'You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.'
The words still ring true to the few World War II veterans we are blessed to have with us today. The greatest war the world has ever seen, was fought courageously by small bands of brothers. When D-Day came about, the drops of the paratroopers were sporadic. Most of the elements got separated at the drop. With this, small groups of soldiers had to fight their way across open villages to find their comrades.
The truly amazing thing about this game is that it is based on a true story. The battles are as true to life as Gearbox can get them, the characters are as true to life as they remember themselves, and their enemies are as ferocious and intelligent as our soldiers recall. You control Sergeant Baker. Sgt. Baker is a shy kid from a little Missouri town. In the game you watch him as he grows into his squad leader role. He never wanted this position, but somehow it came upon him, and he realizes through the game, as you do too, that bringing home your band of brothers is more important than the war itself. It is, after all, all about who is around you.
I’ve played almost every World War II game made, and probably most war games made in general. I guess you could call me the GamingNexus war buff. So seeing war games rated “T” nowadays can almost be a complete turnoff. Anyone that knows anything about war knows that war is not suited for people under seventeen. War is all about blood and gore, intense violence… and yes, even strong language. If you expect you can go to war without letting one curse word slip, well, you’re crazy. Watch any war video from Iraq, watch the ones from the intense fighting from Fallujah with our Marines.
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 catches the very essence of war. I do not have the first hand experience to prove it, but I do have valuable second hand experience. If you have surround sound, or even if you don’t, the sounds are absolutely dead on. The mortar fire hitting near you will leave you shaking in your seat as you see dirt shoot up and cover your line of sight. The simple grenade blasts will leave you wondering where that explosion came from. The yelling of German soldiers nearby will leave you wondering if they are actually in your living room.
Now, clearly sound doesn’t make a game. It can add a lot to the total package of realism in a war game though. Here is where Brother in Arms excels to points unseen in other games. The amount of realism in the gameplay is almost sickening. Creeping around Normandy, France with your volume jacked up, and no action around you, imagine that. Now, imagine out of nowhere the Germans coming right in front of you and putting bullets all around you. The dirt flying up onto your screen as you and your team effectively search for cover. One thing, if you are a Halo 2 player and you are only interested in the run and gun style of shooters then you will not find what you want in this game. Brothers in Arms is completely the opposite of that. You have to use strategy, and move about your missions slowly and perfectly if you expect to complete them. War is hell. When I played Full Spectrum Warrior I called it the most realistic military game of all-time. Well I am now changing that statement. Full Spectrum Warrior is easily the most realistic modern military game. However, of all the military games I have played in my life, Brothers in Arms simply takes the cake as the most realistic war game to ever be made.
In most combat first-person shooters available you will notice your character has white crosshairs in front of you indicating where you are shooting. Yeah it is nice, and most of us have come to expect that to be the norm, but Brothers in Arms changes things up here. Brothers in Arms gets rid of the little white aiming crosshairs, and forces you to either bring up your sights, or to aim and shoot. How cool is that? It eliminates the excellent aim people have when they run and gun, and adds a more realistic feel to it. It is hard to shoot a gun on the run, and Brothers in Arms captures that in fantastic fashion. War is about blood, it’s about gruesome images. War is about the worst of humans. When brothers come together for the good of one nation, and you see the worst pictures of your life. Brothers in Arms capture the true essence of war. You will feel connected in all fashions to your brothers on the battlefield, as they stick with you until the end. When you shoot someone you almost feel guilty as you see the blood from the hit, their emotion go straight from vivid, yelling, to lifeless… motionless. You will see the effects of war as you see mangled bodies missing arms or legs because of the grenade you tossed at them. In the end you know this could have all been avoided, there was no need for humans, who are all alike, to fight… except that someone wanted it. The game connects you to the war, and brings you closer to the true side of war. It is not always glorious, it is not always perfect. Imagine just walking around when a grenade blasts off to your left. The blast in any other game would simply take away health, or kill you right then and there. In Brothers in Arms the blast may knock your soldier off his feet from a concussion. It will take a moment for your soldier to get back up and regain clear vision. Little touches like this easily make this the most amazing war game I have ever played.
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