Medal of Honor Heroes - hands-on

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Gunning down Nazis on the PSP feels a lot better than we expected

That megapublisher Electronic Arts is bringing its Medal of Honor series to the PSP should surprise nobody. What is a little surprising, however, is that the World War II first-person shooter actually plays pretty well on Sony's handheld. Resurrecting three heroes from the series' past, Medal of Honor Heroes will put you through 15 missions in Italy, Holland and the Ardennes, all engineered specifically for the PSP.

We recently got a chance to try the game's campaign and Skirmish modes, and we came away impressed. Heroes feels a lot like the more recent installments of the series, and the developers took pains to bring across "advanced" moves that might normally be stripped out for a handheld adaptation. You'll be able to easily zoom in through your gun's sights, which in turn enables you to lean around corners. You can also "cook" grenades before throwing them; since they're all timed, holding onto them for a few seconds after pulling the pin will result in a quicker explosion once tossed. (Or in a grenade going off in your face, if you're not careful.)

Speaking of grenades, the cool disorientation effects from the console game are fully represented as well. If an explosive goes off near you, the screen will blur and shake, and I'll be difficult to get your bearings for a few seconds. It doesn't have quite the same impact when it's on a small screen, but it's a nice touch nonetheless. Another nice touch is the customizable controls,although it'sworth noting that the default scheme worked pretty well for splashing Nazis with hot lead.

Mikel Reparaz
Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.