Randy Pitchford of Gearbox Software - the team behind Borderlands (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - is in our sights for the moment, as he comments on the direction Electronic Arts Medal of Honor FPS franchise was taking as of late. Pitchford expressed his concern, stating that he felt it needed somebody who could truly understand its core fantasy. More details on this are available in the full article.

 

Top on the UK gaming news is Medal of Honor: Airborne's defense against a trio of invading newcomers. On the week of the release of Midway's Stranglehold, Ninja Theory's Heavenly Sword, and Nintendo's Super Paper Mario, the multiplatform WWII shooter from Electronic Arts still manages to attract the most gamers.

With Stranglehold's arrival at second, Super Paper Mario's debut at fourth, and Heavenly Sword's launch position at seventh, Electronic Arts still enjoys a three-title domination of the top ten games, with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 at third and The Sims 2: Bon Voyage in the eighth place.

Wii Play moves up nine whole spots to reclaim its lovely fifth seat, while More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima gains an IQ point to climb one spot to sixth.

Ninth is held by Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training, and still latching on to the last spot on the top ten is Take-Two Interactive's BioShock. In quick summary, you've got the following (for the week ending September 15, all formats in all price categories):

1. Medal of Honor: Airborne (Electronic Arts)
2. Stranglehold (Midway)
3. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (Electronic Arts)
4. Super Paper Mario (Nintendo)
5. Wii Play (Nintendo)
6. More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima (Nintendo)
7. Heavenly Sword (Sony)
8. The Sims 2: Bon Voyage (Electronic Arts)
9. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (Nintendo)

 

Take-Two Interactive may have enjoyed the success behind 2K Boston and 2K Australia's BioShock in the UK, but it was short-lived. Electronic Arts dropped in on the FPS adventure game with the Xbox 360 version of Medal of Honor: Airborne (also on PlayStation 3 and Windows PC on DVD), and it shot straight to the top.

Chart Track top ten games arranged by per unit sold per platform now sees 2K Games' BioShock for the Xbox 360 at second, with Nintendo's Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training close at third. South Peak Games' Two Worlds enters the charts on its first week in Europe and lands a solid fourth place.

The second follow up to Brain Training drops two spots to fifth, while The Sims 2: Bon Voyage from Electronic Arts also enters the charts at sixth. The Nintendo Wii version of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 from EA tees off two spots up from ninth, as the PC version of Medal of Honor: Airborne honorably enters the top ten at eighth.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 for the Xbox 360 drops a serious four spots to ninth, while Nintendo's Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree closes the top ten and also chalks the Wii title count to two. Xbox 360 games currently rule the top ten. Electronic Arts dominates the charts with four titles out of ten, Nintendo coming in second with three.

1. Medal of Honor: Airborne (Xbox 360, Electronic Arts)
2. BioShock (Xbox 360, Take-Two Interactive)
3. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (DS, Nintendo)
4. Two Worlds (Xbox 360, South Peak Games)
5. More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima (DS, Nintendo)
6. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (Wii, Electronic Arts)
7. Medal of Honor: Airborne (PC, Electronic Arts)
8. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (Xbox 360, Electronic Arts)
9. Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (Wii, Nintendo)

If you've seen and tried out the demo, and was impressed by it, then maybe you'd be interested in checking out Medal of Honor: Airborne's Online Missions, too. Electronic Arts has put up a site dedicated to this online action, and you may go see it for yourself via our Read link below.

But before you go barging your way in that war, might as well know first what's in store for you there. Your mission would basically enlist you to the 82nd Airborne where you'll have to help out in fighting against the Axis powers. If you succeed, then you will be generously rewarded with a prize bundle which includes the following:

• Your preferred console (PS3 or Xbox 360)
• 26 Inch HD Ready LCD TV
• Home Entertainment System
• Speaker Gaming Chair
• A copy of Medal of Honor: Airborne

Well that sounds like a pretty good deal, don't you think? Anyhow, you'll be needing to register first before you could don that uniform on, so you might as well get going. Medal of Honor: Airborne is set to come out for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on September 7th.


Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (PS3)]
Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (PC)]

Debuting this week is Medal of Honor: Airborne, and as fate would have it, a couple of other war games - even some World War II themed ones like Hearts of Iron - are joining it on the shelves. Stranglehold is also hitting the market for the Xbox 360 and the PC, with the Sony PS3 version coming later this month.

Another game wriggling its way to the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP this week is Worms: Open Warfare 2. The worms are back with their rocket launchers and grenades ready to do some serious squishy damage.

Medal of Honor: Airborne. Step into the shoes of Boyd Travers, a soldier in the 17th Airborne Division in this first person shooter game set in World War II. You can choose from a wide and authentic range of weaponry as you sent in mission from France to Germany.

• Xbox 360, PC - September 4, 2007
• US$ 59.99 (Xbox 360), US$ 49.99 (PC)
  
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Electronic Arts and EA Los Angeles

Stranglehold. Chow Yun Fat reprises his role as Inspector "Tequila" Yuen in this third-person shooter from director John Woo. The game features an environment where you can destroy almost anything you can see (and shoot.) Battle with the Triad and the Mafia in slow motion with "Tequila Time."

• Xbox 360, PC - September 5, 2007
• US$ 59.99 (Xbox 360), US$ 49.99 (PC)
• ESRB M (Mature)
• Midway and Tiger Hill Entertainment

Worms: Open Warfare 2. The worms are back and they're coming complete with online capabilities for the DS and the PSP. Go to war with the worms in six different scenarios. The PSP version will have downloadable maps as well.

• Nintendo DS, PSP - September 4, 2007
• US$ 29.99 (DS), US$ 29.99 (PSP)
• ESRB T (Teen)
• THQ

Check out the rest of the games coming out this week in the full article!

Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (360)]
Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (PC)]
Buy: [Stranglehold (PC)]
Buy: [Stranglehold (360)]
Buy: [Worms: Open Warfare 2 (PSP)]
Buy: [Worms: Open Warfare 2 (DS)]

Taking the higher ground and doling out death through the sights of your sniper scope never looked better with this gameplay video update of Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor: Airborne for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Recalibrate your targeting reticle and rack the bolt of your rifle for another round - we're heading straight into enemy territory to get you the latest intel on the game that pretty much revolutionized wartime shooters.

This gameplay video packs quite a punch, as it hits the ground running in a skirmish that has bullets flying all over. The visuals are pretty slick and silken-smooth - there's virtually no slowdown, even with the amount of activity on-screen.

The most striking feature showin in this video, however, is the realistic lens distortion when you're looking through your sights. Most games have done away with this gameplay factor by giving the player a mere 'zoom' effect - it's in Medal of Honor: Airborne that the action of peering into your weapon's sights is shown.

Medal of Honor: Airborne is certainly looking to be a must for FPS fanatics, as well as those of us looking for a title that pushes next-gen hardware to its limits. Enjoy the video!

Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (PS3)]
Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (PC)]

Medal of Honor wants you! But then again, it works both ways since you're probably itching for the latest MoH installment. If joining the ranks is your next big step, then make sure you're ready for combat under all kinds of circumstances - Medal of Honor: Airborne (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) will let you drop anywhere on the battlefield, but won't tell you what lies beyond.

As a teaser, here's a brief advertisement that looks infinitely better than any military propaganda. Before you jump into the battlefield, you'll face an important question that may determine your fate: where do you want to start your own fight? On the bell tower of a church, the field of a farmer, or the middle of a German encampment?

Before you make that choice, check out the video below.

Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (PS3)]
Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (PC)]

We're sure most of you have downloaded and played the Medal of Honor: Airborne demo and we're sure you'd love to know that the makers of the WWII video game (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) has ushered in an event for it as well.

Operation LIVE Jump will go live this weekend, featuring a number of events:

• Play & Win Sweepstakes - Friday to Sunday
• Play Against the Dev Team - Friday night
• Play Against the PMS Clan - Saturday Night
• Leaderboard Tournament - Sunday

Players are automatically entered into the Play & Win Sweepstakes once they play a multiplayer match. Five lucky paratroopers will be selected every hour from the entries. You will also be able to play against the Electronic Arts Los Angeles devs and the PMS clan, an all-female gamer faction. Will you be able to play at par against the people who made Medal of Honor: Airborne and the PMS?

Lastly, the Leaderboard Tournament will bring a really sweet prize: an Xbox 360 Elite signed by the dev team and other great prizes. The other great prizes include Medal of Honor: Airborne Microsoft Points (400 points), 360 accessories, faceplate, t-shirts, and caps.

Ready to jump in? Don't forget your parachutes for this weekend. For more info about Operation LIVE Jump, click the Read link below.

Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (PS3)]
Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (PC)]

You probably already have that action-packed Medal of Honor: Airborne demo on your hard drive, and this may not mean a darn thing to you, but if you're still pondering the subject of whether to download it or not, here's the reason why you SHOULD:

As you can see, you have the option to drop off the plane to destroy enemy anti-aircraft guns in a village. Don't worry because safe spots have been marked to give you an idea where you won't be butchered. If you're a real daredevil though, you'll jump right where you shouldn't and watch the bullets fly.

Unfortunately, all the action star moves in the world won't be enough to save a foolhardy player who jumps in a red zone. Enemy troops are smarter than ever and they'll pump you full of lead faster than you can say "Hitler." Medal of Honor: Airborne is brought to us by Electronic Arts and is going out for the PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, and Sony PlayStation 3.

Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (PS3)]
Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Medal of Honor: Airborne (PC)]

 

Without any exaggeration, Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor: Airborne (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) may very well be the best World War II based first-person shooter this year. After getting our hands on the Xbox 360 demo that recently went live, saying so is a safe assumption. One playthrough wouldn't do the game justice even if only a single mission is available. Thanks to the ability to drop anywhere on the battlefield, it's not likely that you'll turn your back on Airborne after the first try.

Players take the shoes of Boyd Travers, a rookie fresh from boot camp. Like any skirmish, you'll find yourself sitting through a briefing beforehand. This portion isn't as long-winded as an actual military speech, and is sufficient enough to give you a fair idea of what "Mission Husky" is about, as well as what you'll need to do once you're out there. Trust us: you'll need it.

The next screen is where you can customize your loadout. Nothing new here - the selection's got your typical WWII fare - with tommy guns, M1 rifles, and Colt .45 handguns. Travers can carry one main weapon, a sub weapon, and a side firearm. Everything else that you can salvage is up for grabs, which is god sent since there is no such thing as enough firepower here.

After a quick cutscene, you are then thrust into the wild fray through parachute. Travers is left hanging in the air, with the option of choosing his own path. A couple of green smoke trails on the ground mark where you and your friends should drop, but the entire map is fair game. This is what separates Airborne from the rest, and the reason why you won't look back to other WWII games again.

The rest of our demo impressions after the jump!

*Originally posted at 11:48 PM, August 25, 2007