Classic World War II shooter Medal of Honor is often regarded as the game that kicked off the WWII FPS craze that still shows int he industry today. Although there were other military FPS games before Medal of Honor, none were as historically accurate or as innovative as the iconic first-person shooter.
The first few Medal of Honor titles featured incredible story modes that could have easily been adapted into major motion pictures. Legendary film director Stephen Spielberg wrote the script for the original game. Unfortunately, Medal of Honor became a shell of its former self as the market started evolving into modern times. While the franchise has grown stagnant in recent years, it left an everlasting mark on the FPS genre.
Before Medal of Honor, most World War II FPS games were works of fiction. Games like Wolfenstein took place during World War II but had a fictitious narrative, giving players a fun gaming experience without being historically accurate. While working on his Oscar-winning film Saving Private Ryan, Stephen Spielberg decided he wanted to make a historically accurate WWII game that would appeal to younger generations. He hoped the game would teach young gamers about the realities of WWII while entertaining them with fast-paced gameplay.
Spielberg pitched his idea to DreamWorks Interactive, but it was hesitant to agree to such an innovative concept. Many people thought the game would exploit the horrors of WWII, downplaying the atrocities of war and international conflict. The company was also concerned that the game would ultimately flop since most successful FPS games were sci-fi influenced and based in futuristic worlds. However, with Spielberg's name attached and his influence, DreamWorks greenlit the project.
Medal of Honor launched in late 1999 and quickly became a worldwide sensation. Critics in both North America and Europe sang its praise while gamers couldn't get enough of its exhilarating gameplay. A few sequels followed, making Medal of Honor one of the most dominant video game franchises in the industry. It seemed like nothing could stop Medal of Honor until a few key developers decided to leave to work on other projects.
After creating one of the best games in the Medal of Honor series, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, some developers left the company due to conflicting interests. They formed a new company, Infinity Ward, and signed an agreement with Activision. The newly formed team began developing a fresh military FPS dubbed the “Medal of Honor Killer,” which eventually became the Call of Duty franchise.
The original Call of Duty had everything gamers knew and loved from Medal of Honor with a few extra features and upgrades. The game took online multiplayer to the next level while giving players an amazing single-player campaign. After being on top of the video game industry for years, it appeared that Medal of Honor's reign as the king of military shooters was slowly coming to an end.
Medal of Honor had a hard time competing with Activision's new Call of Duty franchise. As Call of Duty started becoming the go-to military FPS on both PC and home consoles, Medal of Honor's quality started to decline. The iconic series struggled to keep up with the times and started to feel a bit dated compared to rival military FPS titles. Medal of Honor would eventually make its way into the modern era with later entries but still failed to capture mainstream appeal. After releasing a slew of disappointing titles in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the franchise fell dormant, allowing Call of Duty to rule the genre.
While Call of Duty played a huge role in Medal of Honor's unfortunate demise, it wasn't the sole reason the series fell from grace. Lack of innovation and failure to adapt to current gaming trends also contributed to Medal of Honor's downfall. The legendary franchise always seemed one step behind Call of Duty. It's a shame to see such an amazing franchise go out in such a pitiful way. Hopefully, the upcoming Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond can rejuvenate the series while staying true to its original format. Although Call of Duty is now considered the most successful FPS series of all time, it wouldn't be where it is today without Medal of Honor.