EA announces Medal of Honor Street
Next-gen World War II shooter to feature Beastie Boys' voices, likenesses; "In your face, Hitler!" says Ad-Roc.
See it ยป Even though Medal of Honor: European Assault won't be out until later this year, today Electronic Arts announced the next installment in the series. Medal of Honor Street will combine the MOH franchise's World War II action with the "urban flava" of the Street sports series. Co-developed by EALA and EA Canada and publishing under the new EA War Big subbrand, the game will be released in spring 2006 for "next-generation consoles," according to an EA press release. No rating or price information was released.
As the name implies, Medal of Honor Street will take the series in a new direction. The game will be set exclusively during the conflict's most intense city battles, including Stalingrad, Caen, and Berlin. It will also follow a squad of Airborne paratroopers culled exclusively from US' top metropolises, including Los Angeles, and New York City.
To provide the appropriate urban authenticity, EA recruited popular hip-hop artists from each city to provide voice talent. Ice Cube will play the unit's hard-boiled sergeant, Ice-T will portray a stoic sniper, and the Beastie Boys will star as the "Dirty Trio," the squad's loose cannons. "Awww yeah, this is gonna be suh-weet," said Beastie Boy Ad-Roc in a prepared statement. "In your face, Hitler!" The game's script will also be penned by DJ Pooh, co-screenwriter of the comedy Friday and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,
Unlike the grim gunplay of previous MOH games, Medal of Honor Street's gameplay will take a more over the top approach. It will introduce NBA Street's "Trick Stick" functionality to combat, allowing players to perform balletic, John Woo-like jumps through the air while firing multiple guns. The game will also award bonuses for trash-talking Nazi opponents out in the open which can be used later to perform turbo moves while storming enemy positions. "All that hunkering behind cover and crouching was getting old," said lead designer Damian Schmidt. "We wanted to liven things up a bit."
While the Street/MOH crossover may puzzle some, it made perfect sense to EA director of marketing Melissa Chodera. "With the massive proliferation of World War II shooters out there, we felt the next Medal of Honor game really had to stand out from the crowd," she told GameSpot. Chodera also downplayed concerns over historical discrepancies such as the fact US troops did not take part in many of the battles featured in the game. "Focus-group-testing told us that most consumers find most WWII shooters far too depressing and drab. Medal of Honor Street's features, like character-created and custom-colored uniforms, will provide an experience that is edgy and unique."
[IMAGE]
Next-gen World War II shooter to feature Beastie Boys' voices, likenesses; "In your face, Hitler!" says Ad-Roc.
See it ยป Even though Medal of Honor: European Assault won't be out until later this year, today Electronic Arts announced the next installment in the series. Medal of Honor Street will combine the MOH franchise's World War II action with the "urban flava" of the Street sports series. Co-developed by EALA and EA Canada and publishing under the new EA War Big subbrand, the game will be released in spring 2006 for "next-generation consoles," according to an EA press release. No rating or price information was released.
As the name implies, Medal of Honor Street will take the series in a new direction. The game will be set exclusively during the conflict's most intense city battles, including Stalingrad, Caen, and Berlin. It will also follow a squad of Airborne paratroopers culled exclusively from US' top metropolises, including Los Angeles, and New York City.
To provide the appropriate urban authenticity, EA recruited popular hip-hop artists from each city to provide voice talent. Ice Cube will play the unit's hard-boiled sergeant, Ice-T will portray a stoic sniper, and the Beastie Boys will star as the "Dirty Trio," the squad's loose cannons. "Awww yeah, this is gonna be suh-weet," said Beastie Boy Ad-Roc in a prepared statement. "In your face, Hitler!" The game's script will also be penned by DJ Pooh, co-screenwriter of the comedy Friday and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,
Unlike the grim gunplay of previous MOH games, Medal of Honor Street's gameplay will take a more over the top approach. It will introduce NBA Street's "Trick Stick" functionality to combat, allowing players to perform balletic, John Woo-like jumps through the air while firing multiple guns. The game will also award bonuses for trash-talking Nazi opponents out in the open which can be used later to perform turbo moves while storming enemy positions. "All that hunkering behind cover and crouching was getting old," said lead designer Damian Schmidt. "We wanted to liven things up a bit."
While the Street/MOH crossover may puzzle some, it made perfect sense to EA director of marketing Melissa Chodera. "With the massive proliferation of World War II shooters out there, we felt the next Medal of Honor game really had to stand out from the crowd," she told GameSpot. Chodera also downplayed concerns over historical discrepancies such as the fact US troops did not take part in many of the battles featured in the game. "Focus-group-testing told us that most consumers find most WWII shooters far too depressing and drab. Medal of Honor Street's features, like character-created and custom-colored uniforms, will provide an experience that is edgy and unique."
[IMAGE]