First footage for 'Medal of Honor Warfighter'

The first trailer for this year's Medal of Honor Warfighter has been released, and with it confirmation that the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game will launch late October (October 23 in North America, October 25 in Europe).

It's brief, but explosive, ramming home Medal of Honor's new-found fascination with tales from the world's best footsoldiers.

This time, the game focuses upon the proficiencies of not only the US's lethal Tier 1 Operatives as they trot the globe's most dangerous hotspots, but their international equivalents from 12 other countries, including Australia, Britain, Germany and Poland.

Dropping elite soldiers into multiplayer as a replacement for 2010's contentious Tier 1 vs. Insurgents scenario not only avoids repeat controversy but could also serve to broadens Warfighter's appeal.

The singleplayer is to touch upon "brotherhood, family and the current fight," following a Tier 1 Operative known as Preacher, in locations such as the Philippines and the Somali Coast.

The late October release date follows the pattern set by Electronic Arts' previous shooter, Battlefield 3 in 2011, and ensures an earlier launch than the next Call of Duty, should Activision's series stay rooted to early November.

Ubisoft moved Assassin's Creed III from a series standard mid-November to October 30, 2012, and BioShock Infinite's philosophical action hero debuts October 16, making the lead up to Call of Duty's annual record-breaker even more congested than usual.