Brett Elston
Pulse game critic

Ever since "Saving Private Ryan" there have been so many World War II adventures that the war has become its own sub-genre. Even now, "Secret Weapons over Normandy" and "Call to Duty" are battling it out for action-starved gamers' attention. Both are easily blanketed, if only by name, by Electronic Arts' latest WWII offering: "Medal of Honor: Rising Sun" is available for all three consoles.

"Sun" is the sequel to last year's excellent first-person shooter "MoH: Frontline," which focused on the European aspects of the war. EA now turns its attention to the Pacific, beginning with a teeth-rattling tour of Pearl Harbor. As usual, the action is supplemented with black and white newsreels that give us non-history majors some background, as well as letters from home. These, when combined with a quality musical score, actual battlegrounds and authentic weapon sound effects, create an atmosphere that is very convincing and turns out to be the best part of the game.

You arrive on deck to see Japanese planes clouding the sky and strafing destroyers. Even though you know it's a hopeless battle, you feel compelled to try your hardest not to let the Arizona go down. But it does, and after some more mindless shooting, you're whisked away to your next mission.

While "Sun" may start with a bang, it pretty much offers everything it can in the first stage. Beyond Dec. 7, 1941, it seems all the armed forces did was blindly run through the streets and pre-blazed jungles, guns ready. The frenetic showdowns of "Frontline" are gone; no more hauling ass from building to building, constantly afraid of snipers or ambushes. No, now you can literally ignore all stealth and strategy and mow everything down.

The tense "Enemy at the Gates" moments are never found in "Sun," which could partially be due to the location. Then again, the broken down, bombed-out Philippines look a lot like the same devastated cities of Europe, only now with palm trees. Perhaps then it's just a difference in fighting style? The tactics of Japan would certainly not mirror those of Germany?

Well, no, they don't. Whereas "Frontline's" soldiers at least seemed to act intelligent, "Sun's" enemy troops behave like complete idiots. They run in a straight line at you as your clearly loaded weapon is firing. Sometimes they dive behind barrels and hurl grenades back at you like seasoned warriors would. The A.I. comes off as inconsistent, and there's still more bad news.

The whole downside to war is, um ˜ let me think ˜ yeah, people dying! You and your company never have to suffer this loss. None of the friendly soldiers can even be hurt. Therefore, you can hide behind a guy as he's pelted with myriad small arms fire, run out from behind him and fire away. If any soldiers go down it's part of a scripted event, not due to your own inadequacies.

The whole game feels less polished than "Frontline." Enemies clip through corners and trees. Hidden soldiers ignore the rest of your group, only firing on you when you pass too close. No jungle fighting methods are used at all. It's more "kill this, kill that" then off to the next stage. As satisfying as raiding a bunker and single-handedly disposing of dozens of poorly trained soldiers is, when compared to the adventures "Frontline" offered, the action just doesn't measure up.

If "Rising Sun" were an expansion pack or released at a discounted price, it would come highly recommended. It is neither, sadly, and as a full $50 extension of the "Medal of Honor" franchise, it can only be suggested as a weekend rental or for serious fans of the series.