Ahead of its Oscar nomination, Respawn Entertainment was responsible for breathing much-needed new life inside a dormant first-person shooter that, according to many of its fans, lost its identity. Prior to the release ofMedal of Honor: Above and Beyond, the last entry in the series was considered a disappointment asMedal of Honor:Warfighterfailed to connect with its core audiencewho grew up with the series' gritty World War 2 environment.
Citing a return to form,Medal of Honor: Above and Beyondwas known for its innovative approach to the classic FPS genre through the use of VR gameplay, yet the world would take notice of the game through its Gallery mode. The gallery mode featured several short documentaries of various WW2 veterans and of these documentaries,Colettewas the main focus for many film critics.
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Colette,directed by Anthony Giacchino, produced by Alice Doyard, and co-produced by Oculus and Respawn Entertainment, tells the story of a former French Resistance member named Colette Marin-Catherine who returns to Germany for the first time in 74 years. Reflecting on her time during World War 2 and the loss of her brother during the war, the emotional documentarywas enough to earn Respawn the Oscar nomination, a rare, almost unheard of accomplishment for a Video Game studio.
During the Oscar ceremony,Colettewould win the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject), with Respawn Entertainment being the first video game company to not only earn an Oscar nomination but win an Oscar. The company expressed its gratitude for winning the prestigious award, with Director of Communications Ryan Rigney personally tweeting his elation and shock over the achievement.
Colettewasn’t the first time that theMedal of Honorseries would focus on a member of the French Resistance, much less a woman protagonist, as that honor goes to 2000’sMedal of Honor: Underground. InUnderground,players controlled French Resistance member Manon Batiste, who would ally herself with the major faction inMedal of Honoras she is tasked to undergo covert missions within Africa and Europe. Batiste herself would make a cameo appearance inMedal of Honor: Above and Beyond, remaining an important character within theMedal of Honorstoryline.
Perhaps it was destiny thatMedal of Honorwould be the first video game to win an Oscar asthe series was one of the first to bring a AAA movie director involved on staff as one of its lead story writers. Steven Spielberg would go on to direct andoversee the progress of the first threeMedal of Honorgames, includingMedal of Honor: Underground.Since Spielberg’s departure, the series continued to bring engaging World War 2-era stories in video game form, a dedication that would culminate in an Oscar nomination and eventual win, over two decades in the making.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyondis now available on PC.
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