Filed under: Medal of Honor

Will Medal of Honor Heroes 2 become the best FPS on PSP? To be honest, that's not a very difficult task to accomplish. The system has struggled to get a decent FPS game on it, as many developers have long forgotten how to make a game of that genre without a second analog stick. Developers are slowly learning, and as Medal of Honor Heroes 2 proves, they may have finally nailed it on the head.

The original Medal of Honor Heroes was an impressive technological showcase for the PSP platform, and its sequel is no different. The graphics are noticeably better than the original's, although there's still some way to go before this looks as good as a PS2 game. The controls also feel tighter, letting you easily move around the environment and fight enemies. Using the analog stick for movement and the face buttons for aiming is fairly traditional PSP FPS fare. However, the aim-assist has been reduced, making for a better, skill-based game. Using L to zoom in and fine-tune your aim works well. Even better, running up to a barricade, taking cover, and then peeking out to take a shot. The controls are intuitive, and easy to pick up.

A majority of the complaints for the PSP original involved the slow pace of the game, and unimpressive AI. Well, you still move at a snail's pace [Update: There is a run functionality that we didn't discover. It's there, though.], but there's a lot more action on screen this time around. Enemies still don't have advanced attack patterns, but they come in good waves, ensuring the action never slows down. With far improved graphics, tighter controls, and better presentation, Heroes 2 is a much better game. While we didn't get a chance to play it, the 32 player online multiplayer is still the franchise's biggest selling point -- something we'd love to get our hands-on soon.

Gamespot UK has a new batch of Medal of Honor Heroes 2 screenshots showing off the standard WWII action the series is known for. The screens look pretty darn good for a PSP game, though the resolution they were released at is a little suspicious. Whenever a company releases screenshots at a much higher resolution than the system is capable of, its hard to tell if they're legitimate images or just another example of a 'bullshot'.

The retail release calendar has accidentally revealed a new title yet again. This time, it's a sequel to one of the better FPS games on the system, Medal of Honor Heroes. The aptly titled Medal of Honor Heroes 2 listing on EB Games contains no other information, but we think it's safe to assume that the sequel will feature the same massive online battles that the original had.

[Via IGN]

You've played the brief, but fun Medal of Honor demo, right? Well, if five minutes of gameplay just isn't enough for you, you'll want to check out this sweet deal at Target. You can get this WWII FPS for only $20. Other stores still have it listed for $40, so this might be the cheapest way to enjoy Medal of Honor's insane 32-player multiplayer modes.

[Thanks, Preacher747!]

We told you new demos were coming soon. Who knew they'd come out this soon? EA's critically acclaimed FPS is now available for you to try out.

1. Download the demo ZIP file.
2. Extract the contents of the ZIP file.
3. Connect your PSP to your computer using a USB cable.
4. Go to the PSP/GAME folder.
5. Copy ULED90008 folder into directory.

Check out our new demos site:
demos.pspfanboy.com

If you live near Alameda, CA, you may want to check out GamePro's Medal of Honor: Heroes tournament. You don't need to have a copy of this well-reviewed PSP-exclusive WWII FPS, but you do need to bring your system. All participants will get a free copy of the game and a t-shirt, making this event totally worth your time. If you're able to survive the 32-player multiplayer matches, and make it to the end of the tournament, you'll find yourself winning a subscription to GamePro (boo!), Shure E2-cn earphones (yay!), and more. If you're interested, head over to the registration page.

You think that having massive thirty-two player multiplayer Infrastructure battles would give Medal of Honor Heroes higher marks, but critics these days... they're hard to appease. While the game isn't poorly reviewed by any means, it hasn't been glowingly reviewed, either. Maybe WWII games are becoming a bit too stale and familiar? Maybe the analog nub wore out the critics? Let's find out:

• IGN (84/100) loved the game enough to ignore most of its flaws: "Heroes has set a new standard for portable first-person shooters. It has a number of issues, a few of which can irritate quite a bit, but when put into perspective they all seem rather small. It says a lot about a game when its highpoints do a great job of excusing, maybe even hiding its blemishes."
• Gamespot (73/100) hopes you like playing online: "If it had more depth, Medal of Honor Heroes would be a great game. No matter how you shake it, with a single-player story that's just four hours long, the game's over far too quickly."
• Game Informer (64/100) thinks we've killed enough Nazis: "Everything about Heroes feels like a rehash of old concepts, even if this is effectively a new game. As a full-on PSP FPS that manages to work and control moderately well, that may be enough to satisfy some players. The rest of us, meanwhile, are going to feel like we've seen this game a hundred times before, and not only are we ready for something new, but we've played that something new in the form of other, better titles."

It does seem like EA has crafted quite a technical achievement with Heroes, especially in multiplayer. But I agree with Game Informer: I'm done with WWII shooters. And players that skip out of the multiplayer experience will certainly feel burned by such a short single-player campaign. But, it looks like anyone looking for some solid FPS multiplayer action on the PSP will have to look no further. The game is now available in stores.

Those jerks at IGN think they're all fancy, being allowed to play the upcoming PSP-exclusive Medal of Honor's massive 32-player Infrastructure multiplayer mode. Here's what they had to say:

"It actually runs well with the maximum number of people playing. EA hosted a 32 player deathmatch event for members of the press recently to prove just that. The process of signing in and getting started is simple and relatively pain free."

Unfair. I wanted to be part of their party too! Well, it looks like us gamers have a lot to look forward to. According to IGN, the game featured a respectable framerate and very little lag, even with 30+ players in the match. The server did fail once during the test, so hopefully, EA will be able to work out all the kinks before the game ships in less than two weeks.

IGN has a huge blow-out on the upcoming PSP Medal of Honor Heroes. They have one written-by-a-marketing-team write-up that features profiles of the in-game characters: Generic McAmerican, Jimmy Paterson, William Holt and John Baker. Snore... The other is an interview with the game's producer, Peter Choi. It very similar to a previous interview, but it's great to know that he understands some of the things PSP fans are looking for from a game:

• 32 player online (Infrastructure) multiplayer. I can't stress enough how awesome that sounds.
• "The game is also optimized to have very short load times, which is hugely important for gamers on-the-go." (Yes!)
• "User Hosted Server feature along with official EA Nation Server games, are both fully customizable and have very detailed leaderboards and stat tracking." (Yes!)

If all that hype wasn't enough for you, then you might want to check out the newest trailer for the game. It looks a lot like the previous videos, but with even sharper, prettier graphics.

Gamespot has gone absolutely bonkers with video coverage of the upcoming PSP-exclusive Medal of Honor Heroes. There is impressive gameplay footage of multiplayer battles (which will support up to 32 players!), and a video interview. The Gamespot preview is absolutely glowing for the game, which gets me pretty excited: "Heroes is shaping up to be as fully featured a Medal of Honor game as you could want on the PSP, with visuals that come close to the PlayStation 2 installments in the series."

Yesterday, we rushed to show you the first ever video footage from the newly announced PSP-exclusive Medal of Honor: Heroes. As some intelligent people on the internet pointed out, 32 player multiplayer wouldn't be possible over ad-hoc... and they were right. Peter Choi, producer at EA, was grilled by Gamespot about the new game and here are a few of the juicier questions:

GS: How did you approach the multiplayer modes in the game? Will they offer both ad hoc and infrastructure connectivity?

PC: Multiplayer is one of the most exciting features of Heroes. We have 32-player infrastructure support with continuous joining so players can simply pick a server and jump in anytime. There are 15 different maps and six different multiplayer game modes, which are mostly team based. We also have a new innovation on the PSP that allows players to download a user-hosted server to their own PCs and run their own dedicated servers. Both user-hosted servers and EA Nation server games are fully customizable, and we have very detailed leaderboards and stat-tracking. Players can also play all these multiplayer game modes and maps with up to eight of their friends in a local ad hoc multiplayer game.

Gamespot's On the Spot recently showcased an exclusive preview of Medal of Honor: Heroes, an upcoming PSP game which Peter Dille accidentally revealed during an interview a few weeks ago. Thankfully, the power of YouTube has given those of us that missed the show a chance to rewatch this amazing trailer. There will be "all new adventures" across "12 new European battlefields." Even more excitingly, there will be 32 player multiplayer, and as -Xenofreak- from the IGN Boards has pointed out, the PSP is capable of only 16-player Ad-Hoc. What does that seem to suggest? Yes, it looks like there might be 32 player ONLINE multiplayer! The game is set to hit in Fall, so the wait won't be too hard.

Tech File has an interesting, but not too revealing, interview with Peter Dille, senior vice present of marketing at SCEA. Surprisingly, it's about the PSP (and not the impending PS3). Dille tactfully answered the hardballed questions. On the state of UMD movies, it appears that Sony's not giving up yet. He says: "We are committed to helping the studios better understand our product and our consumer, and will continue to educate them as we evolve and enhance the functionality of the PSP." Apparently, it's the studios' fault for not understanding what consumers want. I'd have to agree: Hitch, anyone? (note: Hitch was released by Columbia, owned by Sony Pictures.)

When asked about third party support and getting original games for the PSP, Dille had this to say: "Smart third parties also recognize the great success achieved with games tailored from the ground up for the PSP." Yes, smart publishers understand that we don't want ports. Hopefully, the industry is getting smarter. Finally, on why the DS is getting all the love these days, Dille had this to say: "One key finding in our market research is that many consumers don't understand everything the PSP can do. So starting this summer, we're embarking on a major marketing campaign to educate consumers about the multi-functionality of the PSP beyond gaming." I know that I'm intrigued by what this marketing campaign is going to look like, so stay tuned.

Feel free to read more of Dille's wise words here.

[Update 1: Those of you that have better reading skills than I do have noticed that Dille announced a PSP version of Medal of Honor. For some reason, I just assumed that we already were getting one.]