Having once been a Video Game Long Runner and a major franchise for Electronic Arts for more than a decade, the Medal of Honor series is bound to have dozens upon dozens of beautiful, awesome, and tragic pieces intertwined with one another when played over the recreated battles of Europe and the Pacific. Having iconic composers like Michael Giacchino and Christopher Lennertz compose soundtracks for the majority of these games also helps a lot.
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Medal of Honor
- Attack on Fort Schmerzen
. A song tense and rousing in equal parts, perfect for shooting your way through the bunkers and hallways of the titular fort. It returns in Allied Assault, first during Powell's and Grillo's drive to the German airfield in North Africa, and again during "The Schmerzen Express", when Powell is making his way through a German-occupied park and into a heavily guarded train station. - Taking Out The Railgun, which plays throughout "Destroy The Mighty Railgun Greta", starts out slowly but becomes louder and faster as it goes on. In essence, this theme reflects the Starts Stealthily, Ends Loudly nature of the entire level.
- Stopping the V2 Launch plays during the last level of the game's Very Definitely Final Dungeon. It makes sure you know that, too, with a very distinctive leitmotif that gets louder each team you hear it. It makes a return in Allied Assault, when Powell destroys the German Communications Hub near Fort Schmerzen. In Airborne, snippets of this theme play when Travers is infiltrating and then destroying the German munitions depot during Operation "Varsity".
- The Jet Aircraft Facility, based on its name, was originally intended for a different mission. Despite this, it still fits very well as you work your way towards U-4901's control room in one of the game's most hectically paced levels.
Medal of Honor: Underground
- May 10th, 1940 is the game's main theme. In stark contrast to the first game's main theme, this one is much more somber, helping to indicate the far more dire circumstances that Manon Batiste, the game's protagonist, had to overcome.
- Panzer Blockade plays during the first appearance of hostile tanks in the entire series. Fittingly, it mostly consists of oppressive, militaristic drums and horns, but occasionally the heroic strings of Manon's spirit of resistance will break through. It makes a truimphant comeback in Allied Assault, where it becomes the US Army Rangers' and Lt. Mike Powell's leitmotif.
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
Even though most of Allied Assault's OST is reused from earlier games (or Frontline in the case of the twoexpansions), Michael Giacchino was still brought in to compose a few standout tracks.
- The beautiful Main Menu Theme is so iconic that later Medal of Honor games would occasionally have it play during certain portions of the campaign, or in the case of Medal of Honor: Vanguard, borrow it as a menu theme altogether. Even Real Life orchestras would play this particular theme during D-Day anniversaries.
- Tiger Tank plays when Lt. Powell and the Allied King Tiger crew finally manage to capture an intact example of the the titular tank, and proceed to wreak havoc with it.
- Schmerzen plays twice during the finale. It captures the tense moments of what proves to be an epic final level involving tense close-quarters firefights, Stuff Blowing Up, and a Collapsing Lair.
- Sniper Town plays during That One Level. Tense, and full of suspense, just as many a veteran player of this game would feel.
Medal of Honor: Frontline
- The Half-Track Chase, despite playing during a truck chase, is still sure to keep you on your toes as your vehicle barrels through the narrow streets of a Dutch town.
- Sturmgeist's Armored Train is another very fast paced song, with many of the instruments imitating the sounds of the train you're currently fighting on. It reaches its climax near the end, with menacing bells and Ominous Latin Chanting to represent the eponymous Big Bad.
- Thuringer Wald Express in the very next level. It keeps some of the train motifs of the previous song, but takes on a much more methodical, martial tone to remind the player that they're currently stranded well behind enemy lines.
Medal Of Honor: Rising Sun
Aside from being the first Medal of Honor game to be set in the Pacific, Rising Sun is also the first main title in the series to have a soundtrack composed by someone other than Michael Giacchino, in this case it's Christopher Lennertz taking over the helm. And, despite the game's underperformance and status as a Contested Sequel, it still has some incredibly wonderful pieces.
- Main Titles, an uplifting piece that captures the contrasting nature of the Pacific War to the situation in Europe.
- Hymn to Brothers Lost, which by itself is already seen as a tearjerker to many who have played the game.
- Taiko Brigade, a theme appropriate for the losing situation in "Fall of the Philippines". This theme plays as Japanese Army troops are gradually overrunning the US Marine positions in the town of Calumpit, Bulacan.
- Jungle Swarm, which would probably be the leitmotif for Hungry Jungle and Jungle Warfare tropes.
- Courtyard Strike, which plays during the Very Definitely Final Dungeon, onboard the IJN Toshikaze. A tense and epic theme appropriate for the start of a Final Battle.
Medal Of Honor: Pacific Assault
Like Rising Sun, Pacific Assault's soundtrack was composed by Christopher Lennertz. And while it is generally seen as one of the weaker games in the soundtrack department, Lennertz still manages to keep players immersed in the story and setting.
- Main Theme, a heartwarming and somber introduction to what is probably one of the best stories in any of the campaigns throughout the series.
- Wonder plays during certain loading points, particularly just before the main menu. It helps to establish Pacific Assault's more story-centered plot, and to provide players with a sense of attachment to the main characters.
- Battleground plays during the loading screen before the different levels, and is seen as one of the more memorable ones out of the bunch.
- Boot Camp. A theme appropriate for a full level that's part Justified Tutorial, and part Boot Camp Episode.
- Pearl Harbor (end), a somber theme that plays during the ending of the final Tarawa segment, signifying that, despite the bitter fighting they just went through, Conlin's squad is still going to go through even more hardship.
Medal of Honor: Airborne
While not as memorable a game as Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Airborne still has a soundtrack that's as strong and as awesome as its predecessor, thanks in no part to Michael Giacchino returning to compose for this game.
- The Main Theme foreshadows an epic campaign and an equally impressive multiplayer for such an underrated game.
- Back Alleys, aka the weapon loadout song. A dark and somber theme that helps to build up to the tense firefights that happen later in the levels you drop in.
- Gunfight In the Ruins, which plays during several firefights inside the titular Paestum ruins in the Italy level.
- Defusing the Charges plays during the Paestum level upon escaping from the exploding German ammunition depot, and during Operation Market Garden, when tasked with destroying a German Plunger Detonator.
- Taking Out the Sighting Tower, which ironically plays when clearing the radar station off Utah Beach instead of the actual Spotting Tower. Despite this, it's still an epic theme that captures the intensity of the close-quarters fights that take place.
- Tank Battle, a shortened version of "Beneath the City" from Medla of Honor: Underground. A tense theme that plays whenever a German Tiger I tank has to be dealt with. And when one is encountered, always expect it to be That One Boss.
- Operation Varsity plays when clearing the industrial sector of Essen. Compared to previous levels, this one takes on a Darker and Edgier tone, indicating that the European War is coming to an inevitable close.
- Airborne (End Credits). As one Youtuber describes it, "Medal Of Honor in its purest form".
