shoot enemies in the dick. Sovl. If you don't mind some old jank, give this game a shot. It's pretty fun and memorable.