I remember standing in a GameStop back in 2007, looking at the box art for Medal of Honor: Vanguard. It felt like a relic even then. By the time it hit the shelves for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii, the gaming world was already obsessed with the rumors of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Everyone was ready to leave the trenches of 1944 behind for night-vision goggles and Middle Eastern deserts. But here was EA, doubling down on the 82nd Airborne one last time for the sixth generation of consoles. It’s a strange game. Honestly, if you played it today, you’d probably find it fascinatingly clunky, yet it has this specific, gritty charm that modern shooters have completely scrubbed away in favor of battle passes and neon skins.
The 82nd Airborne and the Paratrooper Gimmick
Most people remember Medal of Honor: Airborne as the "jumping" game. But Medal of Honor: Vanguard was actually the precursor to that experience for people who hadn't upgraded to the PS3 or Xbox 360 yet. You play as Cpl. Frank Keegan. He’s a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, and the game structure follows the biggest hits of the paratrooper history books: Operation Husky in Sicily, Operation Neptune during D-Day, Market Garden, and Varsity.
The big selling point was the parachuting.
At the start of most levels, you aren't just spawned behind a crate. You’re literally falling from the sky. You have to steer your parachute to land in specific spots marked by green smoke to get early-game advantages like extra ammo or better positioning. It was a cool idea. In practice, though, the PS2 hardware was screaming for mercy trying to render the ground as you descended. It wasn't perfect, but it gave the game a sense of verticality that most WWII shooters lacked at the time. You weren't just moving down a hallway; you were dropping into a chaotic, open-ended mess—at least for the first thirty seconds of the mission.
Why the Wii Version Felt So Different
If you played this on the Wii, you had a completely different experience than the PS2 crowd. It’s arguably one of the most physically demanding shooters on that system. EA didn't just port the controls; they went full motion-control crazy.
To reload, you had to flick the Nunchuk upward. To turn quickly, you pointed the Wii Remote at the edges of the screen. To zoom in with your scope, you actually pushed the Remote toward the TV. It was immersive, sure, but after an hour of playing, your wrists would genuinely ache. It’s a stark contrast to the PS2 version, which used the classic DualShock 2 layout we’d all mastered since Frontline. The Wii version also lacked a traditional multiplayer mode, which was a huge bummer for anyone hoping to take those motion controls online. Instead, the PS2 version kept the split-screen legacy alive, allowing four friends to sit on a couch and squint at tiny quadrants of a CRT television.
👉 See also: Lost Signal Destiny 2: Why This Grenade Launcher Is Actually Breaking The Game
The Sound Design is the Real MVP
One thing EA always got right with Medal of Honor was the audio. Even in Medal of Honor: Vanguard, which many critics labeled as a "budget" title or a "stop-gap," the sound design is incredible. Michael Giacchino’s influence still loomed large over the franchise's musical DNA, even if he wasn't scoring every single track himself by that point.
The guns sound heavy.
When an MP40 fires near you, it has this distinct, metallic clatter. The explosions have a deep, rattling bass that felt massive if you had a decent set of speakers. There’s a specific atmosphere in these older MoH games—a mix of cinematic heroism and genuine dread—that Call of Duty eventually traded for high-octane action. In Vanguard, when you’re pinned down in a ruined house in Sicily, the sound of the enemy shouting in German and the debris falling around you feels oppressive. It’s not "fun" in the way a modern arcade shooter is fun; it’s stressful.
Tactical Limitations and AI Quirkiness
Let's be real for a second: the AI in this game is not smart.
Your squadmates are mostly there for flavor. They’ll run into a room, take cover behind a wooden table that offers zero protection, and yell things at you while you do 90% of the work. The enemies aren't much better. They tend to stick to very predictable paths. However, the game compensates for this with sheer numbers and some pretty punishing damage scaling. On the harder difficulties, Medal of Honor: Vanguard becomes a game of inches. You peek, you take a shot, you hide.
It also introduced a rudimentary weapon upgrade system. If you performed well or found certain items, you could add a drum magazine to your Thompson or a scope to your M1 Garand. It was a tiny nod to the customization trends that were starting to take over the genre, though it felt a bit out of place in a game trying so hard to be a "classic" historical experience.
A Game Caught Between Generations
The development of Vanguard was handled by EA Los Angeles. They were basically the keepers of the MoH flame after the original creators (2015, Inc.) left to form Infinity Ward and make Call of Duty. You can feel the struggle in the game's design. It wanted to be a blockbuster, but it was limited by the aging hardware of the PS2.
By 2007, the "World War II fatigue" was real. Critics were brutal. They called it "more of the same" and "uninspired." And yeah, if you’d played European Assault or Rising Sun, you had seen a lot of these assets before. But for the kids who hadn't gotten a PS3 for Christmas yet, Vanguard was a lifeline. It was a way to stay in that cinematic WWII world for just a few more missions.
It’s also worth noting that this was one of the last games to really lean into the "Heroic Paratrooper" narrative before the industry shifted toward the grittier, more cynical "War is Hell" tone of the 2010s. There’s a certain earnestness to Frank Keegan’s journey. There are no moral gray areas here. You are the good guy, the Nazis are the bad guys, and you have a C-47 transport plane ready to drop you into the heart of the conflict.
💡 You might also like: Disney Dreamlight Valley Walkthrough: Why You’re Probably Playing All Wrong
How to Play It Today (and Why You Should)
If you're looking to revisit Medal of Honor: Vanguard, you have a few options, but none of them are "modern." It hasn't been remastered. It’s not on digital storefronts like Steam or the PlayStation Store.
- Physical Hardware: Scour eBay or local retro game stores. PS2 copies are usually cheap—around $10 to $15. The Wii version is even cheaper because nobody wants to deal with the motion controls anymore.
- Emulation: Using something like PCSX2 on a PC is actually the "best" way to see the game. You can up-render the resolution to 4K, which makes the textures look surprisingly sharp. It reveals a lot of the detail the PS2’s standard definition output used to hide.
- Wii U Backwards Compatibility: If you have a Wii U, you can run the Wii disc natively. It won't look better, but it’s a convenient way to play on a modern TV via HDMI.
You should play it if you miss the era of the "linear-but-epic" shooter. There are no microtransactions. There’s no open world filled with icons. It’s just you, a M1 Garand, and a series of increasingly difficult objectives. It’s a tight, 6-hour experience that reminds you of a time when games didn't try to be "forever services."
Actionable Steps for Retro Collectors
If you are planning to add this to your collection or play it this weekend, keep these specific tips in mind to get the most out of the experience:
👉 See also: Why NYT Connections 8 12 25 Proved to be a Total Headache for Regular Players
- Skip the Wii version unless you love a workout. The novelty of motion-controlled aiming wears off in about twenty minutes. The PS2 version is the definitive way to play if you want a traditional shooter feel.
- Master the "Green Smoke" landings. Don't just drift aimlessly during the parachute sequences. Landing on the green smoke gives you weapon upgrades early in the mission, which makes the later sections of the level significantly less frustrating.
- Invest in a Component Cable. If you're playing on a real PS2, don't use the yellow composite cables. Get a set of Component (Red/Green/Blue) cables. Vanguard supports 480p, and the jump in clarity is massive.
- Watch for the Flanking Routes. While the game feels linear, many of the urban maps in the Market Garden missions have "secret" hallways or blown-out rooms that let you get behind German MG42 nests. The game doesn't highlight these; you have to look for them.
Medal of Honor: Vanguard isn't a masterpiece. It isn't the best game in the series—that title usually goes to Allied Assault or Frontline. But it represents the end of an era. It was the final gasp of the classic WWII shooter before the world moved on to modern warfare and sci-fi. For that reason alone, it’s a piece of gaming history worth remembering. It’s a snapshot of 2007, a year where we were all stuck between the greatness of the past and the uncertainty of the high-definition future.