Elsewhere fans of the Medal of Honor games will be on familiar ground. The tried-and-true formula of pushing on from checkpoint to checkpoint clearing enemy forces and planting the occasional charge makes the core of the gameplay. Medals awarded for performing headshots and the like are also mainstays, and overall, Vanguard seems to be a logical, if slightly unimaginative step on for the series.
One new feature is the ability to shoulder your rifle and sprint between points of cover, which is a real help in clearing levels at high speed. Vanguard also borrows the “cooking” grenades feature from Call of Duty 3. Pressing X with a grenade in your hand allows you to hang on to it for a second or two after releasing the pin to give its lucky recipients less time to take evasive action. Of course you could quite easily lose your own face in the process, but that’s the risk you take.
