"Supressing FIRE!"
In the first game you played as Sergant Matthew Baker and had to deal with huge odds and the consquenses of being a leader.Sergant Matthew Baker wasn't ment to be in command of 3rd squad and because of the number of people in 3rd quad was 13 he and Coporal Hartsock painted the number on thier helmets.Then 3rd squad began losing men so the survivors in 3rd squad unfairly accused Baker of letting them die.In Road to hill 30 Baker would read his "private diary" to us and some of them were really remeberoable.Anyways enough about Hill 30 and more about Earned in Blood.I think a further more investgation of Hartsock is needed. Coporal Hartsock was one of the two coporalsin 3rd squad was real good friends with Private Allen and Garnett and (play Rth30 and would know about them)Baker and Corrion.Coporal Hartsock was in the fire team of 3rd squad which was under 3rd platoon of Fox company, 3rd battlion, 502d PIR of the 101st airborne division.Coporal Hartsock was one of the people who "grew up" at purple heart lane after seeing one of his best friends die.Hartsock was present at hill 30 and he had watched Baker get knocked down,secured the left flank of Hill 30 and returned and discoverd all the dead bodys.For his actions he was promoted to Sergant and was given control of 2nd squad,but the krauts in town started raining mortars on them so they prepared to counter attack.
In my view the reason why they made earned in blood was to show what happened at the end of Hill 30 and to show Baker wasn't the hero at hill 30 and this game is more like epic action movies like Band of brothers or Saving private ryan.
Story:The game is all about showning the bond of brotherhood devolped between soldiers in war.The game firsts starts of with you jumpimg out of a destroyed plane into Normandy.You then find out that you landed on a tree and after that a Kraut (slang for nazi is aimimng at you with a K98 mauser rifle.When he is saying something in german a bullet scarpes his hand and he screams as a second bullet rips into his head.Your saviour is an 82nd corporal.You then continue up the road to find 2nd squad badass Paddock.You then meet LTC Cole and take part in a Historically accaurte event of attacking carts.Since this game starts from the begging of Hartsock perspective you see Baker and command some of 3rd squad.This gets really intresting when it happens and it makes you really think that this game could be like one big game.As the airborne you must take out guns,Barns,streets and citys.Also the devolpers has included a bit more urban enviroment so you really have to use your head here.But the great thing about urban is that you can go inside peoples houses which is more useful in earned in blood than any other ww2 shooter.Sorry forgoing OT anyways since your a squad leader you must also overcome odds and cope with deaths.
Gameplay: Instead of the typical ww2 FPS run n gun system you are in command of a elite squad of paratroopers who will respond to your commands.You could tell them to move to cover,fall in,fall out,surpress and charge all with L1.If you have played European assault before this you are probaly thinking " why do i need a squad of retards when i could just mow everone down with a mp40?".You are wrong if you try run n gun you will die quickly.Instead of shooting till everyone is dead you must tell your men to fix the nazis with fire while you head round thier flank and kill em.Sometimes you won't be able to flank that easily so sometimes you have to be real wise to past that mg42 that kills you in one shot.Also Gearbox have added the halftrack that is armed with a mg42 which can surpress you easily there by exposing you to be flanked.The M10 tank destroyer armed with a 76mm gun
which can surpress the enemy even though it doesnt have rapid fire and a 50 calibre machine gun which easily surpress the jerries or if one bullet hits them there dead.Also they added the feared flak 88mm gun that can destry a tank and you or if your lucky seriously injured.The enemies A.I is added up to be stronger (they now flank you by fixing you with fire and manouver when you try flank.They thorw grenades and when you chuck a grenade they pick it up and throw it back. (or run) your squad A.I is also good and are very smart.Gearbox also added the M3A1 grese gun for the paratroppers and the fg42 automatic for the krauts.All the guns recoil in thier own way like the thompson is crap at sharp shooting put is brillant for surpressing or flanking and killing at close range.While the M1 garand is good fr surpressing and sharpshooting but isn't that good for close range.Also alot of players have complained that when they shoot someone in the head they don't die this has never happend to me ever.Brothers in arms earned in blood is very expansive and there is many ways to flank which is good fun.There some really good tactics involed for exsample you could draw those germans in the open if you run pas them and when they do go int the open they get cut down or they might charge you.Or you need to kill that gunner so you lay down surpressing fire with one team and the othe team moves to a new postion then they lay down surpressing fire for that team etc.To be honest the weapon I fear the most is the panzer which charges you and because the feature of nading the tank is still there but you have to hit with a rocket launcher first this means you gonna have to sneak past it or run from it which is something to right home about.This is the best gameplay i have ever seen in a ww2 game since MOH ailled assault it is fun it test your mind is very like full specturm warrior but you play as one of the soldiers you were commanding and its ww2
Multiplayer: There is splitscreen and skirmish that can both be played online.But i don't have online so i can only play co-op.I played Co op.In the co-op you and your mate are given one team each.You can do all the commands in the story mode.Unfortuntaely it is lagging way to much which takes away all the fun.But if you are lucky for it to not lag then it will be preety fun.Thtats the skirmish but there is another mode called splitscreen multgiplayer where you just kill each other and blow up things.When i played this it didn't lag at ALL.This missions range from Blowing up trucks to defending convoys or assaullting bases.i learnt that on here I could run n gun which was fun for multiplayer but it is not really fun for single player.Anyways snipers are pretty fun in this mode.i'm very sorry I could not play mltiplayer but now i know that Brothers in arms earned in blood is not really pouplar online which might be a dissapointment for some who live to online game.I heard you will be lucky to find 1 server.So if you were going to get his game for online multiplayer then your not really gonna be satifised so I recommend SOCOM or even Call of duty PC version.But if you want to try online people then setup a topic in this forum asking people what timezone they are in and ask them when they are on and if they wanna play.
Graphics:The graphics is what let the last one done (thats what everyone said) but luckly EIB has improved graphics.But really nothing that new but there are real places in normandy and your means faces look very realistic.The enviroments are well textured and the renders of the guns are excellent.the grass also moves side to side and dirt kicks up in your face and if you are shot or injured blood will seep into your eyes.This makes it very realistic and is kinda cool.This graphics are what i call 2004 graphics by the way.The explosions are brillant because instead of having a firestorm after a grenade explodes you just see a light and dirt goes everywhere.Anyways I've been hearing alot of talk that the PS2 version has the lease gore in it which kinda upsets me but not alot because it steal sees its share of gore with blood spraying out as bullets connect with the Nazis body.Also the cutscenes include quite alot of blood (especially one of the mid cutscenes in the last level...) that might be alot for the sqeamish.Anyways on the other hand Earned in blood is a good looking game.
Sound:From the mortars to the rattling of the grease gun the sound is very authentic especially the stg44.if you turn it all way up you will get full satisfaction such as screams flying all way round.Also this is the first world war 2 game i have played (excluding commandos 3) that uses profanity.In fact it very strong becasues every cutscene has at least 2 swear words in the first cutscene.Also the battle dialouge (I always here my brothers say something new) contains real storng language and when they get here they are most likely to take the lords name in vain or shout the F word at the top of thier voices.But enough about the swearing and more about the battlefield.This is the second best sound to ever grace a ps2 ww2 game (after call of duty 2 big red one,yeah i played every ww2 game thier is) this will have you diggin a foxhole in the comfort of your own home.
Value:I completed this game on the 11 june 2006 on Authentic after getting it on April the 18th and have been playing it everday since.I just play skirmish look at extras play splitscreen and reapeat chapters.Good replay value! Also the dynamic A.I makes it even better because even if thier in the same place they will chuck a grenade at you or charge you when you are real surpreesd
Tilt: My new favourite game! i play this game everyday because it's to perfect to be true.the game has alot of extras and has alot of replay value included and Even another playthorough might be as fun as playin it for the first time.The gamee like i said i expansive so you might wanna go back and use the other flanking route or postion that team smewhere else.
special features to add: a shellshock addition like in call of duty but more realistic.when a explosion happens near you,you are blown of your feet your vision become extermely blurry and it takes 15 seconds to get back up.
Road to hill 30 was to easy buy earned in blood and you will have a challenge!