While EA DICE has been owning the spotlight in the run-up to Battlefield 3’s release this Tuesday, the team at Danger Close, the studio behind last year’s indelibly promising but oft maligned Medal of Honor, has been digging in and working on the installment in the MoH / Tier 1 narrative.
Anyone who has already purchased a new copy of Battlefield 3 has undoubtedly seen the pamphlet in which a new Tier 1 patch teases the new game, and yesterday the Executive Editor of “Off Duty Gamers,” Mark Christianson updated the Medal of Honor Website with a great blog post describing the symbolism and heritage behind patch designs in the military and special operations warfare community.
“Morale patches by their very nature have been kept quiet over the years as units kept out of trouble with regulations,” Christianson writes. “It’s believed that the current crop of patches got their start from other, older elements. In WWII, aircraft nose art was a popular way to add a little personalization to a crew. These art pieces gave the aircraft a life of its own as the ‘face’ of the always female ‘she’ mentioned in regards to the airframe they put their lives into each mission. Years later, Velcro made it possible to quickly remove distinctive markings for fliers downed in combat. The patches got easier to wear selectively as well and offered the wearer a quick way to add or remove a little piece of personal pride.”
He goes on to add that, “symbols are a powerful thing in the military and for those who find it hard to express themselves something as simple as a patch or a pin can do a lot of talking and even find another in a crowded street or room.”
While the article doesn’t reveal any specific details yet about the next Medal of Honor, Executive Producer Greg Goodrich preluded the post by saying that the new patch should “give you a good idea of what type of team you’ll be a part of.”
Goodrich also mentions November 11, Veteran’s Day, as the 12 anniversary of the first Medal of Honor Game. Could this be a hint that we’ll see some sort of announcement or perhaps a trailer on that date? We’ll have to wait to find out, but you can guarantee it will be covered here. In the meantime, let us know what you think about Medal of Honor in the comments or the forums.
