Brothers in Arms: Hell's Higway

Review by I BlckJck I

Sgt Baker's squad are called into action as Gearbox deliver their third instalment of the WWII tactical shooter.

Story

Playing as Sgt. Matt Baker you lead a recon squad to spearhead the 101st as it advances through Holland. The game aims to show the human side of warfare as much as the historical. As the ferocity of fighting increases more men are lost and we slowly witness the strain build upon the characters. No more so than Baker who carries the guilt of his men's deaths, especially that of Leggett. In the first game Baker finds him next to 2 dead US paratroopers and 3 dead German soldiers, Leggett's story is never told as Baker tells him to keep it secret for fear that the may others kill him. This secret runs throughout most of the game as Baker attempts to come to terms with his decisions.

The story is very deep, perhaps too deep for those who haven't played the previous instalments, as the games attempts to get you caught up often cause as much confusion and a better introduction would have helped clear things up for new players. By the end of the game we see many members of the squad killed or wounded and the cut scenes are used to wonderful effect and do a good job of creating emotion between characters and genuine shock as we witness comrades fall.

Gameplay

Most levels are based around you commanding a number of squads, 4 types are available for you to command, assault, support, bazooka and MG squads will all be available. This allows for a more tactical approach. For instance an MG squad will suppress an enemy far better than an assault squad and a bazooka squad will take out fortified positions without risking your troops my attempting to assault it.

Squad commands are issued by the left trigger to fire, move, assault and this is simple but effective. This allows you to choose whether to stay back with your MG team and suppress the enemy, fight along side you assault team or try and be a one man army only using your team mates for covering fire, which most of the time will leave you dead and loading the last checkpoint.

The squad AI is very good and you'll want to make use of it, your team mates will hold their fire if your planning an ambush and will change their position if their exposed. They also target effectively and will try to keep enemies suppressed without being told to all the time. The enemy AI also provides a challenge, they will move if you try and outflank them and I rarely saw them do anything stupid. Although your enemies for the most part are very defensive, it would have been nice if they would try and out lank you occasionally, adding a new dynamic to combat.

You won't always be in command of your squad. Some levels see you separated and forced to take on the enemy alone others see you in command of a friendly tank. While these levels attempt to add some variety they often seem forced, especially when you take command of a tank and for some reason Baker and his squad disappear until the end. The games ending, in terms of actual gameplay is wholly anti-climatic and these areas give you a feeling the game was rushed and tarnish the better aspects of gameplay.

Graphics and Sound

Using the Unreal 3 engine the game looks superb whether your looking out over the beautiful Dutch farmland on day one or on the wreckage strewn roads of 'Hells Highway' when the battles outcome has been decided. Your weaponry has been wonderfully modelled and the game design is still staying true to its policy of historical accuracy as much as possible when it comes to locations, events or guns.

The sound in the game also stands out, from the blasts of grenades and rattling of machine guns to the chatter of your troops as they keep you updated on how the battle is progressing, more than once they told me to let them move up to a better shot or that they were bogged down in a stalemate. The voice acting brings the cut scenes to life with laughing, screaming and crying the game once again does a good job of showing the human side of warfare.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer seems an afterthought to the game. It's squad based style hoped to bring the level of teamwork seen in single player but unless your playing with friends or lucky enough to find a game full of people with a headset it usually devolves into running around shooting. While it has potential it isn't going to outshine Halo 3 or Call Of Duty 4.

Conclusion

A solid single player game the campaign will last over 10 hours. Squad combat is handled very well and will present a challenge while only throwing a handful of enemies at you each time. It's story won't have the same appeal if you haven't played the earlier instalments but it will still draw you in as you follow Baker through the deaths of many of his men and his struggle to cope with what he has seen. Gameplay is very tactical and even easy will present challenges. However it looses so much from the pointless tank combat and a Gameplay ending that seems rushed and is very anti-climatic (This is then saved by a lengthy cut-scene which ties up a lot of loose ends). Multiplayer is unlikely to hold your attention for long but sadists may enjoy the games 'Authentic' difficulty which removes your crosshair, ammo and squad indicators and lowers your health significantly.