Oct. 15, 2007
The second World War's been getting a bit of a raw deal recently. Medal of Honor: Airborne, though a sterling effort, couldn't quite slap us out of our apathy with all things 1940. So what hope is there that Sergeant Matt Baker and his brave boys from the 101st Airborne Division can turn things around?
See, BIA has always been that bit different from the other WWII FPS' that seemingly deluge every gaming system under the sun. With a marked emphasis on flanking, suppression fire
Dec 20, 2007
The Brothers in Arms series has always been more thought-provoking than most: its focus on suppression fire, team orders and flanking maneuvers set it apart from the usual run-and-gun nature of your average shooter. Hell's Highway is no exception, and thanks to the new hardware it's gained a few tricks.
Sergeant Baker reprises his role as a squad leader in the 101st Airborne Division, but unlike protagonists from other WWII games (that shall remain nameless for now) he doesn't
When Brothers In Arms: Hells Highway looks more like Soldier of Fortune than it does Medal of Honor, you know that its not your typical WWII shooter. Our first act was to hurl a grenade that blew one man into three: eviscerating his mid-section and blasting off his left leg at the knee. Once wed thrown the grenade, the game decided that we werent in any immediate danger, so it gave us a close-up of the explosion. In slow motion we could make out every little detail, including the bones
When Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood was released in 2005, it began an epic war story not unlike HBO’s Band of Brothers. In fact, the third chapter, Hell’s Highway, begins with a “Previously, on Brothers in Arms” recap, to remind us what Captain Matt Baker and the men of the 101st Airborne Division have been through since dropping into Normandy on D-Day. Now, as part of Operation Market Garden, Baker and his men
Flying in the drawn, unshaven face of Second World War videogame tradition, which states “war games shall be epic, gritty, a bit like that movie about Ryan, but above all must feature the Allies giving Jerry a good thrashing,” Brothers In Arms Hells Highway will center instead on one of the most dispiriting defeats suffered by the Allies.
Playing as both original BIA hero Matt Baker and Earned In Blood star Joe Hartsock, youll be dumped into a fateful campaign that saw the US 101st
Where World War Two shooters generally show our boys blowing away the Nazis with very few losses or deaths of major characters, Hells Highway isnt afraid to show Operation Market Garden for what it was: a big balls-up battle that saw nearly half of the Allied combatants lose their lives and the mission become a bloody failure. Yes, youll taste success on a regular basis, but as the name implies, it aint going to be a pretty
"Sergeant Baker is a poet. You won't be able to hear it... but if you could, you would cry."
We're packed into a noisy room at publisher Ubisoft's recent press day, staring at a blank loading screen for Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. The protagonist's supposedly poignant narration, as well as our desire to witness yet another World War II game, is quickly fading into the surrounding din. But when the action begins to unfold on screen, we suddenly believe the developer's claims. War can be
We like it when things fall down. Or get blown up, and then fall down. Or get shot, blown up, spun through the air, then fall down upon a pile of boxes that proceed to break into pieces. In slow-motion. While on fire.
Well, maybe not while on fire. Really, we just like to see the reaction to our actions. When you fire a bullet, it should matter. When you fire a bazooka, it should matter more. Brothers in Arms understands
Jan 9, 2008
Whereas former Brothers in Arms games focused on victorious moments in World War II, Hells Highway concentrates on Operation Market Garden: the last major Allied defeat.
“In the first game it was like the first Star Wars, with Carantan like the Death Star where all the Rebels band together,” explains head of Gearbox Randy Pitchford. “This story is more like The Empire Strikes Back. The bad guys are on top. It is not a good day for the
There’s something inherently sensible about the Brothers in Arms games - in the nicest possible way. Despite all the bullets and drama they never lose their head; they always seem a few steps ahead of you. Case in point: the first proper level begins with an airdrop of the 101st Airborne Division. Immediately we imagined the same night sky filled with transport planes and flak fire that we’ve played and seen in a good dozen games
