"Go big or go home." That's the rule most developers have to abide by, especially in a genre as crowded as that of the first-person shooter. DICE is responsible for my favorite military-themed first-person shooter of all time: Battlefield: Bad Company 2. So, naturally, I found myself in eager anticipation of the reboot of one of the genre's most beloved franchises. I'm the bearer of strange tidings in this case; Medal of Honor doesn't go big, but it certainly doesn't go home. It's a by-the-numbers military shooter with a great campaign and a solid multiplayer suite. Unfortunately, when it comes to this genre, that's not enough to render it a classic.

Medal of Honor gives you the opportunity to fight your way across the craggy, war-torn wasteland that Afghanistan has become. You're not going to climb any icy peaks, nor will you race through a lush jungle on a speedy all-terrain vehicle. This is an ugly, desolate place that bears more than its share of scars. Medal of Honor does justice to the long-suffering third-world nation in the physical department. The violence is also quite realistic; a well-placed shot from a Barrett .50cal will result in a Fallout-esque cranial explosion. Though Medal of Honor runs on DICE's Frostbite Engine, it doesn't look quite as good as Battlefield Bad Company 2. For starters, the destructibility factor and explosions are a bit subdued. Assorted visual weirdness tends to pop up every now and then; shadows bleed through the geometry at times, and textures sometimes take a while to come into focus. Though the character models look fantastic, they sometimes veer off into jaggy territory, especially when you view them from a distance. The framerate can also struggle when the engine is put under too much pressure; again, this isn't exactly a trademark of the Frostbite Engine. None of these problems are severe enough to dampen the excitement, but they're there.

The high point of Medal of Honor's sound design is the sound effects. Guns are distinguishable from one another, and the snap of a silenced pistol is as chilling as it's ever been. When the game gives you a chance to partake in some long-range gunplay, sound effects are delayed as the waves travel across the mountaintops. The music is fantastic, though it isn't integrated into the campaign as much as you'd think. This is probably a good thing; would Saving Private Ryan's beach landing scene have been improved with the inclusion of incidental music? (The correct answer is no.) The soundtrack is at its best when things go pear-shaped, and though it's not memorable, it keeps you engaged.

The modern battlefield is all the rage these days. Until now, this game's namesake had nothing to do with conflicts that weren't the Second World War. Medal of Honor, keeping its branding completely intact, aims to deliver the most compelling modern infantry combat experience of its generation. It succeeds at that only in one major respect: the campaign. I don't know of anyone who plays military-themed shooters for the storytelling. Most of them simply aren't built for that. And to be truthful, Medal of Honor isn't, either. Yes, it's fascinating enough that this game follows a very real conflict in a very real world, but what's better is the way in which it portrays it. The campaign follows the exploits of two Tier 1 Operators and an Army Ranger Specialist: callsign "Rabbit" of AFO Neptune (comprised solely of Navy SEALS), callsign "Deuce" of AFO Wolfpack (comprised solely of Delta Force operators), and Spc. Dante Adams. The game switches your role around frequently, but the three units cross paths frequently, in one way or another. Regardless of your role, you'll always be fighting among badasses of the absolute highest order -- soldiers who are every bit as intelligent as they are deadly. The story gets a little Bay-esque at times, but only when it takes the spotlight away from the Tier 1 Operators and gives undue screen time to the links that lie further up the chain of command. It's not handled very well; the interactions between the Colonel and the General are groan-inducing. However, when you're in the field, you really feel like you're in the field; comm chatter isn't dumbed down into an easy-to-digest paste. If you're not familiar with military jargon, you will be confused -- often. However, you'll get a sense that the developers had very good military consultants. Medal of Honor's campaign doesn't get off to a good start, but the pace explodes soon after the first mission, and it doesn't let up until the credits treat you to a poignant tribute honoring everyone who's ever served in the United States Armed Forces.

Here's the problem: if you've played a modern first-person shooter, none of Medal of Honor will feel fresh to you. It's linear (oddly-placed invisible walls hammer that home) and predictable. Firefights spring up in all the necessary places, and every now and then an ambush may or may not take you off guard. When you come across a well-guarded enemy position, you'll be ordered to paint targets with the SOFLAM. There are some interesting vehicle sequences; one of which earns an easy spot among my favorites in any military shooter. The watercooler moments are nice, but again, most of Medal of Honor's target audience has seen all this before.

How did you expect Medal of Honor's multiplayer component to be handled? Without an experience system or a constant stream of unlocks? I sure hope not; that's a template that shooters will be using for years (if not decades) to come. Medal of Honor plays it completely safe in this regard, and it won't really surprise anyone. The same goes for the actual modes. Each is a variant on a previously-established gameplay type, whether it's Bad Company 2's Conquest mode or the omnipresent Team Deathmatch (or in this case, Team Assault). There's also an objective-based mode called Combat Mission. Naturally, Team Assault is the most popular mode as of this writing, but Combat Mission comes in at a close second. Regardless of which mode you choose, you're certain to have a good time, albeit a very familiar good time.

The campaign naturally varies in terms of difficulty; if you choose the lowest setting to play with, you're not going to get a very challenging experience out of it. On the default settings, the game still gives you a subtle edge by way of a not-too-insulting aim assist. The mountain paths of Afghanistan provide several ways for Taliban forces to exploit their environment, but if one peeks out from behind a rock and you aim about an inch away from him, the reticle will snap to your intended target. It's a bit more grievous during moments when waves of enemies are charging a position you have to hold. Alternating between the aim-down-the-sights trigger and the firing trigger makes these desperate situations less frightening.

The multiplayer doesn't vary in terms of difficulty; it's hard as hell. If you haven't played a military first-person shooter, the online community is going to give you a really hard time for quite a while. If you belong to this minority, don't panic. Everyone was once new meat; if you want to get good, just keep playing the game. It will come naturally. If you have played a military-themed FPS in the last three years or so, you shouldn't have any trouble getting into Medal of Honor at all.

Medal of Honor doesn't bring anything significantly new to the table. That's perhaps its biggest problem. I wouldn't call it a flaw, but again, this game is out to make its mark on a genre that perhaps sees more releases per year than any other. Shooting your weapons and managing what you've got is easy and convenient. You can even ask your brothers in arms for ammo if you run out, though sometimes they won't have the right kind of ammo for you. Again, as far as the actual shooting action goes, there's nothing really special about Medal of Honor. However, there are a few touches that are easy to appreciate.

Most PC first-person shooters include the option to lean left and right. This is a great mechanic that goes a really long way to sell the notion that you are in cover -- but you can still fight back. Medal of Honor implements this mechanic to great effect, and other FPS developers should take note.

You can also slide into cover by toggling the crouch button while sprinting. This is a good idea that unfortunately doesn't work out so well. Most of the time, it feels like the rocky terrain is actually a wooden floor with baby powder sprinkled over it. I think it would have been better if it was context-sensitive, but I can't fault them for trying something different.

Gamers who pick up Medal of Honor early enough will get the Limited Edition at no extra cost. When compared to the LEs of other games, Medal of Honor's may seem a bit on the scant side when it comes to content. It comes with an exclusive multiplayer weapon, as well as early access to two shotguns. More appealing is the included invitation to the upcoming Battlefield 3 beta. It may not seem like much to some gamers, but remember, this comes at no extra cost.

The military first-person shooter genre is still going very strong, thanks to franchises like Battlefield, Call of Duty, and more recently, this very one. Medal of Honor deserves major kudos for taking a real conflict and building an entertaining campaign around it, but other than that, it doesn't do quite enough to distinguish itself from the rest of them. It's still very much worth a look, though.