Description

Right up there with Call of Duty among the most well-known of military genre games – and certainly one of the most definitive first-person shooter series on PlayStation consoles – the Medal of Honor franchise from Electronic Arts is known for its cinematic World War II storylines, engaging action and original scores. The fifth game in the series, which has also seen titles for the PSP, Xbox, and Xbox 360, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun was released by EA Games for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) in 2003.

Marking a thematic departure from previous games in the series, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun for the PS2 is set during the Pacific War and casts the player in the role of U.S. Marine Joseph Griffin as he battles against the Japanese expansion efforts among the Pacific Islands. The game allows players to experience iconic real-life battles like Pearl Harbor and Guadalcanal across a number of missions, which also include blowing up the bridge over the River Kwai and rescuing prisoners of war in the Philippines.

Medal of Honor: Rising Sun was the first game in the series to combine a full range of World War II armies in a single storyline, featuring American, Japanese and British forces, as well as troops from Germany and Russia. Starting aboard the USS California stationed at Pearl Harbor at the time of the Japanese invasion, the game progresses through the second wave of Japanese pilots in the second level before moving on to the Calumpit in the Philippines to destroy a strategic crossing and look for the protagonist’s brother Donnie. A stint in the Japanese jungle follows, with subsequent levels taking in such locales as the Guadalcanal, Singapore, Burma, and the open sea. Missions can be played either alone in the main single player mode or in two-player co-operative mode, with the exception of the concluding Supercarrier Sabotage mission.

In two-player co-op mode, players can respawn throughout the mission long as the other is still alive. The game comprises a range of maps with weather effects to really immerse the player in the environment, a key feature of the game. Medal of Honor: Rising Sun also features 20 World War II weapons. These include both American-made and Japanese-made guns. Also look out for Japanese katana swords (wielded only by enemy troops) and usable machine guns mounted on the backs of elephants, alligators and other exotic wildlife. Open-ended gameplay is among the most popular features of this title, allowing players to come up with original ways and multiple approaches to take down their enemies, either alone or with the support of a military squad.

Medal of Honor: Rising Sun also introduced a reward system and unlockable features. There are two options for multiplayer gaming: Deathmatch (every player for themselves) and Team Deathmatch (team-based combat). Medal of Honor: Rising Sun is notable for being the first ever Medal of Honor game to feature sophisticated AI in computer-controlled bots for multiplayer game modes. Medal of Honor: Rising Sun gained a strong following for its multiplayer mode from its release date until closure of the online service in 2007. Like many other games in the critically-acclaimed series, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun for the PlayStation 2 is set to an immersive soundtrack. Combined with its fast-paced action, immersive mission objectives, varied cheats, and evocative environments, the game is a solid installment in this video games franchise.

Product Identifiers

Key Features

Tech Details