Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway

"Brothers In Arms has finally made it to next gen systems, and it's still a blast to play."

In an industry where such labels are often applied tongue-in-cheek, the Brothers In Arms franchise is one of the few major new IPs from the previous console generation that can truly be considered ‘underappreciated.' Despite launching to tremendous retail and critical success across both the PlayStation 2 and XBox, the first two titles in the series never achieved the level of instant recognition that some other games of its ilk have garnered. In all fairness, it's easy to see why the franchise has flown somewhat under the radar; after all, the games are first-person shooters set during World War II – something about as common in gaming these days as quick-timing button presses and garishly-coifed Japanese characters.

Yet, in spite of its tired historical backdrop, developer Gearbox's uniquely tactical approach to combat during the Second Great War breathed a new life into the WWII genre, and captured the prior games a strong (if not particularly voluble) following within the shooter crowd. The release of Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway marks the series' debut on the current wave of gaming platforms; set in the midst of the ill-fated Operation Market Garden, the game strives to bring the franchise's intense gameplay to a new locale, replete with all of the technological bells and whistles gamers have come to expect from their powerful hardware. The ride along Hell's Highway is at times bumpy, but much like the brave Allied soldiers who inspired it, Hell's Highway ultimately manages to deliver on its promises.

What stands out immediately upon learning about Hell's Highway is the curious choice of setting. Operation Market Garden was the Allies' only losing effort of WWII; from the very moment you load the game, any player with even a rough idea of military history will know that all of your hard-fought victories on the ground will ultimately be for naught. Armed with that foreknowledge, the travails of the diverse array of characters that comprise the unit – led by your character, Sergeant Matt Baker – really become the true stars in the show. Through the use of dynamic in-engine scripted sequences, the plot in Hell's Highway does a stupendous job of imbuing the men you're fighting alongside with distinct and likable personalities. Granted, it won't win any Oscars, but it really captures the war-movie ambiance that it aims for, and you might just end up actually caring about the fates of some of those generic soldiers.

Beyond the game's narrative aspects, what really holds the wartime atmosphere together is its spectacular portrayal of combat from the distinctive perspective of a squad leader. Rather than playing like any other run-and-gun shooter, Hell's Highway perpetuates the BIA tradition of leaning heavily on squad-based strategic gameplay. As Baker, you'll almost always be leading two or more squads of soldiers, broken intermittently into assault, bazooka, machine gun, and base of fire teams. Whenever you encounter resistance, it's your job to guide those soldiers into position to successfully repel or overrun the opposition.

As with the prior titles, squad orders are issued very intuitively via the left trigger. Pull the trigger, aim it at cover, and your squad will take refuge there; pull and target an enemy position, and your guys will direct withering fire towards your mark. These rudimentary tactics are the bread and butter of the BIA experience; most of Hell's Highway's battlefields are quite cleverly designed, presenting myriad opportunities to advance your men into more advantageous positions for engaging enemy soldiers. By the end of the second or third mission, you'll be oscillating between issuing orders to your squads and squeezing off a few of your own rounds at the Nazis with ease.

Most of that ease of use stems from the controls, which have seen a major upgrade for this iteration. Perhaps taking a cue from a number of recent shooters, Hell's Highway now incorporates a true cover system. By pressing the left bumper, Baker will instantly sidle up to any nearby defilade, while the game's camera autonomously swaps perspective to the third person. From the relative safety of cover, you can then direct your squads about the battlefield, or lean out and attempt to pick off some Germans for yourself. The cover system is implemented quite smoothly within the larger context of infantry combat – you'll be introduced quite early to the differences between degradable cover and a sturdy brick wall – and it really helps to amplify the sense of danger that being exposed during a firefight should bring.

As you progress through the campaign, you'll visit a great deal of the Holland countryside, as well as environments such as burnt-out cities and a truly harrowing fight along the eponymous tract of road from which the game took its moniker. Pacing is something that the first two BIA games had down pat, and Hell's Highway is no different – you'll meet with resistance and rush to beat back the German opposition, only to eliminate the last Nazi soldier and be faced with a minute or two of portentous quiet until your next encounter. Many missions will completely envelope you, holding you in thrall until the next cutscene or loading pause; the one-two punch of issuing orders and then hustling to execute your own end of the equation makes for an enjoyable experience that feeds a ‘just a little more' mentality.

There are times, though, when the thrill ride sputters to a halt. For some curious reason, several sections within certain levels will strip Baker of his squadmates, forcing players to go it alone for short spurts of fighting. While these portions of the game aren't terrible, they really don't do the overall production any favors – the gameplay is essentially pared down to its inchoate shooting elements, which aren't nearly as enjoyable on their own. A couple of these incidents are meant to be very anxious, fraught points within the plot, but the mediocre gameplay deflates any tension that the story had hoped to build.

One other major issue that rears its head egregiously during the solo segments is the A.I. Artificial intelligence had previously been an issue in the BIA series, and it seems that the problem of programming smart Nazis continues to bedevil the minds at Gearbox. Most of the Germans you'll encounter do little more than run behind cover and pop out occasionally to fire a few rounds at you or your squad. This isn't too much of a problem – after all, the Operation Market Garden was mostly fought on the offensive by the Allies – but the fact that your foes never seem to employ any other tactics feels very unrealistic after a while. Worse yet, your character is a very good shot, so you can usually pick off almost all the enemies in your path by just patiently taking a few shots at a time.

There are also a number of A.I. glitches that crop up over the course of the game. Every once in a while, a Nazi will stand up and freeze in place, practically begging to be shot. You'll also definitely run into pathing bugs for squads on both sides. Needless to say, it can be extremely frustrating to have one of your teams summarily mowed down by Nazi machine gun fire because they inexplicably choose to run in out into the open after you directed them to a new cover point. None of the bugs you'll run into ever cripples the gameplay completely – it helps that any downed friendly soldiers magically recover whenever you reach a checkpoint – but they add up to give the game a decidedly unfinished feel.

These A.I. concerns tally up to render Hell's Highway a fairly easy game, even on Authentic difficulty. Most players will find themselves blasting through the campaign in a few evenings, given how enthralling it can be. Once finished, there's little impetus to play the game through a second time, save for players who might want to pursue some of the collection achievements. There are no offline competitive or cooperative play options, which seems like a missed opportunity, given the nature of the gameplay.

Of course, no shooter today would be complete without online competitive multiplayer, and Hell's Highway certainly obliges players in that regard. On offer here is a game type called ‘Capture,' in which teams of Americans and Germans face off in a contest to raise or lower flags. Unfortunately, the game doesn't capture any of the intensity of the single-player operation; while it does require a capable leader who actively directs their teammates around the battlefield, your online squadmates tend to have their own agendas, which makes actually coordinating your team a hit-or-miss affair. Ultimately, Hell's Highway online is competently designed, and it can be enjoyable when you can get a team working together, but its cachet is probably limited to a niche following.

Online or offline, Hell's Highway is an above-average looking game. Holland is rendered beautifully – many of the missions take place outdoors, and the myriad meadows and farmhouses look as verdant as you might imagine. Character models are only okay to behold, as they seem to have some issues with texture blinking; on the flip side, explosions and other effects look awesome, as does the deterioration of flimsier types of cover. Of particularly grisly note is the ‘action camera' employed sporadically in single-player; this is a very gory game, and this little contrivance really captures every visceral detail. The frame rate maintains itself very well, only stuttering ever so slightly when the game is loading enemies or objects into the environment.

Rounding out Hell's Highway's production values is its excellent audio score. Upon diving into the chaos of battle, you're treated to a cacophonous mix of bullets whizzing around and soldiers screaming at one another. Every weapon and explosion hits its own exclusive note within the soundscape, and the amalgamated product of all those effects sounds dead-on to what you would expect from a WWII game. Character voice acting is generally spot-on as well; you'll hear a statement or two that might elicit a groan, but both the American and German actors usually put the right emotional touches into their lines. Rounding out the package is a duly triumphal orchestral score that plays in the menus to get your adrenaline pumping before you drop into the fighting.

Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway suffered through an extremely prolonged development, requiring more than three years after its original announcement to see release. In spite of a number of technical issues that detract from the gameplay at times, on the whole those delays seem to have been worth Gearbox's while, as the game they shaped over those years very powerfully conveys the reality of infantry combat during one of the most tragic Allied operations during World War II. Hell's Highway isn't going to win any points for a flashy multiplayer suite or a stunningly cinematic campaign, but its design is sound enough to appeal to most anyone with interest in the subject matter.

Anyone who considers themselves a fan of the Brothers In Arms franchise will almost certainly find enough enjoyment in Hell's Highway to make it a worthy purchase. Additionally, shooter fans that prefer a more deliberate, strategic pace to their gunplay should also find plenty to like in the game, both online and off. Finally, anyone who has ever wanted to personally lead a contingent of soldiers into battle against the Nazis will almost certainly appreciate what this game has to offer.

Score: 8/10

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Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/20/09

Game Release: Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (US, 09/23/08)