Medal of Honor: Rising Sun

Plot

On December 7, 1941, U.S. Marine Corporal Joseph D. 'Joe' Griffin awakens on the USS California to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He makes his way topside, putting out fires and aiding crewmen, and meets Gunnery Sergeant Jack 'Gunny' Lauton. Joe works to shoot down planes and destroy torpedoes, is blown off the ship, and is rescued by a PT boat carrying Gunny, Private First Class Frank Spinelli, and Private First Class Silas Whitfield. Joe mans a turret to defend Battleship Row, and after witnessing the sinking of the USS Arizona, they defend the USS Nevada as it attempts to escape harbor.

On January 1, 1942, Joe and Gunny are in the Philippines, where they meet Joe's younger brother Donnie, part of a Marine demolition unit. Donnie and the engineers need to blow Calumpit Bridge, but their demolition truck was captured; the three retrieve the truck and the bridge is blown, but Donnie is inside a tank overrun by Japanese soldiers and presumed dead. On August 7, 1942, Gunny, Joe, and two other Marines conduct a midnight raid on Guadalcanal to take an airfield and destroy an ammo dump before the main assault at dawn.

On October 14, 1942, the Japanese bombard them with artillery from a position codenamed 'Pistol Pete'. Gunny gives Joe two Marines and a mission to take out Pistol Pete. Along the way they meet Martin Clemens, a Scottish guerrilla fighter and coastwatcher, two natives named Selas and Kiep, and rescue POW Lieutenant Edmund Harrison, a demolitions expert who blows up the guns. The mission succeeds, and Gunny recommends Joe to the Office of Strategic Services, promoting him to Sergeant.

Reception

The PlayStation 2 version of Medal of Honor: Rising Sun received a Double Platinum sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association, indicating at least 600,000 copies sold in the United Kingdom, and a Gold certification from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland for at least 100,000 units across Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The game received mixed or average reviews according to Metacritic. Critics agreed the opening Pearl Harbor missions were a great introduction, but later missions were considered sub-par, leading to questions about whether the game was released unfinished. Rising Sun received an award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition during the AIAS' 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.