Medal of Honor was one of the best first person shooters to ever grace the PlayStation. It provided great audio with realistic (for the time) visuals that was the recipe for instant success. Now Xbox gamers are treated to the third installment in the much-heralded series in the form of a PS2 port. While the title does provide the best WWII gaming experience on the Xbox, it doesn’t quite match the quality of 1st person shooters such as Halo, Ghost Recon or TimeSplitters 2.

Graphically, Frontline is a PS2 port, plain and simple. Yes, the framerate is better than it was on the PS2, but that’s where the difference ends. Why oh why won’t EA take advantage of the Xbox’s advanced hardware? They repeatedly develop games for the PS2, only to port them over to the GameCube and Xbox platforms without taking advantage of each individual system’s strengths. It may be smart business by EA to concentrate on the system with the bigger user base, but it certainly isn’t making them popular with the several million Xbox owners out there. *steps off soapbox* Anyway, the graphics are poor by Xbox standards and actually detract from the game’s WWII atmosphere. It’s hard to stay immersed when you see textures that are so blurry you can’t even tell what they are.

Thankfully, the game’s audio quality is top-notch. Gunfire, bullets whizzing by and other battle sound effects seem to have been lifted straight out of the film Saving Private Ryan. The voice acting for both the Allied and Nazi soldiers is superb and helps make up for the dated visuals. It wouldn’t be a stretch to place the audio presentation in Frontline as one of the best on the Xbox.

The gameplay is pretty standard first person shooter fare. The dual sticks are used in a Halo-like set-up to control moving and firing, but can be configured to a Goldeneye style if the gamer is so inclined. One of the bigger weaknesses in the game is the linear quality of the missions. The game often feels way too cinematic. The developers never make you think as you progress through the levels, they essentially force you to go in one direction until the end. This seriously detracts from the realism in the game. Even in levels that take place in war-torn cities, the developers just made 95% of the doors ”painted-on.” How is the gamer supposed to stay immersed when every door to every house is just for show? Another big detraction in the realism is the fact that your squad mates cannot die. On the opening level you watch many of the allied troops die, but their deaths are all scripted. On missions where you actually escort fellow soldiers they can be shot an infinite amount of times (by you or the enemy) and they will just fall down and get back up. EA should have taken notes from the way Bungie handled the marines in Halo.

Since the game is so scripted, the replay value drops quite a bit. It’s like watching the same movie over and over again. You eventually just get tired of it. There are some things to keep the gamer coming back for more. Gold stars as well as medals can be earned by killing a high percentage of enemies and finishing the mission with over 75% life. The multiplayer is actually entertaining with four people, but the slow pace and bland graphics may hinder many’s enjoyment. The multiplayer levels are just sectioned off portions of the main mission levels, therefore are not really built with multiplayer in mind. No Live or system link also hinders replayability.

Medal of Honor: Frontline is a solid first person shooter, but it suffers from lack of freedom and dated, PS2 graphics. The game’s strong point is the presentation, which is very polished and effectively immerses the player into the WWII atmosphere. The audio quality is especially impressive. Gunshots, grenade explosions and other battle ambiance sound like they were taken straight out of Saving Private Ryan. Unfortunately, the graphics are poor by Xbox standards and actually detract from the game experience. Another issue with the game is a general lack of freedom. Missions are played through in an extremely linear fashion and that takes away from the game’s realism. The multiplayer adds to the longevity, but feels slightly rushed. Overall, Medal of Honor: Frontline is an entertaining game that tries hard to be a realistic WWII shooter, but comes up a bit short.