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Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 
Release date: 22 Feb 2005
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Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
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It is now barely a week until the release of what may be the most realistic and detailed shooter ever – Brothers in Arms: The Road to Hill 30. Brothers in Arms is set during the first few days of the allied assault on fortress Europe and follows the story of Sgt Matt Baker, a member of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, and members of his squad. This is where the game promises to excel – many of the characters you encounter in the game are historical figures and every location has been modelled down to the inch, from maps and photos to first-hand walkthroughs of the area. Forget Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 – if you want the most realistic world map ever, Brothers in Arms looks set to supply it. Split-screen screenshots of in-game views alongside historical photos show just how pedantic Gearbox has been with its attention to detail.
So what does this mean for the game? Mainly it means that it may very well not feel like a game: how does a developer railroad a player when the whole Normandy area of operations is open to them? There aren't invisible walls, or impenetrable jungle or huge cliffs boxing you in the French countryside – at least, not last time I checked. Hopefully, this will encourage a free-roaming style of play, the use of true fire and manoeuvre tactics, and an exploratory style of play that many games recently (cough cough Pacific Assault cough cough) just haven't ventured anywhere near. Gameplay is split into two distinct sections within the same interface, a traditional first person shooter and a team-based tactical element. The whole game is played from first person, with both the traditional FPS and team-based tactical elements apparently being easily accessible within the confines of this medium. There is a "situational awareness" view which will freeze the action and pull the view out to something that you might see on a low level fly-by, giving the player access to some form of surveillance photo or map - the kind of thing that paratroopers in World War II would have memorized, but all but the most anal-retentive of gamers wouldn't. This lets Brothers in Arms encourage depth of planning on the tactical side of the game, utilizing it as a proactive element, rather than one that only has the purpose of reacting to enemy movements or the environment.
As a first-person perspective game, Brothers in Arms plays like any other good World War II shooter – frantic, fast and deadly. The controls appear to be very tight and well defined, allowing for excellent precision control with the mouse and keyboard. (This is especially important considering it is also being released for X-box and we could have just had a sloppy port.) In a major departure from the genre standards however, there is no HUD (short of a compass and an ammo count). Instead, all necessary information will be conveyed through on-screen feedback. Mud spattering your view indicates dangerously close enemy fire (and that your enemy is not sufficiently suppressed); blood spatter means that you've been hit and that you probably don't want to be hit again. There are symbols above the head of your teammates and enemies a la Full Spectrum Warrior in order to convey information at a glance regarding their AI state (which may be toggled on or off for the sake of realism). There is no cross-hair, but instead accuracy must be ensured via use of iron-sights, something which, in Brothers in Arms, looks absolutely beautiful, with the detail level of the game becoming evident once more.
Weapon modelling is exquisite, with the weapons looking and "feeling" right, a lot of which is due to the programmers spending time at the firing range with the weapons of the era to get a better idea of how they felt. Graphics for character models and the environment are all of the highest order with all the small details evident: eyes follow you, paint is peeling, gardens are overgrown – immersion is paramount to Gearbox evidently, and I can safely say that this game should immerse anyone who plays it. Immersion is completed by the wonderful soundscape. Voice acting in the game is excellent with vocal teammates and enemies, and weapon sounds and incidentals such as the crunching of gravel under your feet are all being blended seamlessly into the environment.
The AI in Brothers in Arms promises to be nothing short of spectacular as well, with a strong emphasis on AI operating on both an individual and squad level. Friendly and enemy characters will move in a manner that suits their current environment and orders: they'll seek cover if under fire, or try to get to a better firing position if they think they can make it. The orders system should have no problems with the AI appearing to be more than able to deal with complex situations and environments. This is a big plus, especially for those of us sick of seeing teammates getting caught on trees or deciding that the middle of an open field is good cover.
Overall, Brothers in Arms: The Road to Hill 30 looks to be ready to raise the bar for the first-person shooter above all other contenders and hopefully please many areas of the community with its breadth of gameplay.
Preview by Anders Russell on 14 Feb 2005
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