Next installment of the Brothers in Arms series provides similar feeling yet satisfying strategic action
User Rating: 8.5 | Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway PS3
Ok, I am sure there are people out there who might get upset by with my headline, but I am going to give an honest viewpoint from someone who was is a huge fan of the series and objectively rate this new game in respect to the old ones. I have to start off with some of the positives of this game. The gun mechanics in this game are fantastic! The distinct sound of each gun in the game is terrific, and each one has their own unique chatter. Nothing is more satisfying than hearing the chat-chat of your thompson taking out a few Nazis. The guns just feel authentic and right. Second, the enemy's AI seems to step up to the plate in Hell's Highway. When their cover is shot up, they run, and when they know they're being flanked, they usually run for cover father back. Occasionally, there is a hiccup in the AI when the enemy is standing at attention, or hiding behind bad cover. Your squad mates will sometimes make the mistake of jumping out into the line of fire, but quick command changes can fix this. Baker's face looks very emotive at times, but your comerades faces sometimes look as blank as two by fours when speaking in cutscenes. The voice acting is fantastic and authentic feeling in some spots, giving you a feeling that these guys were actually like brothers, although sometimes the monologue can be a little cliched, like the bit about a soldiers heart and brain. The difficulty can be a little punishing when you're running from cover to cover, but chances are once you're behind cover, you won't have a hard time plinking off jerry as he pops his head up from behind the cover (not on authentic though when you have no crosshairs). This game calls for a little bit of patience, as you must get your teams to fire on positions as you fire and maneuver, otherwise you will be dying frequently out in the open. Sadly, in an era when more often than not, replayability in a game is defined in terms of how good the multiplayer is, Hell's Highway is not as impressive as say, Bad Company's run and gun blow some s*** up online gameplay or COD 4. As of yet, there are many bugs, such as your soldier disappearing, and also lag time is tremendous at somepoints. As everyone knows, there are also no leaderboards, so people really cannot tangibly gauge how well they are doing. However, fans of the series and many other fps fans will love the authentic feeling of the guns, and the satisfaction of takin' it to Jerry with the mighty BAR, or even the MG42 (which works like a daisy cutter when the enemy is out in the open, the enemy just crumple to the ground!) Although the action in this game is similar to the others (no one touted this game as that different anyway), the melodrama of the story and the satisfying action will keep veteran fans happy (at least until the next one!).
