Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 PSP Review

It’s pretty much the same game I played over a year ago, that’s certainly the impression I came away with after playing Medal of Honor Heroes 2. Just like it’s predecessors the game seems to tick all the right boxes and manages to come across as a capable shooter, but still there is next to nothing that screams ‘must buy’. It’s also a game that remains tied to the roots it set in the original, not really offering a huge amount to differentiate itself. On the other hand, it is still a good title, with an impressive amount of polish compared to many other PSP games, with a decent and at times exciting main campaign.

But as I was saying, gameplay still feels very familiar, with the same button layout on show, and the same double-tapping the analogue nub to run whilst not feeling very intuitive. Furthermore, the constant run and gun style gameplay is on show once again. Cover can be used, as there is loads of boxes and bits and pieces obviously placed throughout levels that scream “hide here” but they really don’t need to be taken advantage of to succeed. On the other hand the Germans will almost always use most of the cover available – running to it as soon as they see you – but they will always leave some body parts sticking out for you to tag, so pin point precision is never demanded. As for the missions themselves, they task you with completing primary objectives on each level to finish them, or continuing to beat secondary objectives if you want to get every penny’s worth from the game. Interestingly, seeing as you are part of a team, for the most part Heroes 2 is not a game that tries to make you feel like a Rambo type character, but the more you play the more you will notice a pattern as to how enemies react, thus meaning you can start to predict where they will run, what they will hide behind, and start shooting and picking them off before they get a chance to hide.

As for multiplayer the game once again impresses by offering multiplayer options for up to 32 players online and 8 players locally (the same as the last time). I can’t see myself spending too much time with this, but for the small amount it I played everything worked very well, with most of my sessions remaining relatively lag and bug free. However, the limitation of only six maps did feel very restrictive, and even though I only spent a short time with this part of the game it was something I thought could put a huge dent in the lifespan of the game’s multiplayer modes.

In terms of presentation there is a lot to like, as the game is one of the more technically impressive available on PSP. The levels are varied, with a nice selection of different locations on show to keep thing interesting. However, don’t go expecting any truly epic locations, as the PSP can’t quite handle the scope of Omaha beach. Instead, you are more or less propelled along a liner path, getting from A to B, then C, as you work your way through each of the seven levels on show. However, in some places the presentation leaves a lot to be desired, with many of the dead bodies disappearing off screen before they even hit the ground. Presumably this is done to free up processing power for the next wave, so I can see why it is there, but nevertheless it is still very off-putting. In saying that, the game is for the most part graphically impressive, and you’ll probably end up getting bored of the slightly repetitious nature of the gameplay well before the sheen of the eye candy wears thin.

So, in the end, if you are not already tired of the ludicrously high amount of WWII shooters available across numerous consoles, and you are still looking for that one last run in the trenches, then you could do a hell of a lot worse than pick the PSP release of Medal of Honor Heroes 2. It is not perfect, but if you are a fan of the genre there is certainly more to love about the game than there is to hate. All in all not only is the game a good WWII shooter; it is also a rather good FPS in its own right. If you are not bored of the genre you may end up liking it.

6 out of 10