Brother's in Arms: Hell's Highway

But concealment is a double edged sword thanks to destructible cover. Sandbags leak, while wooden barriers pop and splinter when under heavy fire. It’s as impressive to look at as it is frightening to witness. You're safer behind rock and metal, but enemies can still create a hailstorm of lead that’ll make poking your head out and getting a decent shot extremely difficult.A blind fire option is present, but you’re better off ordering a team member to a better vantage point, oraccurately lobbing a grenade directly at a Nazi’s kneecaps.

Part of what make grenades so satisfying is the authentic report that follows. We tossed one at the feet of three Germans unaware, and watched them ragdoll into the air, blown off legs and all. These graphic and violent feats aren’t easy to pull off, but when you do, you can really savor them with a slowed, bullet-time presentation that never gets old. Pull off an impressive headshot, get ready for a close-up of a face coming apart. And we didn’t witness it, but we were told certain turret machine guns are capable of chopping a man in half. Eeexcellent...

Know what the hardest mode is called in Hell’s Highway? “Authentic.” Because real war isn’t pretty, and that’s exactly what Gearbox is striving to recreate. Outside of those in-the-moment cutscenes and a regenerating health bar (seemingly an industry standard at this point) this is probably the closest you can get to WWII without a time machine and aletter from the Draft Board.