First person shooters have never been a popular genre on consoles. GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark are two notable and well-received exceptions; often called "Rare shooters" because of the developer that created them.  In an effort to capitalize on the commercial success of GoldenEye, Electronic Arts published Medal of Honor on the PlayStation, which is loosely based on the movie,  "Saving Private Ryan." It is arguably the only first person shooter that comes close to the gameplay hallmark that Rare established with both GoldenEye and Perfect Dark.  Hot on the heels of the first game's success, EA and Dreamworks Interactive have released the sequel, less than a year after the first one hit stores.

Aptly titled Medal of Honor: Underground, this new game doesn’t follow the continued heroics of Jimmy Patterson from the first game but, instead, tells the story of Manon, the French Resistance agent that helped him out the first time around.  Taking place before the events of the first game, players take the role of Manon as she and others of the French Resistance fight a desperate struggle against Nazi tyranny in France and, later, her pivotal role with the OSS.  Although the characters and central story are works of fiction, the game still maintains a grip on reality because much of the events have a basis in history.  Instead of playing the part of an action hero based on a movie character, Manon is based upon the stories of real French Resistance agents that bravely fought against what they knew in their hearts to be wrong.

From a technical standpoint, the graphics engine in Medal of Honor: Underground is a real dog. Polygon breaks, a very short draw-in distance, the absence of any texture correction, shaky frame rate and low polygon counts are easily noticed.  It’s a game that, technology-wise, looks a few years past due.  Despite these shortcomings, Dreamworks Interactive has created a game that is quite pleasing to the eye due to the excellent artistry and texturing work.  Fighting through city streets in France or the barren desert in Africa, nothing feels out of place or misaligned.  Everything looks as it should, be it a battle-torn Europe or a blistering midday sandstorm. This is quite a feat considering that the engine could use a serious overhaul. 

Unlike the graphics, there is very little to complain about the sound effects. Much like the first game, Medal of Honor: Underground is a sound effects tour-de-force that has yet to be rivaled by any game on the PlayStation, much less other, newer consoles.  Aside from nearby sound effects like your gun firing, grenades blowing up or German solders who have been alerted to your presence, ambient sound effects such as distant airborne bomb runs, artillery fire, and nearby tanks sound absolutely superb in this game.  Nothing sounds canned but instead like it was recorded by professional Foley artists for a major motion picture.  This is quite a difference from most action games in which many identical sound effects are often shared between games. The sound work that went into Medal of Honor: Underground is a very welcome departure from the current norm.

Much like the sound effects, there’s not a whole lot to complain about regarding the music.  Instead of generic techno or rock music, Medal of Honor: Underground features orchestrated music that perfectly fits the era in which the game takes place.  If there is just one negative thing to say about the music, it’s that the developers didn’t add enough new tracks. A few songs from the first game have returned, unaltered, for this sequel.  Although there are new French themed songs that sound quite good, there just aren’t enough of them. 

Thankfully, the same gameplay that made the first Medal of Honor such a treat to play returns with a few bonus tweaks as well.  Players are not invited to only shoot guards on foot or behind checkpoints in an effort to complete various objectives but now will encounter motorcycles, half-tracks, and even tanks.  One thing to note, however, is that the enemies in Medal of Honor: Underground are not dumb. The scripted AI enemies will kneel to get a clean shot, roll around and sidestep to avoid fire and pick up grenades and throw them back at you. They’ll also lay down cover fire so their buddies can rush up and attack you and they'll use corners, barrels, and crates as cover.  This makes the game all the more fun since your enemies don't act like mindless zombies eager to get blown away. 

Much like the first title, Medal of Honor: Underground makes excellent use of the dual shock controller, inviting the player to use both analog sticks.  Players who are accustomed to the Turok or MDK control style might feel uncomfortable at first.  Instead of using the right analog to control foot movement and left analog to control head movement like similar FPS games, Underground is almost the exact opposite. It quickly becomes apparent however that the analog head and leg movement gives the game a distinct advantage over "Rare shooters" as far as control is concerned.  Because movement is entirely controlled by the analog sticks, this leaves additional functions such as jumping, ducking, reload, action, and aim mapped out on the buttons. After learning the controls to Medal of Honor: Underground other games almost feel limited in contrast. 

This isn’t to say that the gameplay is entirely flawless.  Occasionally, Manon can get stuck against corners or objects such as crates, which indicate that the collision detection needs some work.  A passage that looks like an easy fit might be tougher to navigate because of this. Also, occasionally when using the aim button, the bullet spread seems to drift slightly from where the cursor is actually pointing. Instead of shooting at the intended target where the crosshairs are, the bullet spread is shooting directly ahead at the center of the screen. Because both cases are occasional flaws and don’t occur constantly, they’re merely annoying flaws rather than huge gameplay deficiencies. 

Medal of Honor: Underground is a welcome sequel to the original, although the various changes seem more like updates rather than anything really new. The changes and updates are certainly welcome however.  This is a longer, tougher, and arguably more exciting game than the original.  If you found the original game to be an enjoyable and exciting title, buying this game is simply a no-brainer. However, if similar FPS titles like GoldenEye, Perfect Dark and the original Medal of Honor weren’t your cup of tea, this game doesn’t have anything that will change your mind. 

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