It was always only going to be one, wasn't it? Released all the way back in 2002, the player takes the role of Lt. Jimmy Patterson, an American OSS operative. Patterson is first tasked with landing with Allied forces as part of Operation Overlord, and to then try and disrupt Nazi U-boat production in France. However, the secret development of a jet fighter instead leads our protagonist on a mission across Holland and Germany to dismantle the potential turning point of the war. Frontline received high praise upon its release. GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 2 version 86.67% and 88/100, the Xbox version 78.59% and 81/100 and the GameCube version 78.58% and 80/100. The games score especially received a lot of fanfare. In his review for IGN, Kaiser Hwang wrote: "Composed by Michael Giacchino and performed by the NorthWest Symphonia, the game's score is outstanding.....the sound effects are also of a very high caliber". There are a plethora of reasons this is the best game of the Medal of Honor series. Each individual mission sticks out as a highlight, from the Saving Private Ryan-style opener, to the final boss battle behind German lines. A level that especially sticks out is "Arnhem Knights", where the haunting soundtrack provides the perfect backdrop to the hopelessness of the British forces' resistance. Also, considering the game was released in the time of cheat codes, there was massive fun to be had with perks like "Rubber Grenades" and the classic "Men in Hats". In 2010, a remastered edition of the game was released as a bonus along with the newest entry to the franchise. It says a lot that replaying this simply fantastic piece of work was a far bigger draw than the main game. Feel free to give your own opinion on the best and worst of the series in the comments!
A keen observer of gaming, television, film and football from the distant outpost of Ireland, Shane is studying Sports and Fitness and dreams of joining the Irish Army. Yes, that really does exist.
