Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway is a continuation of the story from the previous BIA games Road to Hill 30 and Earned in Blood. The game is the first of the series on the current generation consoles and it has a much different feel to it than the previous games. The original BIA games prided themselves on being different from the plethora of WWII shooters out there because of its use of tactical military procedures (like flanking enemies) its strong characterization and its feel that you were part of the history of the battle, you play as a fictional character but all of the missions you go on are straight out of history books (like objective WXYZ) The game helped to make you feel like you are in the game by minimizing the time spent in third person mode, you only see your character in a couple of scenes but for the most part you are in first person mode.
Hell’s Highway changed a lot of these things and not for the better; the historical accuracy of the battles was taken away, while very basic stuff stayed (like in the game Eindhoven is bombed and it was in real life but the game is very loosely based on this actual event) Another thing that is gone from this game is the constant first person perspective, when you are actually playing you will be in third person a lot because there is a new cover feature that puts you in third person. So now instead of looking down the sights of the weapon you use crosshairs which takes away something from the game itself. (It should be noted that this is only when you are in the cover system, if you aren’t you look down the sights like normal) The cut scenes are also meant to be more cinematic but this means that you see Baker (your character) more often and this makes you feel more like you are stepping into his shoes as opposed to being there yourself.
However the game is not bad, there is a good use of weaponry, the cover system is solid with destructible cover (if you hide behind a fence it will become Swiss cheese within seconds from German fire) and the cinematic approach might not be in keeping with the other games but for what it is it is impressive. The facial expressions of the characters and their movements are quite impressive. The story is very fleshed out with a large focus on something that happened in the first game (without spoiling anything I’ll tell you that it is about Allen, Garnett, and Leggett.)
The story also delves into a growing emotional issue with Baker and his grief over the loss of people he has served with and the haunting truth of the story of Allen, Garnett, and Leggett that he has kept from everyone else. The emotional issues are so strong that he begins to hallucinate and have classic PTSD symptoms, it is an interesting approach because in most other games you kill and watch others die with very little emotional impact, your character is very callous towards death, but in this one death haunts you like it would in real life.
The basic gameplay has not changed in terms of strategy, find the enemy, fix the enemy, flank the enemy, finish the enemy. This is the core of the game and if you try to “Rambo” too much of the game you will get killed. There are some new features and one of these is the action cam where if you pull off a headshot or use a tank or bazooka to take out a position it will zoom in on the hit and show you all gore you will ever need. The explosions and the affects are pretty realistic (limbs will come off, skulls will get crushed, etc) The game is definitely a “Mature” rated game.
The graphics are impressive with very little framerate slowdown and crisp backgrounds. The characters look great although it is difficult to recognize most of the squad members other than Baker, Red, and Mac. The game is not bad but it is a departure from some of the things that I loved about the first two BIA games. The story and the gameplay are still gripping and fun and even though it isn’t as good it is still a solid game.
Gameplay: 7
Story: 9
Replay Value: 7
Graphics: 9
Overall: 8
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