I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into this game. After all, I’ve never played any of the predecessors. I had a general idea of what kind of game it was, and with that shallow knowledge, I assumed it was something like the ‘Medal of Honor’ series. You know, sort of standard WWII shooter, maybe something that uses a team dynamic. I was sort of right, and sort of wrong, I’d say.
Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway is a shooter, yes, but it somehow transcends the adjective ‘standard.’ I say “somehow”, because I’m not exactly sure how to explain how it does that, but it most certainly does. I’ll do my best to sketch you a rough idea of why this is.
Let’s start with the gameplay. Hell’s Highway is a first-person shooter, but it switches to third-person once you duck into cover. This is key, because this is the perspective you will spending over half of your overall time in, and roughly 95% of your combat time in. Brother’s In Arms takes its use of a cover system pretty seriously. Failing to find and correctly utilize proper cover, will almost certainly result in your death. The game has no qualms over punishing you for thinking that it could or should be a run-n-gun. It’s odd, but for me, this became the game’s biggest strength and biggest weakness.
The strength lies in the fact that each battle is a high-tension, strategy-based fight for your progress. Think of it this way: there are larger levels, broken up into “stages”, which are essentially defined as the individual skirmishes you will encounter. This feels very authentic, since my understanding of war is typically not defined as a single soldier, running through hordes of enemies with little concern for health or field dynamic. Most levels involve you utilizing a team, or even several teams, of troops to aid you and provide various strategic advantages. A couple of the teams include heavy machine gun troops, which provide excellent suppressing fire, or a bazooka team, for distracting, or even destroying enemy armor. How a player uses these resources greatly changes the flow of each battle. Sometimes, I used my team to provide covering fire while I plotted a course to flank the enemy. Sometimes, I just took cover, patiently marked my enemies and went for head shots. Mind you, head shots are the way to go. Unless you have closed the distance between you and the enemy considerably, then you’re best of just going for the head. Besides, if you pull off a particularly impressive shot, there is a cool slo-mo animation involving the bullet, a head and lots of blood. Excellent.
There are several points throughout the game, where the above dynamic does not apply, though it is the consistent manner in which you will move through the game. The stages or levels where this isn’t the case, were ironically, my favorite. One level in particular, titled “Down the Rabbit Hole”, starts you with no weapon and requires that you kill enemy guards, procure their weapons, then explore an abandoned hospital on the outskirts of Holland. This was, by far, my favorite part of the game. The atmosphere created in this level was haunting and effective. The cover system still applied, but felt far more visceral. It was far less chaotic, and therefore, far more personal. Ducking behind gurneys and medicine cabinets, while fighting 3 or 4 Nazi soldiers in a dilapidated hospital is far more my style. Interestingly enough, this is also where the game begins to showcase some of the psychological elements of the title. So it’s no surprise why I loved this part so much, right? So the gameplay is good. It feels right but I said that there was a weakness as well, didn’t I? The weakness for me, was pacing. The game just felt so slow and difficult at times. Because the battles are so involved, the rush I often associate with a first-person shooter was lost to the inherently more cerebral perspective that Hell’s Highway wants you to employ. I want to make a point here. By no means is this an actual flaw in the game. I am not stating that the game is any the worse for this style of gameplay. What I am saying, though, is that for me, this sort of game flow makes it difficult to want to pick up and play. The satisfaction I typically derive from a FPS isn’t all the way present here and that sort of stifles the experience for me.
The graphics in the game are great. Character models are some of the best I’ve seen on the PS3 thus far and the locales are impressive. The game is pretty damn violent, but never inundates you with gore. It’s a very selective title when it comes to presenting blood and guts. As a whole though, the presentation in this game is unbelievable. In fact, so much so, that I was taken aback by how impressed I was with the polish of the game. The voiceover work is wonderful and the characters come to life in a way that seems far more relatable than most other titles.
Then there’s the story. The story in Hell’s Highway is downright incredible. And here’s the weird thing: there isn’t really a direct narrative being told here. The story in the game is about the lives and experiences each of the soldiers in this division are having. It is simply amazing. The main protagonist, Baker, has a story and past of his own, but the game will revolve around the perspectives of several soldiers. Each one has a unique personality, ripe with distinctive traits and behaviors. The player really feels like they know these guys. As each story plays out, the web that is weaved and the eventual outcomes all bear great importance to Baker’s own sentiments and how he perceives his troops, the war and finally, himself. It’s a masterfully written game that focuses on character elaboration, instead of a traditional arc. The characters seem to have some developments based on occurrences from Hell’s Highway’s predecessors, which I unfortunately was not familiar with. Bummer, but not having exposure to the previous titles isn’t necessary to understand things in the game.
So all in all, Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway is a very well polished, unique and fun FPS. I have to admit that this isn’t a title I would come back to much, though, because I simply can’t get past the relatively slow and draining pacing of the game. Like I said before though, the style of the combat is by no means a bad thing, it’s just not ideal for me is all. The presentation is well formulated and the writing in this game warrants a play-through, if nothing else.
Overall Score (out of 10): 8.1
Graphics/Presentation: The graphics are terrific and provide some of the better character models I’ve seen on the PS3 yet. Textures are reasonably smooth though I did notice some pretty heavy lagging and drops in resolution during the more involved battles. Presentation is top-notch.
Gameplay: Well done cover system and a rewarding sense of accomplishment each time you progress. The team mechanics are decently efficient though your teammate AI is rather pitiful at times. Generally slow pacing makes it a difficult “pick up and play” title.
Story/Narrative: Expertly written by any definition of the term. Each character shines with distinct personality and development and the story(ies) really showcase the unique experience of each soldier. The main character’s personal struggles and observations of the various stories provides a cohesive narrative that brings the player a really effective framework for the game.
Sound/Music: Both are good. I didn’t even touch on this in the actual review but it is worth mentioning. The voiceover is fantastic and the general ambiance of the game is well conceived. The music is pretty standard WWII thematic type stuff, chalk full of horns and military-inspired pieces. Certainly good, but very familiar.
Replay Value: Not exceptionally high. There are some hidden gems to find, but the game doesn’t have a ton of unlockables or various modes to play. I didn’t try the online though, and if done right, I could definitely see the value in that.
Website: http://brothersinarmsgame.us.ubi.com/agegate.php?destURL=/
Metacritic: http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/brothersinarmshellshighway
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