Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway - hands-on

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Bringing the unexpected to a WWII shooter

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 and movies.

Instead, the cutscene opened on a sunny day with squads packed into gliders being tugged through the air by other planes, before their cables were detached and they drifted to Earth. The whole thing looked so calm, even peaceful. Which made it a bit startling when we saw that some of the gliders were on unavoidable collision courses with trees. But the reason this is great isn’t just because it plays with your perception of WWII. It’s great because it actually happened. While other WWII games tend to pilfer their set pieces from films, Gearbox care deeply about authenticity and this gives them a wealth of ideas to play with.

So it’s no secret that the plot of Hell’s Highway closely follows the events of Operation Market Garden. As part of the Allied airborne force, you have to capture a road (known as Hell’s Highway, would you believe) that leads through Holland, so the British Armoured Corps can roll in and end the war by Christmas 1944. Since this didn’t happen (spoilers!) you might be guessing that this BiA is bleaker than before, and from what we’ve seen you’d be right. Hero Matt Baker is struggling to come to terms with the responsibility of his new promotion, and while there are many familiar faces in his squad, it’s safe to assume there won’t be so many at the end.

Still, nothing’s going to stop you trying to protect your boys, and with Hell’s Highway we’re getting more options than ever when it comes to combat. BiA games don’t just ask you to point your rifle and pull the trigger - you’ve got a squad to cause trouble with. The basic infantry tactic of pinning by firing at a soldier until he cowers behind cover and then flanking him with a second group is a realistic thrill.