Shooter is a bit hit and miss.Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
Playstation 3
$99.95
7/10
DURING the agonisingly long cut-scene that precedes the action in Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway, I knew something was wrong.
As I struggled to pin-point what was bothering me, a friend sitting next to me casually let the cat of the bag. “Why does everyone look the same?” he asked.
I glanced at the gritty World War II box-art. No, the game is not called ‘Twin Brothers in Arms’.
Even the swastika-bearing Nazi soldiers seemed to be modelled on the same design as the Allied troops. Annoying niggles is an accurate summation of BiA: HH – a sharp-shooter with endless potential and tactical nous, let down by a few too many loose ends. Graphical glitches overshadow otherwise amazing cut scenes and explosive effects.
Realistic war tactics are let down by your sometimes stupid AI squad members.
The game is based on Operation Market Garden, an Allied operation in WWII, which took place in September 1944.
The strategic objective was an Allied crossing of the Rhine River, the last major natural barrier to the advance into Germany.
It ended badly for the Allies; Operation Market Garden was the last major victory for the Nazis in WWII.
The story is immersive and emotional, but I couldn’t help but zone out occasionally.
After two hours of non-stop gaming, I still struggled to identify the characters. Some also seem to be a bit shell shocked. When commanding your squad, your AI troops take your commands literally. Even if it means being battered with Nazi bullets in the process.
For example, I instructed my soldiers to take cover behind a wall. But instead of running around the back of the wall and digging in, they arrived from the front and ‘hid’ on the wrong side.
Problems aside, BiA: HH is a competent wartime shooter.
But don’t purchase the game expecting a Call of Duty run-and-gun experience.
BiA: HH is all about cover-to-cover tactics. Find cover, put the enemy under pressure, flank and eliminate the threat.
When it works, it’s thoroughly enjoyable.
BiA: HH sounds great, and for the most part, looks good too. The night missions are a standout graphical highlight, play them in a dark room with the volume up for maximum drool.
