War has never been so much fun! (Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (Xbox))

Member Name: Ace_Rimmer

Product:	Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (Xbox)
Date:	16/09/09 (11 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent storyline, immersive, great sound effects, varied and fun missions

Disadvantages: Average graphics

Brothers In Arms: Road To Hill 30 is a tactical based first person shooter developed by Ubisoft & Gearbox Software & set during WW2.

Surrounding the events of the D-Day landings and the subsequent push of the 101st Airborne Division to liberate the French city of Carentan. You are in control of Sgt Matt Baker, a reluctant squad leader who fears for the lives of the soldiers under his command.

As the games main aim is to provide realistic combat situations and tactics, fire suppression and flanking the enemy are the order of the day here. While you can run and gun Rambo-style it's not recommended, ESPECIALLY on the higher difficulty levels where you WILL be killed within seconds if you do this. The Four F's (Find 'em, Fix 'em, Flank 'em, and Finish 'em!) are central to the experience.

The gameplay is where BIA really shines. Sending your Fire Squad to flank an embedded enemy position while your Fire Team fix them with withering fire is very satisfying. Higher difficulty levels offer more of a challenge, and your tactics will have to be watertight, especially on the unlockable Authentic Difficulty level. Checkpoints are disabled, suppression indicators are disabled and enemies are more intelligent and can hit with deadly accuracy. This level of difficulty is not for the faint-hearted!

Being heavily influenced by the HBO series Band Of Brothers, the storyline is excellent, drawing you into the horrors of war. Each mission is preceded by a narration by Sgt Matt Baker, further helping to immerse the player.

The graphics compared to FPS available today are nothing to shout about, and the game does appear to look muddy. The sound effects are top notch though. You'll hear bullets whizzing past you, authentic gunfire for every weapon, German enemies shouting out in panic and the ominous sound of tanks creeping up on you.

Completing a level unlocks various extras, such as information about the weapons, real After Action Reports of the battles you fight, and cheats for completing the game fully on one difficulty.

While other WW2 first person shooters are great for feeling like you're winning the war single-handedly, BIA makes you feel part of a team clawing for every inch against the Nazi hordes. An interesting change of pace, and a very enjoyable one.

Summary: Excellent WW2 game and well worth picking up at a bargain price