Medal of Honor not a Propaganda Title, Not Competing with Battlefield

EALA is working on the reboot of the Medal of Honor series at the moment, called Medal of Honor. This isn't to be confused with the first game from 1999, seeing as this isn’t set in WW II, but in the Middle East… in Afghanistan.

As one can imagine, this is slightly dodgy to say the least, seeing as Six Days in Fallujah was pretty much shut down for failure to secure a publisher because of the content.

EA is avoiding politics, and insists that this isn’t some sort of title that’s meant for recruitment or to focus on the the causes of the war, but the people, the soldier fighting there.

Sean Decker:

“I think, again, it was trying to stay out of all the politics. There's been a lot of really good movies – the Gotham Awards just came out and Hurt Locker was the top one. It has nothing to do with the war in Iraq and why it started, or anything else – it's just about the men on the ground, what they go through on a day-to-day basis, and their emotions."

“It's not going to be a big propaganda piece where we wave the flag, or anything like that. It's literally about the people that are on the ground.”

                    Medal of Honor                             Battlefield: Bad Company 2

In another story, Medal of Honor and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 are not competing in any way [1]. They share the same publisher in EA, and BC 2’s developers, DICE, are even working on Medal of Honor’s multiplayer, using their own Frostbite engine instead of the Unreal Engine 3 like the singleplayer.

Medal of Honor should be out in 2010, more or less in Q3, July to September somewhere, and it will be available on the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

----

Source: [1] IncGamers

Medal of Honor not a Propaganda Title, Not Competing with Battlefield

Medal of Honor: Two Developers, Two Engines

So we’ve all known for some time that Medal of Honor will be essentially two different games. The singleplayer will be handled by EALA (EA Los Angeles), and the multiplayer will be done by DICE, the traditional Battlefield guys.

But it’s now been revealed that the two separate parts of the game will use different engines. The singleplayer will use the Unreal Engine 3, and the multiplayer will use the Frostbite engine, also used in Battlefield: Bad Company 2. You could argue that this is due to familiarity, but keep in mind that Mirror’s Edge, developed by DICE, used Unreal Engine 3.

Okay, so some say it stole the idea of taking place in the Middle East from Modern Warfare, but this may be the game that Modern Warfare 2 should have been. It’s either this, or Bad Company 2. One of them has to be. Unless the new Call of Duty makes its presence known this year, and it probably will, as history dictates.

----

Source: That Videogame Blog - Big Download

Medal of Honor: Two Developers, Two Engines

Mirror’s Edge Coming to iPhone, MIrror’s Edge Sequel

It’s been revealed lately that the parkour (free running) game of 2008 called Mirror’s Edge is coming to the iPhone.

Details of a sequel, Mirror’s Edge 2,  along with Battlefield 3, was leaked on a lighting artist’s profile the other day as well, and since then EA has decided to come out and talk about it openly, originally in an interview with Kotaku.

They’re saying that the game deserves a sequel. It’s just where they are taking it in terms of direction that is the main issue right now.

I didn’t mind Mirror’s Edge. I played it for a while, and at first it felt fresh, new – but after a few hours it became increasingly frustrating and difficult. The fact that Faith, the main protagonist, didn’t have a gun of any sort spoiled it, even though it was the intention of the developers to not focus on guns. It was originally planned that she would have a sidearm, but that was taken out in the final release. Of course you could snatch guns from enemies and such, if they didn’t kill you before you were able to get up close to them first.

Maybe in the sequel they should give you the option of whether or not you have a gun on you depending on the difficulty. I think FPS titles without guns are still far from being accepted. Proof of this was that Mirror’s Edge, although a bold concept, and despite doing well in reviews, still failed sales wise last year.

----

Mirror's Edge announced... for iPhone

DICE lighting artist lists Mirror's Edge 2 on portfolio

EA CEO: Mirror's Edge "Deserves To Come Back," Design At Crossroads

Mirror’s Edge Coming to iPhone, MIrror’s Edge Sequel

New Medal of Honor Title Coming Next Year

Yes, we all new this was happening. The rumours have been around for about a year now. But now it’s been officially unveiled by EA, and there are some more details to go on.

Okay, so it’s true that the series is finally leaving World War II, and moving in to new, or rather, modern territory. The title is just being called Medal of Honor - there doesn’t seem to be any subtitle or anything, seeing as this will be a reboot of the series. So don’t confuse it with the original Medal of Honor, released ten years ago, in 1999. And yes, it is Honor without the “u”, since it’s American.

Medal of Honor will take place in Afghanistan, no doubt during the Second Gulf War which has been going on for the last several years, and which the recently released Modern Warfare 2 only touched upon briefly in the beginning of the singleplayer campaign. In the game you will take on the role of a Tier One Operator, one of the most elite Special Ops units there is, ordered around directly by the NCA (National Command Authority, AKA Mr President, and the Secretary of Defence. EALA says they are working alongside these troops to create a realistic, believable gaming experience.

From the Official Press Release:

“When we first set out to reinvent Medal of Honor, we wanted to stay true to its roots of authenticity and respect for the soldier but bring it into today’s war. The Tier 1 Operator is the most disciplined, deliberate and prepared warrior on the battlefield.  He is a living, breathing, precision instrument of war.” said Greg Goodrich, Executive Producer, Medal of Honor. “We are honored to have the rare opportunity to work closely with these men to create a game that shares their experience.”

“EA has always been an advocate for telling the soldiers’ story. The new Medal of Honor follows that tradition. We felt it was important to tell the story of today’s war and today’s elite soldiers via today’s most relevant medium – videogames,” said Sean Decker, VP and General Manager of EALA. “We are so proud to bring together two powerhouse development teams to make this game a reality; EA Los Angeles and EA DICE. Medal of Honor promises to be an unforgettable entry in the modern shooter genre.”

The singleplayer is being developed by EA Los Angeles, and the multiplayer is being taken care of by DICE, the Battlefield guys. So, this should be one hell of a game, hopefully. Medal of Honor has always been known for its great SP campaigns, well perhaps not in the last few years, and it seems there will be no tacked on multiplayer in this one. Having separate developers on a game is nothing new, but of this calibre is quite impressive.

Medal of Honor will be released in 2010 on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

----

New Medal of Honor Revealed, Delivers Modern Afghanistan Warfare and DICE Multiplayer

http://www.medalofhonor.com/

http://www.medalofhonor.com/en_US/news/2009/12/press-release

New Medal of Honor Title Coming Next Year