Medal of Honor: Frontline (2002)

This is a cinematic World War II first-person shooter that puts you in the boots of Lt. Jimmy Patterson, an OSS operative behind enemy lines. The game kicks off with a memorable D-Day beach landing and delivers a mix of stealth, sabotage, and full-on firefights across Europe, and this was one of the most iconic first levels of any video-game in history, which was replicated on other games because of it's popularity.

Its orchestral score by Michael Giacchino and detailed environments help create an immersive wartime atmosphere, though the AI and controls feel a bit clunky by modern standards. Despite technical limitations, it stands out as a classic of the era, blending Hollywood-style storytelling with solid, mission-based gameplay. A must-play for fans of early 2000s shooters, and at the end of the day this is a very good improvement compared to the PlayStation 1 entries, improving upon every aspect.

Level variety is another strong point, moving confidently from large-scale set pieces to more intimate infiltration missions that reward patience and observation. Whether you’re sabotaging U-boat pens, sneaking through snowy villages, or engaging in intense interior shootouts, this game maintains a sense of progression. The mission-based structure keeps the pacing tight, and while enemy behavior can be predictable, the scenarios themselves remain engaging thanks to smart level design and clear objectives.

From a historical-fiction perspective, the game strikes a balance between authenticity and spectacle. It doesn’t aim to be a strict simulation, but it respects its subject matter by grounding its action in recognizable wartime locations and themes. The presentation, paired with some amazing OST, gives the experience a sense of scale and emotional weight that was rare at the time. Even today, it’s easy to see why this title helped define cinematic shooters on consoles and left a lasting mark on the genre.

I like this game because it is one of the first FPS games I ever played. I have a ton of nostalgia for the DDay mission at the start of the game and the next mission, where you hijack a submarine. After that... the game got pretty monotonous and didn't exactly captivate me.

The controls work well and the mission system is actually something I prefer over modern FPS campaigns (which hardly exist anymore). I like that there are a bunch of objectives that need to be completed before you can actually finish the level and this had me paying much more attention to the story than I otherwise would have. The issue is that I was forced to do some pretty heavy backtracking at times because I missed certain things.

This game is HARD. I had forgotten about the days where a death brought you back to the beginning of a level and that is brutal punishment. To exacerbate this, some of the later levels are long, have few health items, and enemies become more accurate than they were in the starting levels. I don't think its too brutal, but its more of a marathon of difficulty than playing games like Halo 3 on legendary or COD on veteran difficulties. Over there, you need to play small sections perfectly and then you get to move on. Here, you need to play a whole 20-30 minute level ALMOST perfectly, while managing your health.

Health does not auto-regenerate here... and it also does not regenerate between levels. It may be prudent to get to the end of a level and do some backtracking to see if there are some unused health items lying around. You will need all the help you can get on the next one.

Honestly, I had a really fun time playing this game... but I can't be sure if that's because I finally got around to beating a game that I have enjoyed for 20 years or if that's because the game was actually good. I think the first 2 missions (6 levels) are fantastic and worth playing. After that... play if you really want to.

This game is like 3.5 stars to me... but I honestly think that it is objectively worse. For the sake of objectivity I will rate it as 3 here.

Finally, I have this game for both the PS2 and the Xbox. Play the Xbox version if you have both systems. The game feels slightly smoother and better on the Xbox.

Medal of Honor: Frontline for the Playstation2 is an excellent shooter. Its controls and gameplay may not have aged well, but the story, level design, sound design and the absolutely fantastic soundtrack makes this an all time great title, and many MoH fans' favourite in the entire series.

Personally I have very fond memories of this game, and I still listen to the soundtrack every now and then. (it's on Spotify!) A remaster or remake of Frontline would be fantastic, as it's one of the best FPS's I've ever played, and one that I'll remember forever.

video game. And it came out just a couple years after Saving Private Ryan AND Band of Brothers. Yeah, we were all kind of going through a WWII phase at the time.

A lot of games going for a “realistic” art-style in this generation ended up largely existing in the color spectrum of brown and grey, and WWII first-person-shooters may have had it the worst. They were just the brownest, greyest game you ever saw.

Crazy to think that real people - people who were still alive at the time of this game’s release - actually experienced these battles. To have this insanely traumatic thing you experienced be made into a video game… that must be pretty weird right?