The new Brothers in Arms game that is actually good

Is the Brothers in Arms franchise one of those nutty ones that no one really talks about but plenty enjoy?

It's hard to think of anything that would compare to this situation, as it obviously sells decently enough to warrant a sequel or two. It's just some weird beast that akwardly shows up at times when much more talked about monsters are strutting their stuff.

Ignoring all the rambling, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is something I've never played before. But not just in the lame "Yuck, yuck, yuck! It just came out! Of course it's new to me!" kind of way, I mean it's unlike anything I've played before. I should have just said that.

I've never been a fan of commanding a squad from the confines of a controller's D-pad. It just always felt tacked on, especially when you never had a squad from the outset. Most of the time, you couldn't even count on these goons to carry out the job. Even in the ever glorious Half-Life 2 my fellow freedom fighters got lost in the chaos. At one point, my screen displayed a cavalry of two people follwing my lead, unfortunelty they must have been stuck to a tree somewhere, as they weren't anywhere to be found.

But Brothers in Arms (at least this latest installment, I can't quite yet speak for the two previous games) does things so well, it's hard to not stop and take notice. Outside of directing your squad around, it's a pretty fun first person shooter. But it takes plac during World War 2, so I'm sure a lot of people are out their sighing over the fact. Well, get over it, losers. It was kind of a big deal, and if the game's good, who cares. I've also played a lot of futuristic shooters too, and you don't see me or anyone else saying "Ugh, space again?!"

But, by punching down on the old left trigger, the game's camera pulls up a bit, and you now control the blue cursor of doom (for the Nazis at least). With this, you can direct where you want your troops to go, as well as tell them what to do. Place them near a wall, they'll duck for cover. Tell them to lay down surpressing fire on some nubs, and they'll do it with a smile. And here's where the strategy comes in. What you're generally aiming for is the ability to surprise and flank (come around from the outside) the enemy. You place some soldiers and tell them to shoot at the bad guys. A little circle pops up over the enemies heads, and when this turns grey, it means they're too occupied with your buddies to pay any notice to you. So you take yourself (and perhaps another crew with you if available) over to the antagonist's side and lay into them, military style.

It feel great guiding your troops around the map, especially when you obtain various groups. I'm not too far in, but I've already got a rocket launching bunch, as well as my basic grunts. It's pretty great flanking with the rocket launchers, but I'm sure it won't be so easy as I play on.

Considering how successful Gearbox has made this system, I'm surprised no one's stolen it yet. It works swimmingly, and is far more impressive than four choices on a D-pad.

Oh well, at least for the time being I know who to turn to for my tactical shooter fix.

Comments

[Tyler Ohlew]

Yeah, the thing is, they're not backwards compatible with the 360, so it's been a pain for me to play them. I don't think they're worth buying an old Xbox for, but then again, Oddworld: Strangers Wrath isn't backwards compatible either. So maybe I kind of do want to buy an Xbox.

[Jack WIlson]

I agree with what your saying. all of these games like "call of duty" are extremely unrealistic, this one is great because it is realistic and the men aren't stupid. the AI is really impressive. i haven't been following the other brothers in arms games, but i would like to try them.