9 /10 1 Votes9
8.5/10 GameSpot Producer(s) Peter Hirschmann Writer(s) Peter Hirschmann Initial release date 31 October 1999 | 9.3/10 IGN 4.5/5 eBay Series Medal of Honor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Developers DICE Los Angeles, DreamWorks Interactive Similar Medal of Honor games, DICE Los Angeles games, First-person shooter games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal of Honor is a 1999 first-person shooter video game, developed by DreamWorks Interactive and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation. It is the first installment in the Medal of Honor video game series. The story was created by film director and producer Steven Spielberg.
Contents
Gameplay
In Medal of Honor, the player takes the role of the fictional Lieutenant Jimmy Patterson, a former C-47 Skytrain pilot in the Air Transport Command who was later recruited to the OSS. The game takes place near the end of World War II, (mid 1944-mid 1945). The goal of the game is to complete objectives, such as destroying enemy positions, and kill enemy German forces in the process.
The game also includes a split screen deathmatch mode, pitting two players against each other in various maps. Players can also unlock several secret characters after completing the game or through cheat codes, from notable historical figures such as Filipino patriot José Rizal, playwright William Shakespeare and even outlandish characters such as a German Shepherd dog and a Velociraptor with a The Lost World: Jurassic Park design.
Development
Development of the game started on November 11, 1997. Filmmaker Steven Spielberg held a meeting with DreamWorks Interactive staff, outlining an idea for a video game, a first-person shooter set during World War II. The idea originated from the experience his son Max had from playing the game GoldenEye and Spielberg's deep interest of World War II. The game was written and produced by Peter Hirschmann. Dale Dye served as the game's military advisor. Spielberg had previously worked with Dye on the film Saving Private Ryan.
Music
The music for the game was composed by film composer Michael Giacchino. Giacchino explained that in Medal of Honor, Jimmy Patterson was represented by two different major musical themes - the main Medal of Honor theme, and his own more personal theme which was used during the tougher moments of his journey." The music was recorded by a full orchestra.
Reception
The game received "critical acclaim" according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. This was due to critics praising its gameplay, graphics, enemy AI, level design and soundtrack.
In the final issue of the Official UK PlayStation Magazine, the game was chosen as the 8th best game of all time. IGN ranked the game #21 on their list of the "Top 25 Games of All Time" for the PlayStation console.