EA and Danger Close invited a group of Warfighter’s biggest critics to get some serious hands on time with the game in an exclusive setting.  There were no cameras, no Pax Prime funk to smell and no long lines to navigate.  We were isolated with Danger Close’s Medal of Honor Warfighter.  It was time to see how the game improved from 2010′s Medal of Honor.  If you haven’t read my review of Medal of Honor, then do so now.

A lot of you were wanting my honest opinions of the game after I played it so let’s get on with it.  I have two words for ya … Frostbite 2.0 and Fire Team.  Both of these things make Warfighter so much more improved over the multiplayer you got in 2010.  I wasn’t overly impressed with the multiplayer back in 2010 and I’m sure others weren’t either.  It didn’t match the greatness of the single player campaign and I think Danger Close would be the first to admit it.  But whatever you knew about 2010 multiplayer, forget it!  The multiplayer in Warfighter looks, performs and feels like multiplayer finally.

We played on the PC version of Warfighter and I used an Xbox 360 controller.  The controls were fluid on PC and because I used an Xbox controller I’ll assume the same will be said for the console gameplay.  There were a variety of game types at our disposal (Sector Control, Hot Spot and Homerun).  Yes there’s a mode called Homerun and to be honest it was dangerously intense.  In Homerun you play through 10 rounds with no respawn in a Capture the Flag setting.  If you manage to capture the flag you get 2 points but if you simply manage to kill the other team, you only get 1 point.  Having only one respawn makes this mode very interesting and very strategic.  The balance can quickly shift after one kill so you have to really utilize communication.

I think Homerun was the favorite of the few modes.  My personal favorite was Sector Control because it really put some shine on the fire team aspect of Warfighter.  In Sector Control you had 3 points on the map and you had to hold each spot.  Communicating with your fire team buddy was crucial in helping the other fire teams on your side secure the spot.  In Hot Spot it was one team versus another while trying to plant explosives on objectives.  I loved the way you could spawn on your buddy so that you came back right behind your partner and ready to get back in the action.  If your buddy is under fire, you won’t be able to spawn behind him until he’s clear of danger.  You could also choose a Fall Back spawn which was away from the battle.

A few people voiced some concerns on how enemies are highlighted in red when you respawn because no one wants a target on their back.  However there’s a strategy to it because if you go off shooting at the red, the person might actually be behind a wall or door and you’ve just given yours location up so be careful at shooting the first red you see.

The different classes in Warfighter are a big feature for the game and they matter.  Each class has their own ability and support action so be careful how you set your fire team up.  I loved using the SAS-R and the Heavy Hitters along with the Mortar support.  Your ability is handled with a simple press of the LB button.  Before each match I’d hit LB to use my Heavy Hitter ammo so that I’d be dealing massive damage.  Oh and I hate the Tank ability!  One of the class abilities is to have a shield so that you can withstand a lot of hits.  I hated it because it was the most difficult one to take advantage of when playing against it.  And let me tell you that I love the tomahawk melee.  I almost found myself being as tactical as I could to land that tomahawk kill.

A really cool thing about the game was the way the maps were handled.  Because the maps are so big in scale, each mode will have you playing on a different section so that it’s a different experience.  You don’t want the feeling of “hey I’ve played this before” when switching modes.  On our Homerun play through none of us even knew it was the same map as we played on Sector Control.  

We didn’t have any ranks and we weren’t allowed to do any customization or weapon upgrades etc.  Those things are in the game and I don’t expect any disappointment.  A few of the balance issues I came across with rocket launchers and the sniper rifle I’m sure will be fine tuned.  One thing to note is that Warfighter will be on Battlelog. 

Spectator mode was noticeably missing.  We asked about it and didn’t get a firm response on if it would make it to the game.  Also, there is no lean feature coming to the console version.

With Frostbite 2.0 you can expect a visually stunning game along with some incredible sounds.  Danger Close recorded three different aspects of gunfire (indoor, mid range and outdoor) to give the weapon sound in the game a ridiculous realness to it.  The pistols don’t sound like mechanical toys this time around.  I’ve always been impressed with the sound in Medal of Honor but Warfighter amps it up.  The attention to detail within the Frostbite 2.0 engine is stunning.  I love you Frostbite!

I got real close … danger close with Medal of Honor Warfighter and I walked away with a big smile.  I want to be careful about being really impressed because we were in a controlled setting and things change when a game is “in the wild”.  But from what I played, the multiplayer received a huge improvement over what it was in 2010.

I’m ready to get back behind the eyes of Preacher, Voodoo, Mother and Rabbit.  If you’re in a rocky marriage to the Call of Duty franchise, then you’ve found your reason for a divorce in Medal of Honor Warfighter.  The Tier 1 Operators are back baby!