Medal of Honor Rising Sun

🎮 PlayStation 2 ⏳ 10 hours ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)

A Cinematic Pacific War #

MoH: Rising Sun is a PS2 FPS set during World War II in the Pacific theater, which at the time was not a very explored topic, even though WWII was not an uncommon subject in shooters. The game starts strong with an intense recreation of the Pearl Harbor attack, delivering cinematic action and dramatic set-pieces that were impressive for its time, which was a trait of this franchise since the first title, though now we got a much more technologically powerful platform to work with, compared to the PS1.

Inconsistent Yet Memorable #

However, after the opening, the gameplay becomes inconsistent, the AI is often clumsy, and the level design ranges from exciting to frustratingly linear. The controls and aiming feel a bit clunky compared to other shooters of that era, and at the time this was excusable since using both analog sticks was not a very common thing. Despite these flaws, the game features a solid soundtrack, which was a standout since it brings a lot of value to the cinematic aspects of the franchise, and offers a cooperative split-screen mode, which was a fun extra.