Winner: Medal of Honor: Airborne
EA | 360, PS3, PC

Industry pundits and assorted internet wags are fond of pointing out that we’ve been playing World War II games for longer than the war actually lasted. As the crucible in which the modern era was forged, it makes sense to draw from it for inspiration but we’ve reached the point where enough is enough, already. Medal of Honor: Airborne introduced what may well be the last possible remaining innovation into the WWII FPS genre: the parachute.

While floating dramatically into a firefight was good for a few kicks, it ultimately amounted to little more than picking a spawn point via a tiresome mini-game. Nazis are a safe, and therefore worn-out enemy, yet history is teeming with conflicts yet to be explored in interactive media. Call of Duty 4 successfully evolved from its WWII roots and literally buried Airborne in the sales charts. Medal of Honor, it’s time to get on the trolley: Evolve or die!

Scratched disc: Dynasty Warriors (Warriors Orochi)
Koei | 360, PS2

They've tweaked the setting, but you're still hammering two buttons several thousand times, sawing through hundreds of identical dudes on bland, flat battlegrounds, and breaking through the ennui only long enough to think "Haven't I done this same thing for 15 or 20 games?" Yes, you have.