Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond offers a fun and lengthy single player campaign with lots of replayability alongside a full featured suite of multiplayer modes. I did, however, find the general tone to be somewhat at odds with the respectful presentation, lacking a connection with real history and feeling more like a Wolfenstein game at times. There are also some issues still to be patched, which Respawn are working on, and the multiplayer lacks players right now. Overall, this is a tour of duty that is rewarding but not essential.

For everything I loved about Medal of Honor Above and Beyond, there was always something to be heartbroken by.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

Above and Beyond has some great moments, but also some very frustrating ones. It’s a fun experience and even with is flaws it’s a good choice if you just want a solid shooter in VR.

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond isn't the return to the series that I would have hoped. As a VR game is has a lot to offer, the gameplay is engaging, the missions varied, and both the single-player and multiplayer can be fun to play. However, the story is woefully mismanaged, with a cast of mostly unlikeable and unsympathetic characters - a tragedy when it comes with an incredibly powerful piece of work in the form of the gallery, a collection of documentaries and interviews with veterans of the war.

It has extras, like the gallery, that are worth stopping at. Although it leaves us feeling that it is far from what it could have been.

It’s clear that Respawn still has the chops to make a quality Medal of Honor game. There’s a lot of heart here, and an attention to detail that must be admired. With that said, it’s clear the studio had troubles accomplishing its goals in VR – and the result is a curious VR experience that’s worth experiencing, but equally is nothing like a VR system seller. It stands strides behind Alyx – but then again, so do most VR games.

At the end of the day, I want to play more Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, but the technical issues rear their head even on the most powerful hardware available. The campaign often falls on the wrong side of humor, but the gunplay is like nothing else. Multiplayer is an awesome added treat, though the bots are pretty dumb. It’s the very definition of a mixed bag.

It's easy to appreciate the budget that went into making it look the way it does, and I hope Respawn gives it another go; but it needed so much more than a shiny veneer to survive in this current VR climate.

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is a pretty but average-at-best VR shooter that comes with an impressive WW2 tribute in tow.

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond can be both frustrating and captivating at the exact same time, but underneath it all is a fun and engaging VR shooter that nails several facets of being a successful AAA game. It’s not quite enough to solidify the experience as a must-play, but there are plenty of bright spots. If you’re eager to dive into a VR version of WWII with exciting set piece moments, authentic historical footage, and an addictively fun online multiplayer mode, then you should come away satisfied. But if you were looking for an immersive narrative wrapped up in a cutting-edge evolution of VR game design with expert pacing — don’t hold your breath.

If players give Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond some time to build up to the really good stuff, they will find a title that's not only educational, but, at times, incredibly endearing. For fans of the series with access to a VR headset and plenty of hard drive space, this is a no-brainer.

A smorgasbord of spectacular WW2 action scenes, none of which are excellent, and some of which are downright unfun.

What should have been a staple of VR shooters to come turned out to be little more than what feels like a rehash of a 2000's shooter. While the gameplay might have you yawning at times and racked with frustration in others, The Gallery at least provides an incredible wealth of stories from real WWII veterans that brings a level of intimacy to what could otherwise feel like a soulless experience.

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond proclaims to be a AAA production (and is priced as such) but falls well short of that bar. With simplistic core gameplay, uninteresting & daft enemies, and a lack of polish, the bulk of the game feels like a shooting gallery. The set-piece sequences which are supposed to deliver epic WWII moments are foiled by bad writing, pacing, and lack of player agency. A meaningful portion of the game (roughly 10–20%) largely ignores best practices of VR comfort and won't be comfortable for some players. Competitive players might find some fun in the game's fast-paced and largely competent multiplayer component, and the 'Gallery' mini-documentaries are exceptionally well produced, but a shame that they are locked in with a game that conflicts with their reverent tone.