Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood

"Most Realistic War Game"

Introduction
This is a continuation to the last Brothers in Arms game. The first game you play as Sargent Matthew Baker but in this game you play as Joseph "Red" Hartstock. This game is about Red's side of the story, in the first one you only get Baker's version. The first story ends with Red being promoted to Sargent rank but soon after that the squad is under motor fire. In this story Red tells what happened after that situation to the Marshall. Red now commands the second squad instead of being under Baker's command in the first one. Not only does the game show what happens after he got promoted but it shows what he was doing before he meets up with Baker in the first story. All events that happen in this game are based on a true story.

Gameplay
The gameplay for this game is great, it is the most realistic war game on the PS2. This game requires tactics instead of just spraying the whole board with lead untill everything is dead you must surpress your enemies before killing them. AI is a lot more intelligent in this game. In the first Brothers in Arms your ally AI's would often expose themselves and get themselves killed but in this one the find cover a lot quicker and know where to hide from enemy fire. The enemy AI is better as well, I found Germans trying to flank me one time in the old one they would never do this. (Flanking is picking of the enemy from their blind spot while the are under heavy fire.) Your character as well as anyone else will die in three rifle bullets (medium difficulty). This makes the game a lot more challenging than most war games and it makes the boards longer and more enjoyable. Enimies use tanks, machine guns and MG 88's (basically a turrent that shoots missles.) This brings a good variety in the enemy set up for each level. Enemies are so intellegent that when you throw a gernade at them they will try and throw it back at you if you don't surpress them with fire. Controlling in this game is done really well everything runs real smoothly. AI is really easy to control as well which i was really surprised with. They follow commands perfectly you can tell them where to go and they will go there, you can also tell them where to fire and to ambush the enemy. This game has great game play compared to any war game.

Story
Since this game is based on a true story this game's story is perfect. It gives good amount of information about many different members of the squad not just the main character. Unlockables also give you more information on the story. As far as war games go this story is by far the best.

Graphics
Graphics in this game a pretty cool. The characters facial expressions are done well but their faces not as good as metal gear solid but they are still very good. Bullets are very realistic and when you hide behind cover mud hits your face from bullets hitting the hill. When bullets just miss you a white flash goes around the outside of the screen to indicate that your in a bad position and are vunerable to enemy fire. Blood as hits your screen when shot or when someone close to you is shot. Guns and tanks look great too as well as the background the lighting in this game is better than the first.

Sound
Sound in this game is great probably this games biggest strong point. Voice overs on ever character and enemy. The voice overs are done real well and the actors put a lot of emotion into what they say. Gun shots sound very real and are very loud. Music is very good for the games theme as well. Some of the great actors from the last game aren't involved as much like Mac Hassey. Commands are giving in an aggressive voice which is great and even Germens say this when they are shot or when they are aware of your pressence. If you are shot your allies will tell you to get back and if one of your allies are shot they will either swear or one of your other allies will scream their name indicating that they are being killed. I think this is great for the gameplay as well.

Play time
The main game takes about 8-10 hours but there are other modes such as skirmish mode to play as well. There are also unlockables for each difficulty making replayability better. Every board is really fun I really can't say there is a board that brings this game down at all.

Multi player
This I was very excited to hear about. This game gives a good selections of games to play co-op and VS mode. You can be Americans and Germans each side has their own missions. The major upset about this is it lags horrible on split screen. Me and my brother played and it lags the whole time. Shooting is slower and so is reloading very annoying. Runs real smoothly with one player though. The lag is the only thing that brings this game down.

Review
Gamplay-9
Graphics-8
Sound-10
Value-7
Tilt-10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/12/06