Brothers in Arms: Road To Hill 30 (Xbox)

When it first came out I got Ghost Recon 2 instead and found it really boring and reasonably easy. So I decided to get this game, and I have to say it's so cool!!!

The most important aspect of this game for me was its realism, Games like Call of Duty: Finest hour (for Xbox, The PC version is awesome!!) And especially Medal of Honour mocks the history and realism of WW2 completely, for example in medal of honour it is you against the 3rd Reich. However in Brothers in Arms it’s your squad and your command that wins the day, not your Immunity to bullets.

I have played this game over and over again and not got bored of it; I have completed the bulk of the levels on authentic however some of the final missions are pretty solid to complete. What’s cool about completing the levels on harder difficulties is that you unlock interesting historical features

The Graphics are good and match that of Halo 2 in detail and quality. The effects are also brilliant explosions and gunfire makes you feel like you’re in a battle.

The controls are easy to use, and the command buttons are basic, for example all you have to do to get your team to move to a certain position is to hold down L and direct the curser using the joystick to that position, really simple

In multiplayer mode me and my friends hade so much fun playing against each other, the nitty gritty realism and tense moments were so much fun, I wander what the hell online play could be like!

In the game you have to use tactics to beat the enemy, the main principles are suppressing the enemy with your fire team and flanking the enemy with your assault team. This is so much fun because you can direct it using this in cool in game mode which provides an overhead view of the area, enabling you to chose you fire positions and cover. It is a challenge to do as well especially on authentic difficulty mode. It’s not easy to do!!!

The in game story is in depth and gives emotion and purpose to the game. In summary it is about a squad leader (you) and his struggles while leading his men.

All in all a brilliant game, my only criticism would be the non-dynamic AI on occasions, all they do is wait to be out flanked. However the latest version Brothers in Arms: Earned in blood is said to have a new AI system that provides a more aggressive enemy. I’m thinking of getting the latest one sometime soon!!!

Get the Game!!!

Firstly, the AI is really good; both enemy and American soldiers will fight realistically, not only taking cover and returning fire, but also using real military tactics such as shifting firing positions to match your flanking manouvers.

Later in the game you are gradually introduced to commanding squads. This feature could have been problematic and cumbersome but the way they have done it you only have to hold in left-trigger and point, which makes it very quick and easy which is crucial to the success of the game. There is little more satisfying than getting your squad to pin down an MG42 machine gun with suppressing fire while you sneak round the side and finish him. The way in which you give your men orders, particuarly in the height of combat, gives you a real sense of leadership and responsibility for the outcome of the event.

You should by now have realised that one of the themes running through this game is realism. This is kept up when it comes to shooting (particuarly if you turn of crosshairs which i would strongly reccommend). When you run around the gun is at your hip, and there is no sight so shooting relies as much on luck as judgement. You can pop the gun up to your shoulder and get a nice view down the sights, however, you are still not certain to hit that German from a great distance as the sights move with your breathing and even when timed perfectly are not 100% accurate. This, as well as the heavy toll that enemy fire takes on you (many times i have poked my head up over a wall and been killed instantly with a single shot from an MG42), makes you play the game in a much more real and restrained way than most, or any other war game. You much more rely on sound tactics and command of your squad than a accurate shot.

This game is not the longest in the world, and if you play it as much as me you might find yourself completing it in as little as 3 days, but that is no reason not to get it because it is such a great experience. Even when you complete it you can redo the missions on harder difficulties to unlock extras, which generally consist of information about the real missions which the game simulates.

One final note, the graphics of this game are nothing really spectacular for modern times, but they are fluid never insufficient, and smoke/dust effects from bullet impacts are brilliant. Also the sound affects are great (they should be, they are recordings of the real weapons) and before long the crack of an MG opening up will immediately send your brain into 'take cover' mode.

GET THIS GAME

If you want a game that gives you the feeling of being in Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers this is the one for you.

The only down side is the loading times. The game is multi format so the long loading times are probably due to fact it has to run on a PS2!!!