Line #95 VideoGame/MedalOfHonor


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/logo_0.jpg]]
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3	''Medal of Honor'' is a series of {{First Person Shooter}}s primarily set in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, and is probably the seminal title of this particular genre. Named after the United States' [[BlingOfWar highest military decoration]]. [=MoH=] is known for a [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief deep level of immersion]], achieved by subjecting its design staff to actual military training, akin to the experiences of its inspiration, ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan''. Creator/StevenSpielberg served as director and producer of the first title, and the games were primarily developed by Creator/DreamWorksInteractive (later renamed EA Los Angeles).
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5	In 2010, [[FollowTheLeader following]] the runaway success of the ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty: VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' series, the ''Medal of Honor'' series was rebooted and brought into a modern-day setting, with gameplay re-tooled to be closer to the style of ''Modern Warfare''. The new ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor2010'' games distinguish themselves from the new ''Call of Duty'' games (as well as the newer ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield}}'' games) in that the plot and atmosphere are intended to be much more "true to life", focusing on the Invasion of Afghanistan and later UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror, without Hollywood embellishments such as runaway nukes or rogue Russian special forces divisions with genocidal ambitions.
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7	In 2020 a new reboot was made by Respawn Entertainment (''VideoGame/{{Titanfall}}'', ''VideoGame/ApexLegends''). This new game, titled ''Above and Beyond'', is a VR game that returns to World War II.
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9	!!Games in the original series
10	* ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor1999'': The original game produced by Creator/StevenSpielberg released for the original Platform/PlayStation. The game is an action-packed UsefulNotes/WorldWarII spy-thriller with gameplay similar to the videogame adaptation of ''007: [=GoldenEye=]''.
11	* ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorUnderground'' (2000): A MissionPackSequel set in German-occupied France from the point of view of a female spy of the French resistance named Manon Batiste.[[note]]Based on OSS member Hélène Deschamps Adams, who herself served as a consultant and appeared to brief Manon in the final level.[[/note]]
12	* ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorAlliedAssault'' (2002) (add-ons ''Spearhead'' and ''Breakthrough''): A PC exclusive set in Europe and North Africa. Unlike the first, Allied Assault has an emphasis on frontline combat and is more action-oriented. It was a breakout hit that established the franchise to a wide audience, and was critically and popularly acclaimed, especially for the Normandy beach assault level.
13	* ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorFrontline'' (2002): A consoles' exclusive and the first game released for sixth generation consoles with emphasis on being part of combined assaults and cinematic battles while also being a spy-thriller. Begins in D-Day and focuses on OSS operative Jimmy Patterson's efforts to destroy a German superweapon.
14	* ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorRisingSun'' (2003): A indirect sequel to Frontline set in the Pacific Theater, originally part one of a duology before its sequel was cancelled.
15	* ''Medal of Honor: Infiltrator'' (2003): A GBA exclusive with a from-the-top view with emphasis on both fast-paced action and stealth.
16	* ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorPacificAssault'' (2004): A PC exclusive set in the Pacific Theater with emphasis on squad commands, has no story ties with ''Rising Sun''.
17	* ''Medal of Honor: European Assault'' (2005): A consoles' exclusive with more arcade-y, open-ended gameplay and limited squad commands. The game features various fronts of the war and ends with the Battle of the Bulge.
18	* ''Medal of Honor: Heroes'' and ''Heroes 2'' (2006, 2008): Originally meant to be a portable spin-off series, the success of the first game led to its sequel also releasing on the Wii. The games are more action-packed, condensed and less realistic in comparison to the rest of the series. The games mostly revolve around secret operations and allied raids in Europe.
19	* ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorVanguard'' (2007): The last game released for the Platform/PlayStation2 and the first released on the Wii. The game is a back-to-basics installment more in line with ''Rising Sun'' and is set from the point of view of a soldier from the American Airborne fighting from Sicily to Germany.
20	* ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorAirborne'' (2007): The first HD installment of the series. Unlike past titles, the game has more emphasis on open-ended objectives and big battles with light-RPG elements such as your weapons levelling up for increased damage and clip ammo. Like ''Vanguard'', the game is also set from the point of view of a soldier from the American Airborne.
21	* ''Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond'' (2020) A virtual reality game with the player taking the role of an OSS agent and fighter in the French Resistance.
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23	Though notable in its own right, ''Medal of Honor'', specifically ''Allied Assault'', is also known for having spawned Infinity Ward, who went on to make the more popular ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series. A distinct difference between the two is its narrative focus:
24	* In ''Medal of Honor'', you often play as a pivotal American frontline soldier in a particular theater of battle. Though MoreDakka is generously provided, you often fight alone (main exceptions being ''Pacific Assault'' where you control a team of at least three allies, ''Airborne'' and ''Vanguard'' where you always have a few paratroopers on your side, although apparently they can run out, and the 2010 game, where most missions find you with at least one companion). In any case, most of the action serves to drive you from one iconic action scene to another. The series is noted for having an idealistic tone, great realism and respect for real soldiers in real wars. Also there was an abundance of [[ContinuityNod continuity nods]] as past protagonists would be referenced or would make cameos across some of the games.
25	* In ''Call of Duty'', playership is usually divided between a number of nationals and fronts, with the tone being more cynical and dark than in ''Medal of Honor''. The games have more focus on the player being part of a squad and following orders or instructions. The series, especially the later games, tends to have a far more fast-paced, aggressive and arcade-y feel to them, especially apparent in its [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyZombies Zombies]] survival game mode. Later games would focus more on just one playable protagonist, personal stories and special/secret operations.
26	----
27	!!Note! Entries for ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor1999'', ''[[VideoGame/MedalOfHonorUnderground Underground]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MedalOfHonorAlliedAssault Allied Assault]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MedalOfHonorFrontline Frontline]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MedalOfHonorRisingSun Rising Sun]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MedalOfHonorPacificAssault Pacific Assault]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MedalOfHonorVanguard Vanguard]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MedalOfHonorAirborne Airborne]]'' now go on that game's own page. This series contains examples of:
28	* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: The first game's third mission. [[JustifiedTrope Mind you,]] [[TruthInTelevision Germany and France did have such sewers]].
29	* AcePilot: Lt. Jimmy Patterson. The reason why he's an officer is because he was a pilot in the army. This never comes up in the games themselves except for the very final mission in ''Frontlines''.
30	* AirVentPassageway:
31	** Rather notably, if the Germans find out you're in there they will actually try to follow you in.
32	** The hydroplant level in the first game had a part where an air vent was the only way to get into a room you had to get into, and if the Germans saw or heard you, they'd start pitching grenades in after you.
33	* AnyoneCanDie: Very rarely used in the WWII games, the most notable being Harry Tanaka in ''Rising Sun'' and Sgt. John Magnuson in ''Vanguard''. It isn't until the modern era games where actual playable characters start dying off.
34	* ArtificialBrilliance[=/=]ArtificialStupidity: ''Medal of Honor'' is usually either praised for above-average AI or condemned for generally stupid AI. It's never in between. Though, Germans [[JumpingOnAGrenade will dive on top of your grenades]] to save their fellow soldiers.
35	** In the first game, [[GrenadeHotPotato they would sometimes kick it back at you. In the second, they could actually catch the things in midair and throw it back at you.]]
36	** Throw a grenade to the German dogs? They ''play fetch'', and go running back to their (audibly panicking) German masters with the grenade in their mouths.
37	** The multiplayer 'bots in ''Rising Sun'' are some of the stupidest ever. If you pick any weapons choice that has bazookas, expect to see them inflict a lot of friendly fire casualties on one another as they all try to gang up on you at close range.
38	* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking:
39	** Sturmgeist in ''Frontline'' and the Nemesis Officers and Von Schrader in ''European Assault'' can all take significantly more damage that the basic {{Mooks}} under their command.
40	** The player characters themselves are usually officers in the Allied army and more often or not end up taking on the entire Axis by themselves.
41	* AttackAttackAttack: The player is tasked with holding off a full-scale German charge in the 6th level of ''Spearhead''.
42	* AwesomeButImpractical: Most machine guns have a load of bullets. But they also suffer from a long reload time, which can be bad if you're caught out in the open. Some guns are also really powerful, but are only available in select missions, or have extremely limited ammo. So sometimes you're just better off sticking to a BoringButPractical assault rifle.
43	* BagOfSpilling: Weapons do not carry over between major missions. This is usually because the missions are rarely connected to each other, and the ones that are usually have a reason for not keeping them, such as not wanting explosions going off in a pressurised sub, or dropping most of their equipment after making a several mile long hike.
44	* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: On the Nijmegen Bridge level in ''Frontline'', a German sniper will jump to his death from the top of the bridge rather than be shot by Jimmy.
45	* BigBad: Several games have one:
46	** Hermann Müller in both the first game and ''Allied Assault''.
47	** Rudolf Ulbricht von Sturmgeist in ''Frontline''.
48	** Masataka Shima in ''Rising Sun''.
49	** Graf von Schrader in ''European Assault''.
50	* BigDamnHeroes: Lots of these moments are seen throughout the various games. Sometimes you're the hero, other times allies show up to help you fight off the enemy in the nick of time.
51	* BilingualBonus:
52	** The Nazis all speak and taunt in German, though a cheat in the first game caused them to speak in English. The cheat code itself lampshaded this.
53	** The enemies in ''Rising Sun'' and ''Pacific Assault'' mainly speak Japanese, for obvious reasons.
54	** ''Breakthrough'' and ''Airborne'' have missions set in Sicily, where Italian soldiers speak Italian, again for obvious reasons.
55	* BloodlessCarnage: Why they're some of the only T-rated FPS out there. This was also done in the first game in response to the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} massacre as said shooting was still fresh in everyone's memory at the time and as such video games were under close scrutiny--Spielberg and co simply didn't want to end up being scapegoated by MoralGuardians for trivialising violence in a war setting.
56	* BlownAcrossTheRoom:
57	** Grenades (and large caliber bullets in the later games) caused flying bodies.
58	** Shooting someone in the face with a shotgun will make them flip head over heels. That alone makes using the shotgun a must.
59	* BoomHeadshot: Although it can be hard to do at times, this usually guarantees a 1 hit kill. For obvious reasons it's easier to do it with a scoped weapon.
60	* CameraFiend: In ''Underground'', more than once Manon undergoes a mission behind enemy lines by posing as a press photographer. Where presenting the papers doesn't work, pulling out the camera and taking some cheeky snaps is sometimes enough to charm the guards into letting you by. The German goons start making hilarious attempts at striking poses and flirting with the young, attractive female photographer, and sometimes they get so into it that you can produce your silenced pistol and eliminate them before they can even react. "Smile and wait for the flash".
61	* CheckPointStarvation: The first three installments that were released for the console had no in-level checkpoints. This was a major problem with the [[MarathonLevel longer levels]] in ''Frontline''. However, ''Allied Assault'' was based off the Quake 3 engine, and supported SaveScumming through quick save.
62	* CherubicChoir: The [=WW2=] era games often had them as part of its soundtrack, especially in ''Frontline'' (notably the Operation Market Garden theme and Arnhem.).
63	* CollapsingLair: A couple of times, like In ''Allied Assault'', the player must escape from Fort Schmerzen as the whole fortress is rocked by explosions, or in ''Rising Sun'', when the Burma temple that Shima is storing his gold in is rocked from all the fighting, and Joe must avoid being crushed by a falling Buddha statue.
64	* ContinuityNod:
65	** The main character of ''Allied Assault'' is given the task of the finding the missing G3 officer from the very first game.
66	** During ''Vanguard'''s first mission, one may recognize parts of the background music from the Manor House level in ''Frontline''.
67	** Jacques' Lighter appears in ''Above and Beyond'', while he wasn't explicitly shown having a unique lighter in ''Underground'', he did give Manon Petrol Bombs. (which implies he possibly gave her a ligher to ignite them.)
68	* ContinuitySnarl:
69	** Manon's brother Jacques is said to have died saving children from a rigged to explode school in the original game, in ''Underground'' there are no children in the school and is instead killed driving an truck filled with supplies in an ambush leaving the school, as it was being used to store supplies as a trap.
70	* CosmeticAward: Averted and played straight in the first game. Bronze, silver, and gold medals are granted on how much enemies you kill and how much objectives you carry out, and often netted new player models for multiplayer and cheat codes, but the decorations themselves, earned by progression in the game and all the way to the Dreamworks Medal and the Congressional Medal of Honor, did nothing at all.
71	* CoolSidecar: ''Underground'' has the level, "Sidecar Shootout", where you and a fellow resistance fighter speeds through the streets of Paris on a motorcycle with you commandeering a machine-gun with infinite ammunition from the sidecar. Usually considered the ''best'' level in that game.
72	* DeadMansTriggerFinger: A staple since the first game. Can be done with any weapon too, which can make it funny when a guy with a panzershreck fires one off at his feet and doesn't launch himself halfway across the room.
73	* DistressCall:
74	** In the first game, the objective of the first mission is to follow a distress call from a G3 officer who had survived a crash, following him all over enemy territory to try and rescue him.
75	** Same reason for the bonus mission in ''Underground''.
76	%%* DoNotDropYourWeapon
77	* DownerEnding: Happens in ''Rising Sun''. [[spoiler:The BigBad slits the throat of fellow soldier Tanaka right after he frees you from captivity aboard a supercarrier. He also manages to escape with your kidnapped brother.]]
78	* TheDreaded: By the end of the first game, the Germans know Jimmy Patterson by name, and in ''Frontline'', have actually put up posters offering a rewards for his capture and/or death.
79	* DressingAsTheEnemy: Most of the earlier games have a level where you have to dress as an enemy officer.
80	* DrillSergeantNasty:
81	** In ''Pacific Assault'', there's a drill sergeant who [[{{Expy}} looks and acts suspiciously like]] R. Lee Ermey.
82	** ''Rising Sun'' also has a similar gunnery sergeant.
83	* DrivenToSuicide: On Nijmegen Bridge, if you shoot all but one of the snipers off the top of the bridge, the lone sniper will take his chances and jump off the bridge. Sometimes he'll start shooting at the Germans below instead!
84	* DuringTheWar The games mostly take place on UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.
85	* EarnYourHappyEnding: It's heavily implied that Jimmy and Manon got married after the war, given the post-credits narration of ''Heroes'' and the reboot's protagonist being Jimmy's grandson.
86	* EliteMooks:
87	** The Waffen-SS and Fallschirmjäger in the first game.
88	** Officers in the [=PS1=] games can see through your disguise if you get too close.
89	** Sturmgeist's elite guards in ''Frontline''.
90	** The Storm Elite troopers in ''Airborne'', who qualify as outright [[GiantMook Giant Mooks]] due to their slow speed, [[MadeOfIron inhumanly high durability]], and ability to fire a [[{{BFG}} mounted machine gun]] as a man-portable weapon and ''still'' stay reasonably accurate with it.
91	* EmergencyWeapon: The pistol in all of the games, generally reserved when you had depleted your ammo for all other weapons. Despite being an emergency weapon, it is quite accurate.
92	** Averted in ''Breakthrough'', since the extremely limited ammo means you will have to use your pistol instead of other weapons in very close-range combat such as in houses if you want to have enough ammo to complete the mission.
93	** Averted in ''Airborne'', where the Mauser [=C/96=] becomes a compact [=SMG=] with a blazing rate of fire through the power of upgrades.
94	** Additionally, ''Airborne'' and all subsequent games gave the pistol infinite extra ammo.
95	* EnemyCivilWar: ''Underground's'' "Civil War Mode".
96	* EscortMission:
97	** ''[[VideoGame/MedalOfHonorAlliedAssault Allied Assault]]'' has several. The first mission is subject to one of the most bearable examples in video game history, as you rescue a British Commando who proves to be a capable badass. The second mission sets up another venture with Major Grillo [[spoiler:but he is killed early on and you are forced to finish the mission alone]]. There's also a [[NintendoHard notorious]] later one where you have to escort a tank crew through a bombed-out town full of nigh-invisible {{hitscan}} snipers.
98	** ''Underground'' has one for the first mission, where you help Manon's brother Jacques through Milice-infested streets to steal a Nazi arms cache. Jacques is tough enough to survive several hits, has an MP40 (which is superior to Manon's dinky pistol) and is able to score headshots with it. You only really need to protect him whenever he bends down to lockpick a door. [[spoiler:At the end of the mission, he is caught in an ambush and killed, forcing Manon to escape into the catacombs and live a life on the run.]]
99	* FallingIntoTheCockpit: During the Flyboys mission in ''Pacific Assault'', you are forced to take control of a dive bomber '''after your pilot bails out'''. Slightly foreshadowed as the cutscene before this mission informs us that Tommy Conlin (the player character) recieved some flight training from the pilots at Henderson Field.
100	* GameplayAllyImmortality: Usually played straight with important [=NPCs=], but averted in ''Allied Assault'' and ''Frontline'', where they can be killed and cause mission failure.
101	* GoldfishPoopGang: The knife-throwing German Chef in ''Frontline'', and a similar Japanese Chef in ''Rising Sun''. Both encounter your character multiple times throughout the game, are seemingly killed off without too much effort, only to pop up again and again a few levels down the line somehow. They even get progressively bloodier and more beaten up as the game progresses, so you know it's somehow the same guy throughout the entire game.
102	* HealThyself: Medkits come in three types - bandages, "battle rattle", and a canteen in the first game.
103	* HeavilyArmoredMook[=/=]GiantMook: In ''Airborne'' there are the Nazi Storm Elites, gas-mask wearing SS wielding MG42 machine guns and heavy body armor that lets them survive almost half a mag of assault rifle fire or up to 3 headshots from the sniper rifle.
104	* HowWeGotHere: ''Pacific Assault'' starts at the Battle of Tarawa in 1943, then flashes back to Marine boot camp.
105	* HyperspaceArsenal:
106	** The early games give you multiple weapons slots, allowing the player to carry a pistol, rifle, [=SMG=], machine gun, grenades, and a rocket launcher.
107	** Averted starting with ''Pacific Assault'', though ''Airborne's'' pistol and two weapons slots plus grenades still meant that the character could carry a 20-lb rocket launcher (with 14 rounds!), a 18lb BAR, and ''48 hand grenades''.
108	* HistoricalDomainCharacter: In one mission of ''Rising Sun'', you can meet [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Clemens Martin Clemens]], an actual Coastwatcher that served in the Pacific Theatre.
109	* HyperDestructiveBouncingBall: In the first game, there was a cheat that allowed for bouncing bullets and bouncing grenades. Make sure you have GodMode employed when using it though, otherwise it becomes a HoistByHisOwnPetard situation.
110	* ItsRainingMen: The whole point of ''Airborne'', and the player can control their descent to land almost anywhere on the map. The Allied players in multi-player could do it too.
111	* JumpingOnAGrenade: It's not uncommon to see [[VillainousValor your enemies do this for each other]]... [[StupidSacrifice Even if they didn't really need to]].
112	* JungleWarfare: Thanks to being set in the Pacific and CBI, ''Rising Sun'' has levels set within the jungles of Guadalcanal, and later, Burma. Aside from the Japanese, the local wildlife also prove to be a serious threat.
113	* KilledMidSentence: Happens to an Allied soldier via sniper fire in the Battle in the Bocage level of ''Allied Assault''.
114	* KnightInShiningArmor: A possible enemy in ''Underground'' in the castle levels, though there's nothing noble about these Nazi knights. They shrug off shots to the body (requiring two consecutive headshots to kill) and can inflict a lot of damage through hacking with their swords and axes.
115	* LaResistance: Manon used to be a French resistance member before joining the [=OSS=].
116	* LesCollaborateurs: In some missions in ''Undeground'', you'll fight against Petain's Vichy Militia.
117	* LethalJokeCharacter: The first game had unlockable multiplayer characters, such as the German attack dog, a wooden toy soldier, William Shakespeare, two of the game developers, Werner von Braun, and a velociraptor named Steven, a ShoutOut to [[Creator/StevenSpielberg the game's producer.]] Their accuracy isn't affected.
118	* TheMedic: In ''Pacific Assault'', Jimmy Sullivan is your team's medic in most missions, and your primary way of healing.
119	* MinecartMadness: The level "Enemy Mine" (no relation to the EnemyMine trope) in ''Frontline'', which was a ShoutOut to the mine cart sequence from ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom''.
120	* TheMole: Klaus Knefler in ''Breakthrough''.
121	* MoreDakka: Gun emplacements tend to focus on this, as well as vehicle mounted weaponry you get to control. Large capacity machine guns also utilize this trope.
122	%%* Multiplatform
123	* MultiMookMelee: Done in the Final Mission of Frontline when Sturmgeist orders every last soldier available in the base to attack you.
124	* MyRulesAreNotYourRules: In ''Allied Assault'', enemies can blindfire (with remarkable accuracy) and go prone (sometimes even dolphin diving in the middle of a firefight), both very useful moves that you yourself cannot perform and which can be very annoying when they do it.
125	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast:
126	** Fort Schmerzen in ''Allied Assault''. "Schmerzen" means "pain" in German.
127	** There's also Lord Sturmgeist in ''Frontline'', "Sturmgeist" meaning "Storm Ghost" in German.
128	* NoEscapeButDown: The end of Operation Rapunzel, where you must push Geritt off a balcony, then jump off yourself into a hay wagon. Oddly, he can survive without landing in the wagon, while you die if you don't.
129	* NonIndicativeName: Most of ''Medal of Honor: Frontline'' actually doesn't take place at the front lines of the battlefield. The player spends the bulk of the game as an OSS operative (not a frontline soldier) doing covert missions behind enemy lines, and stealth comes into play in several levels. Several of the missions did take place on the front, which was an infinite amount more then the previous two console games.
130	* NoodleIncident: The Allied operative in The Golden Lion tells you about a funny story involving the mermaid statue the two of you pass near the end of the level. As he is killed soon afterwards, we never find out what was the story.
131	* NoSidepathsNoExplorationNoFreedom:
132	** Played straight in most of the games, where maps usually have roadblocks and obstacles.
133	** Averted in ''Rising Sun'','' Heroes 1'' and ''Airborne'' to some degree.
134	** ''Vanguard'' as well. Some areas you can only get into if you land in them.
135	* NoticeThis: Important items and objects are highlighted. Other items may be glowing depending on the game (''Allied Assault'' marks health but not weapons).
136	* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Jimmy Patterson was recruited into the OSS because of how he defended his crew after crash landing his C-47 after getting the paratroopers out, holding off several German patrols until they made their way to friendly French forces. This only ever gets mentioned as to why Jimmy joined the OSS.
137	* OneBulletClips: Averted with the M1 Garand, which the games simply don't let you reload ''at all'' until you've used up all the ammo in the current clip. Played straight for all other weapons with magazines.
138	* OneManArmy: In the first game, very specifically done as an agent of the OSS. You stop a rail gun, sink a prototype U-Boat, kill Hitler's favorite colonel and destroy his mustard gas facility-slash-fortress, and then wreck his rocket facility. And that's just the first game. There's a reason why ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' for the most part averts this trope since because it was considered very unrealistic. War cannot be won by one person alone.
139	* OutOfGenreExperience: After a previously realistic campaign, ''Airborne's'' last two missions pits you against [[GasMaskMooks gas-masked]] {{Super Soldier}}s toting [[{{BFG}} machine guns]].
140	* [[ParachuteInATree Parachute on a Windmill]]: In the Rough Landing level of ''Frontline'', a paratrooper who jumps with you is caught on a windmill, and is razed by machine gun fire while trying to free himself. A CallBack to this occurs in the first level of ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'', where your CO is hung up on a tree and killed.
141	* PoirotSpeak: Klaus in ''Breakthrough'' loves to slip German phrases whenever he speaks in English.
142	* PragmaticAdaptation: It's a minor point albeit a historical inaccurate one, but Canada's marker for the map for the D-Day invasion is the modern Maple Leaf Flag, which was not adapted until 1965. Most likely the game designers decided that having the Red Ensign flag of that day would too confusing for gamers and not worth the trouble to explain. Rival game ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty 1'' used the historically accurate Red Ensign.
143	* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: [[ActionGirl Manon Batiste]], who was your MissionControl in the first 1999 game and the playable protagonist in ''Underground'' (making her an inversion) makes a brief appearance as an ally for a mission set in France in ''Allied Assault'', and in ''European Assault'' where she needs to be rescued from German captivity and then fights alongside you for a bit. She also [[TheBusCameBack returns as a major ally]] in the VR game ''Above and Beyond''.
144	* PunchPackingPistol: The Hi-Standard Silenced in ''Allied Assault''. Even a bodyshot is a OneHitKill, and [[SniperPistol can snipe a target more than a city block away]]. The trade-off is that it's slow to fire, as the bolt has to be racked manually with every shot.
145	* RealIsBrown: Many of the games.
146	* RealityIsUnrealistic: [[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation Ben Crowshaw]]'s rather well-known reaction to the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flak_tower G-Tower]] in ''Airborne''.
147	* RecurringElement: In both ''Frontline'' and ''Rising Sun'' you're tasked with stealing a German officer's uniform for infiltration purposes (for the latter, it's because said German ambassador is going to a meeting in Japanese-occupied Singapore), only to have your cover blown because said officer catches up to you in his underwear.
148	* RecycledSoundtrack: Some of the music is heavily recycled from game to game, Vanguard in particular is nothing but recycled tracks, even the "new" tracks were recorded for the later-released '' Airborne''.
149	* RegeneratingHealth: From the 2006 game ''Vanguard'' onward.
150	* RemixedLevel: Fort Schmerzen, used to produce mustard gas in the first game, is the final mission in ''Allied Assault''.
151	* RespawningEnemies: Most games have these in at least a couple levels. Similar to the later ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'', you often have to push your way through.
152	* RewatchBonus: Manon mentions in the Briefing for The Siegfried Forest (the first level of ImpregnableFort Schmerzen) that she's been on some missions of her own since she last saw you. Now go play Underground and look at the dates in their Briefings. What was she doing? A Mittelwerk Saboteur.
153	* RPGElements: Only in ''Airborne's'' campaign, where you gain XP for using weapons, which levels that weapon up, giving it a new [[GunAccessories accessory]] per level.
154	* SequelHook: ''Rising Sun'' ends on a cliffhanger designed to serve as a lead-in to a sequel, but the sequel was canned due to the game's mediocre sales and the plotline was left in limbo (although the ending to the [=PSP=] game ''Medal of Honor: Heroes'' implies Griffin was able to successfully rescue his brother).
155	* ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler:The G3 officer in the first mission is dead.]] You're stuck to deal with the angry Nazi search parties.
156	** ''Allied Assault'' had a mission where you had to [[ContinuityNod rescue the pilot who accompanied the officer]].
157	** Mission 2 in ''Allied Assault'' assigns you to escort Grillo again, but he is killed at the beginning of the level.
158	* ShoutOut:
159	** ''Frontline'' and ''Allied Assault'':
160	*** The manor house level in ''Frontline'' has an EvilChef who appears to do a [[Series/TheMuppetShow Swedish Chef]] impression.
161	*** Frontline and Allied Assault also recreated the Normandy landing from ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan''. Reviews picked up on this and treated it as evidence of this being the game of the film, and is undoubtedly the TropeCodifier for WWII games.
162	*** The first level of the subsequent mission in Frontline continues the ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'' theme by more or less recreating the final battle from the movie.
163	*** Another shout out to Spielberg was the minecart level in Frontline, an obvious nod to the scene from ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom''.
164	*** Rising Sun has a mission titled "Film/TheBridgeOnTheRiverKwai".
165	*** Allied Assault's second mission has both ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' and ''Film/DasBoot'' references. Also, crate [[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk 9906753]] appears in the tutorial level.
166	* SillinessSwitch:
167	** ''Panzerknacker Unleashed!'' for ''Underground'' featured dogs dancing, driving jeeps, and wielding guns, German knights, zombies, and evil terminator nutcrackers. Did I mention the dancing dogs?
168	** The knights were in another mission, so seeing them wasn't very unusual.
169	** Did you forget the zombies [[MadeOfExplodium exploded]] when killed?
170	*** There was also "Civil War" mode which caused enemies to fight one another.
171	** The "Men with Hats" cheat in ''Frontline'' and ''Rising Sun.'' Nothing better to lighten the mood than watching a German soldier run around with a fighter plane glued to his head. And it even gets more hilarious as the game progresses. First, it's just random in-game models, but soon, you'll be fighting person-sized fried eggs, sausages, and '''giant rendered 3D models of the game developers' heads.'''
172	*** Tends to be game-breaking when enemies get ''full-size submarines'' as hats, leaving you wondering where, exactly, the guy ''is''.
173	** The first cheat in the original game granted wacky, superhuman power ups in multiplayer - and, of course, there were the hidden characters, ranging from a German attack dog, to [[RaptorAttack a velociraptor]] [[Franchise/JurassicPark named]] [[Creator/StevenSpielberg Steven.]]
174	* ShortRangeShotgun: Played straight in the WWII era games, where the shotgun only tickles enemies past about 20 feet.
175	* SnipingMission:
176	** ''Rising Sun'' - On an elephant. With a turret.
177	** ''Allied Assault'' - Mission 5 has two. Sniper's Last Stand - Outskirts is a sniper versus sniper battle, made difficult since the TheAllSeeingAI can shoot through concealment without difficulty. The Bridge is the other sniping mission, although you aren't sniped back.
178	* SortingAlgorithmOfWeaponEffectiveness: Averted.
179	* [[SouthernFriedPrivate Southern Fried Marine]]: Willy Gaines in ''Pacific Assault''.
180	* TheSquadette: Manon in ''Underground'', the sole female member of the French Resistance.
181	* StandardFPSGuns: Omits the knife, but you get a pistol, an automatic weapon, a rifle, a shotgun, grenades, and a Panzerfaust.
182	* StormingTheCastle:
183	** ''Underground'' had Manon infiltrate an SS castle. Also, the bonus mission.
184	** Operation Repunzel in ''Frontline''. The first game was supposed to have a mission in Colditz Castle, but it was dropped.
185	* StupidJetpackHitler: The missions of the first game revolve around sabotaging German "wonder weapons," which includes a railway gun, a prototype super-submarine, a poison gas factory, a heavy water facility, and a V2 rocket plant.
186	* SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity: Whenever a mounted gun is found it usually means that a large number of mooks are inbound for you.
187	* TankGoodness: Any and all of the pre-2010 games has at least one tank for the Germans[=/=]Japanese. The first game had an unoccupied Tiger that [[WhatCouldHaveBeen was originally going to be fought]].
188	* TeleportingKeycardSquad: Nazis almost always rush you from the way you came after obtaining your objective, often accompanied by the fact that they've been tracking you. [[RespawningEnemies Sometimes respawning]].
189	* ThoseWackyNazis: The main antagonists of the games set in the European Theater, obviously. While many are rather goofy, especially if the player is disguised as one of their officers, others, such as Rudolf Ulbricht von Sturmgeist and the Nazi Storm Elites, are nothing to laugh about, and can give even veteran players a run for their money.
190	* TimedMission: ''Underground'' had "[[VideoGame/CrazyTaxi Wacky Taxi]] mode" where all missions get timers.
191	* TropicalIslandAdventure: ''Rising Sun'' and ''Pacific Assault'' take place in the Pacific Theater of World War II, with the former having missions in the Philippines and Singapore, the latter having missions in Kiribati, and both having missions in Hawaii and the Solomon Islands.
192	* UnexpectedShmupLevel: Done several times, ''e.g.'' the jeep level in ''Allied Assault'', the halftrack ride in ''Spearhead'', and the truck ride and MinecartMadness sequences in ''Frontline''.
193	* UniversalAmmunition: Played straight in most of the early games, where picking up a Karabiner 98k rifle meant more rounds for your M1 Garand. The series mostly downplayed it when they started copying '' Call Of Duty''[='=]s modus operandi, as while dead enemies did start dropping their weapons sometimes on death, they could also drop ammo boxes that'd give ammo for allied weapons.
194	** Averted for the most part in ''Pacific Assault'' as enemies never drop ammo for allied weapons, though an oversight with the ammo system (Weapons in the same catagory share ammo), means you can pick up a Japanese weapon of the same category, pick up ammo from other Japanese weapons, then get more ammo for your Allied weapon in that same category, you can also find clearly Japanese Ammo Boxes scattered around that give ammo for even exclusively allied weapon types. (Like the shotgun.)
195	* UniqueEnemy:
196	** The first game had German Shepard patrol dogs in the final level of the first mission, and nowhere else.
197	** ''Frontline'' had Sturmgeist's personal guards in two levels.
198	** ''Rising Sun'', being set in the Pacific campaign, had a handful of German troops in one mission, and nowhere else.
199	* UnPerson: A variant is used in the very first game. After James Patterson was awarded the Medal of Honor for his participation and rescue of others in the disastrous parachute drop that preceded D-Day, he suddenly disappears from his barracks and isn't heard from again. It turns out OSS essentially kidnapped him to send him on one-man wars.
200	* VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: Nordhausen in the original, Gotha in ''Frontline'', Fort Schmerzen in ''Allied Assault'', the Flakturm in ''Airborne'', etc.
201	* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: The first game was renowned for enemies reacting to body part specific damage. Shooting them in the [[GroinAttack crotch]] often caused hilarious results. On the other hand, it was totally "clean". There was none of the gore and violence associated with most modern FPS games.
202	* YouNoTakeCandle: The Soviet soldier who talks to Barnes in ''Spearhead'' speaks in grammatically-incorrect English.

Context VideoGame / MedalOfHonor