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  Preview: Medal of Honor (single player)
 
 
 You won't always be playing as a Tier-1 operative, a.k.a. "the scalpel," in EA's upcoming Medal of Honor  reboot. Last week, at an EA event, I got to see a portion of "the  sledgehammer" side of the single-player campaign. While this segment  stayed true to the core values that are defining EA's vision for the  game, one thing was clear: you can't always be the hero in this game.![[IMG]](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2010/07/medalhonornycprv1.jpg) 
 With the player and his squad pinned down by a Gatling gun atop a hill,  the situation called for a support effort, not heroics. While most games  would have you storming the hill against all odds, or finding a convenient way around, Medal of Honor approaches this situation quite differently. You have to accept that you're rather powerless.
 
 You're told that your best option is to simply lay down some suppressive  fire. I watched as the demonstrator stayed behind cover, peeking out  just enough to roughly spot the target. Then he fired away. While you  may not be scoring any kills doing this, you are providing a sufficient  enough distraction for your squadmates to plant charges underneath the  gunners and blow them to pieces.
 
 Seeing as how "modern warfare" was recently interpreted as "riding snowmobiles while dual-wielding Uzis," it's refreshing to see that EA's approach isn't obnoxiously bombastic.
 
 Medal of Honor's visuals haven't improved  significantly since I last saw the game several months ago. Once again,  the PS3 build was demoed and continues to be plagued with texture  "jaggies" common of Unreal Engine games on the platform. Still, there  were a few nice touches that I noticed, including some slick yet subtle  environmental damage. As the player focused his suppressive fire on the  Gatling gun, a cloth tent behind the weapon placement was shred to  pieces. By the end of the fight, it was nothing more than a few loose  strands flickering in the wind.
 
 One thing the game engine does particularly well is its rendering of sand -- and there's lots of sand in Medal of Honor.  Explosions spray sand into the air, and roaming dust clouds definitely  affect your vision. According to an EA producer, bringing the elements  into play is a major focus of the game design. At one point, as the  player attempted to traverse an alleyway that cut through the desert,  the reflection of the sun off of the sand was so blinding that you could  just possibly make out what could be enemy soldiers in the distance. Certainly, this is not a situation you'd want to be in real life.
 
 I continue to be impressed by the gameplay design and overarching ideas that are shaping the new Medal of Honor.  But until I can get the controller in my hands, I must remain  cautiously optimistic. We'll see if EA can execute its vision, and give Call of Duty some much-needed competition, when Medal of Honor is released this October.
 
 
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