Medal of Honor: Airborne
   
I’ve always had a fondness for Second World War video games.   

Anything Second World War-related like Return to Castle Wolfenstein or Company of Heroes catches my eye and I just have to play it. I prefer the First Person Shooters (FPS) but the occasional Real Time Strategy (RTS) game will find its way onto my shelf.

 Recently Medal of Honor: Airborne for the XBOX 360 came into my possession and I have had the opportunity to get some play time in.

Like the other Medal of Honor games, Airborne takes place in Second World War settings and uses authentic weaponry and vehicles. You play a paratrooper being sent straight into the thick of action. Each stage features you being inserted into the battle by parachute. You can guide the chute to a certain degree, which allows you to determine what part of the game map you will land on. This is a cool feature that attempts to mitigate the linear style of play Medal of Honor is so famous for.

Before Medal of Honor fans kill me for using the term “linear,” let me explain. Medal of Honor is famous for giving the player a very limited number of options to go on a level. Oftentimes (and Airborne is no exception) you will find a 2-foot-high wall that you should easily be able to jump over but the game places an invisible wall over the obstacle and you are forced to go around. The game forces you to use the preset paths the designers have made.

This is both good and bad. I like to be able to plan out an attack and execute it from whatever direction I choose.  In Medal of Honor you’ll often find the only path available to you is straight up the middle, with no real strategy available to you. The parachute insertion helps you choose where on the map you’ll start off, but you’ll quickly find yourself funnelled into predetermined paths.

The game looks fantastic and the sound is incredible. This is easily one of the best-looking Second World War games out there. The action is fast-paced and will leave your heart pounding. Despite the linear style of play, the game was still fun.  

I’d rent this one and check it out before laying down the money for a full purchase. The problem with linear games is once you’ve played it once you’ve learned all the surprises it has to offer...