Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30

It seems that these days, World War II shooters are a dime a dozen. While some of them do a great job of showcasing the intensity of the epic conflict, most of them simply do not innovate enough to hold most gamers’ limited attention spans. However, Brothers in Arms, published by Ubisoft, is looking to change all of that by presenting the player with an authentic World War II experience. Based on the true exploits of the 101^st Airborne Division, Brothers in Arms offers a realistic portrayal of a squad of close-knit soldiers as they are dropped in Normandy. Mixing squad micro-management with intense FPS action, Brothers in Arms is a must for fans of the WWII shooter genre looking for a fresh new experience.

Brothers in Arms puts you in the boots of Sgt. Matt Baker, a soldier who is hastily put in charge of a troop of soldiers and isn’t quite sure how to lead them properly. Each mission begins with a narration by Baker, who expresses his lack of confidence and fear of leading his men to their deaths. The missions are based on actual ones that the 101^st Airborne performed during World War II, so the game has a very heightened sense of realism in that regard. The story elements are a definite highlight in the game, as you begin to feel attachments to the characters in the game as well as feel Baker’s plight as the plot progresses.

The gameplay is fairly straightforward. You storm enemy positions, hold and wait for reinforcements, and perform various tasks not uncommon to most WWII FPS games. Brothers in Arms changes things up a little bit by allowing you to command your other units around as well. You can have a couple of your squadmates under your command at a time, positioning them and giving them orders to take out your enemies or provide you with cover so that you can do it. However, your squadmates are quite smart and will often do the right thing in a situation even if you don’t give them any orders. They’ll take cover, flank an enemy’s position and allow you to do what you have to without any outside assistance. 

Another cool element of the game is the “situation awareness,” which pans out the camera and gives you a bird’s-eye view of the battlefield, allowing you to assess the situation and employ the best possible strategy. The action pauses, giving you ample time to figure out the best way to position your units and take out your foes.

All things considered, Brothers in Arms offers a good amount of strategy on top of some great FPS action. The level of attention to detail is similar to Full Spectrum Warrior, although in this game you can actually pull the trigger as well as manage your squad of soldiers.

Unfortunately, the hardware limitations of the PS2 do make this version of Brothers in Arms a bit inadequate when compared to its Xbox and PC counterparts. Graphically, the game suffers from muddy textures and choppy animations. Fortunately, the great character models look pretty good and the framerates are pretty solid. 

The sound effects don’t really fair very well on the PS2. Some of the sound and voice effects are pretty tinny and compressed sounding, and there are quite a few instances of cutouts during characters’ speeches. The music fares a bit better, with a nice WWII movie-style score that add a lot to the game’s atmosphere.

Brothers in Arms is a great WWII shooter with some intriguing strategy elements and an easy interface. While the PS2 version does suffer from some technical limitations, it’s definitely worth a try if Sony’s console is all you own.  

Gameplay: 8.5
Brothers in Arms blends intense FPS action with some great strategy elements to make one of the best WWII shooter-console experiences available.

Graphics: 8.0
The graphics have some definite high points, like detailed character models and a steady framerate. However, the environmental textures are pretty murky and the animations are choppy.

Sound: 7.5
Brothers in Arms has some great musical elements, but the tinny sound effects and frequent cutouts in the dialogue put a damper on the sound department.

Difficulty:  Medium

Concept: 9.0 
By incorporating the true account of the 101^st Airborne, Brothers in Arms creates a very compelling story and makes for one of the most realistic accounts of WWII ever to hit consoles.

Multiplayer: 8.5
The objective-based multiplayer elements are great in Brothers in Arms, with squad commanding crossing over nicely to the online arena. It feels a bit like Rainbow Six 3, since if the character you are controlling succumbs to enemy fire, you are automatically switched to another one, which keeps the flow of the action going.                                                                                                                

Overall: 8.5
Brothers in Arms has a lot going for it, as it takes a true story from WWII and combines it with compelling gameplay and great strategy elements. While the PS2 version is noticeably inferior to the Xbox and PC versions from a technical standpoint, its still a very worthy title if the PS2 is the only platform you can play it on.