Today, as you read this, real U.S. forces — alongside allied nations and native Afghans — are fighting a brutal war against motivated insurgents in hostile territory. Today, in the new Medal of Honor, you can play the game based on that conflict.

If that didn’t cause you to chuck your magazine in a rage, then this franchise reboot will offer you a first-person action game like no other. Its high notes will make shooter junkies gush in forums, and the whole visual experience brings to startling life the difficulty of simply maneuvering through mountains where a tree or a bug could be an insurgent, and a stone in the distance could be pointing a gun at you.

It’s an intriguing premise to take the intensity of blowing the living hell out of ramshackle mountain-top mortar teams from the gunner seat of a high-tech helo, and then carry it over to sequences where you’re creeping through caves with wounded comrades. But Medal of Honor shifts masterfully between the two aspects of modern warfare as it tells a tightly woven two-day story (about eight hours of campaign play) across 10 missions. Whether you’re dropping heavy munitions from aircraft or executing the Tier 1 Operators’ scalpel-like incursions on the ground, there’s a compelling progression without having to jump continents.

Though the Afghani territory may at first seem like an awful lot of rock dotted with small villages, the switching of mission styles and battle conditions — from dusty areas to nighttime to snowy, flare-lit peaks — keeps the visual flavor fresh. The use of night-vision sequences isn’t new, but they’re backed by terrific voice-overs from your Tier 1 mates, who, amid the intense chatter, help you locate threats, priorities, and your next mission objectives. As you sneak around, ominous lines feed the atmosphere (“The Taliban, they have spies everywhere”), and comments like “We’ll be heading to Pakistan soon enough” add political spice to what’s otherwise a straightforward depiction of men mostly doing what they’re told.

In one especially intense mission, your exposed group has just a damaged hut for protection, and even that disappears in a blinding cloud of dust when an RPG round slams into your position. Amid the chaos, it’s reassuring to hear calm voices, and to snag extra ammo from your brotherhood of soldiers, who are all looking to “Find the bad guys, kill the bad guys,” as one of your comrades says pointedly.

As sharp as it is, the presentation does have some rough edges: on two occasions, we had to restart a mission, as a squadmate who was apparently supposed to trigger the next action (like kicking down a door or giving a buddy-boost up a ledge) failed to kick in. Frequent checkpoints made these instances a minor complaint, though.

And the real controversy, of course, surrounds the game’s multiplayer. Yes, you can play as the Taliban (even if they're no longer named that in the game), shooting at U.S. troops. Aside from a few scraggly details on the Taliban equipment, though, it’s a bit hard to distinguish the two sides, so playing as the enemy may bother some folks less than they’d think. As far as modes, Cleansweep is a crazy last-man-standing event where up to 24 players stay alive as long as they can, every man for himself. Objective Raid (take specific map points under a time limit) could be dominated, it seemed, by one organized team, while Combat Mission uses three unique maps as you swap between offensive and defensive responsibilities.

We found that in each mode, any of the three classes — Rifleman, Special Ops, and Sniper — could turn the tide of battle, and you’ll have fun on most maps in any role. Points for kills, assists, double kills, and captures are all part of the regular FPS online experience nowadays (as are medals and awards), but while you’ll unlock new weapons and customize their details as you level up, you’re not adding perks in a way that’ll leave newbies underpowered.

Intense without being brash, and focused on a tight situation as opposed to a global theater of operation, the relaunched Medal of Honor definitely finds its own voice as a military shooter. It’s polished and visually appealing, while providing a little gaming perspective on a controversial military action. And you don’t get that every day.

On Xbox 360

+ Expert blend of "big" events and tight missions remains diverse enough to keep you playing.

+ Multiplayer modes are compelling as any of the three available classes.

- Some mission glitches.

? When are they coming home?

8.5