The demonstration Gearbox put on for Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway starts off an awful lot like Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30. You and your squad are hanging out making small talk, but this time it’s in a small corner store in Holland rather than a field in France. Like the original, the animation and scripting in this game’s sequence is superb, and the characters really interact well with one another. One soldier is trying to smoke and asks another standing in the doorway for a lighter. The soldier turns and tosses it to him, and just as he flicks it into life, BOOM! An explosion just outside the store shatters the glass in front of you and blurs your vision.
Dazed but still standing, a glance down reveals blood on your clothing. Your character lifts up his left arm into view so you can see the rather large piece of glass sticking out of it. The detail in the wound and glass is amazing, and as you step outside another soldier rushes to help you pull out the shard.
Since this takes place in the middle of real-life battles, there’s no time for sympathy. Instead, you spring immediately into action to take out some German anti-aircraft guns. You command both of your squadrons by pointing to areas in front of you and hitting a button to send them there. You hear your character’s voice give them the command, and we were happy to hear a great variety in the number of ways the same command can be verbalized. When your guys are in a stealth posture, your commands and your teammates’ replies are whispered, which adds to the dramatic effect.
In addition to interacting with your own squads, you will see other AI-controlled squads as you approach your objective, becuase both your team and their received a similar command from HQ. This adds a lot of realism to the game, and it shows off how the next-gen engine can support an impressive number of guys on screen at once.
The previous game had problems with soldiers making it over short walls, but Hell’s Highway fixes that with a simple look and button press. The guys still make mistakes, though, and we witnessed one of the soldiers falling to the ground as he climbed over, which compelled another solider to run back and help him to his feet.
The highly detailed visuals are quite stunning, the animation and sound are excellent, and the gameplay looks refined and fun. Considering how good the original Brothers in Arms was, Hell’s Highway is one shooter to look out for when it launches on the PS3 and Xbox 360 early next year.
— Robert Dusseau
