World War II shooters have never been so fun... if only slightly confusing.
I will plead: "Again!"
Some may say there are limited ways a story can be told, that WWII shooters are digging their own graves, releasing a couple of games every year, but the Brothers in Arms series has proved once again that the genre is still worth exploring.
On all other shooter franchises, you're a lone gunman, in the middle of some of WWII's greatest battles, with a mission and a rifle. Brothers in Arms, or BIA, gives you the command of an unit, a group of men with their own expertise, their strengths and weaknessess, and it's your job, as their leader, to balance the situation, and keep them alive.
In the midst of all other shooters, it is that emphasis on group dynamics that makes BIA stand out alone.
Such dynamics are intrically placed within the game's plot and gameplay. With a click of the right mouse button, you'll place a Machine Gun crew on a fixed position, to support your assault or flanking maneuver. Another click, and a bazooka team can take out a sniper or an MG group at, say, a church tower (one of the coolest things I've ever seen in a shooter). Group maneuvers, though, get more complicated as the game progresses. At times, you must place a bazooka team in a strategic position safe enough to keep her intact (after all, unlike some shooters, your soldiers will die if hit - only to be ressurected at the next checkpoint) while well-placed enough to hit a Panzer at its rear, and at the same time, you, and your assault team, must deal with nearby enemies and make sure the tanks stop long enough for them to be shot. And while your soldiers have enough AI to duck and fire on their own, they will, at times take cover at the wrong side of a wall, for instance, or stay in plain sight if not ordered to move to decent cover. While they have enough good aim to take out quite a few of your enemies (especially the MG crew), attack moves will still largely depend on your own actions, and aim.
At times, you'll become separated from the rest of the group, removing the squad play aspect of BIA. But don't worry, lone controls are equally well distributed. WASD movements remain the rule, and with a simple touch on 'Q' (default) you'll take cover behind turned tables, sandbags, under windows, next to doorways... It's surprisingly easier to aim down at targets while on cover (when the game becomes third person) and with a touch on 'space' you'll vault over your cover, to the other side, ready for an advance.
Graphically, Hell's Highway is simply stunning. From light reflex on rainy surfaces, to blood splatters on worn walls, the game portraits the harsh reality of World War II in all its gore and glory. A bazooka shot, or a grenade throw (never mind a satchel explosion) produces gruesome effects on both enemies and allies. It's amazing the first time you hit a difficult headshot, only to see the damage being done in slow motion. It's sad to see, if you forget to order your troops back, a soldier being caught in satchel explosion. His arm is gone, as is the top half of his head.
The sounds of war are as immersing as they get. Few are the times, even in the middle of peaceful interludes, when the sound of gunfire cannot be heard. In the middle of combat, everything else is completely deafened by the explosions and gunshots whistling past your head.
The plot, though, is where the game lacks. While it's nice to actually have a character, with a backstory, friends and enemies within your own unit, the character's background, along with the reasons for frienships and enimnities, are all from previous BIA games. For those unfamiliar with them (as I was when I first bought them), they're incredibly confusing, and while you'll clarify them as the story moves on, it takes a second play (and only a second play) to get you fully immersed on the storyline. Hell's Highway provides a 'Previously on Brothers in Arms' segment, but they do little to help the first time player on the franchise. On a comparisson, it's like watching 24 on TV for the first time on the third episode. While there is a 'previously' segment as it begins, odds are you'll be completely lost plotwise.
The confusing plot, in my book a major flaw, is not alone in the game's downsides. The realism in the graphics and some elements of the plot are not used by the previously mentioned gameplay features. Is it realy realistic to believe that every town and field in Holland was crowded with cleverly placed ducking spots? That every table in a hospital or city building would be turned to provide perfect cover against patrolling germans? Some other features would be much appreciated. For instance: You are the only 'leader' on the field. Even in major battles across rivers or into cities, you are the only one actually commanding a group. Every other soldier just pours forward, aimlessly. Moreover, German soldiers will remain static, for the most part of a conflict. Their movements are limited to jumping over their cover as they attempt to get closer to you (when they try that). Their AI is limited, in a way they only leave their position when they feel their cover isn't proper anymore. While I'm aware they are defending on a fixed fire position, perfectly appropriate, it would be better, for the sake of the challenge, for they to attempt a flanking maneuver, for instance. Also, while crouching behind your cover (3rd person), as you pop your head out to shoot, there are times your head will completely cover your sight, and you have to move along the cover to solve the problem.
There are, though, vast improvements over any previous WWII shooter, and with all its flaws it doesn't stop being incredibly fun, tense and gruesome. With the add of some psychological aspects (the flashing image of a dead boy popping up on your screen as you move), as well as some trully marking moments as move on war-torn Holland, Hell's Highway makes its mark very effectively on the crowded market of 'FPS's.
For fans of the franchise, it's a much welcomed addition. For first time players like me, it's a decent introduction. You can't really ask much more from a game.