After playing through both excellent Call of Duties on the 360 and trying out the awful Hour of Victory recently, reviewing Medal of Honour Airborne is like coming full-circle to where it all started. I was hoping I would be blown away with a great new game play mechanic but ultimately, this one feels very similar to the previous titles apart from the fact that at the start of each level you come falling through the skies like the old Pilotwings game on the SNES, the difference being you get shot at and if you miss the green flares indicating safe zones, you’ll be surrounded by Nazis before you can say ‘Ouch, that was a rough landing, can I try that again’?
You play a private in the 82nd Airborne Division as you fight through Europe, beginning in Sicily, then working your way through Italy and eventually in Nazi Germany fighting the Axis war machine. Once you land it’s the usual follow your objective via the star on the compass at the bottom of the screen, fight with you troops by finding cover, shooting and lobbing grenades, and taking part in some fun set pieces that sometimes make the stress levels rise higher than the plane you’ve just jumped out of.
It’s this part of the game that decides how you play a mission. You really can land anywhere. Land on a roof and you can snipe enemies from above to make a clear path for your comrades, or you can land behind enemy lines and take the m by surprise if you want to go a bit Rambo.
If you just can’t get enough of the 1940s then you’ll want this game too. Personally, I can’t wait for Call of Duty 4 to bring things into the modern era. It’s good, but for me, not good enough. 6 out of 10.
