Your eyes focus on three Nazi soldiers standing over you. One slides a shiny Luger from its holster and aims it at your head.

BAM! Everything goes black.

It's an intense introductory sequence, which is just what Gearbox, developer of Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, wants. Hell's Highway, the latest in the Brothers in Arms, hopes to portray the drama of war like never before seen in a game. It's been promised that the game will be packed full of white-knuckle moments like this, propelling the plight of the American squad forward through the bloodiest battles of World War II. With the changes Gearbox and Epic have made to Unreal Engine 3 in designing this game they just may be able to craft that experience in bloody detail.

Cover is no longer a magical barrier which offers safety. Wood will splinter and fall away as bullets make contact with it. Walls will chip and explode in clouds of concrete dust under heavy machine-gun fire. This not only forces you to be aware of your surroundings, but also take note of what you are hiding behind, and where you will be heading next when it fails.

Damage to players is just as detailed. Bullets dash through skulls, legs, and torsos with devastating realism. Gearbox has also implemented an active camera for slow-motion close-ups and creative angles of what the game deems as "good kills."

Where Hell's Highway differentiates from the standard FPS most is in its health system. Instead of an arbitrary regenerating health-bar players will be subject to what is known as the "danger system." If you are out in areas that are in the open or are heavily populated with enemies, your screen will get progressively redder. With each hue of red you become ever closer to taking that one kill-shot to end it all. We suspect actual play won't differ too much from what FPS veterans are used to, though the logic behind it seems to strike a more realistic chord.

At least those who are familiar with the FPS genre will feel at home with the controls, which are key to the game's mechanics. Like usual, there are standard sprint, reload, and cover buttons -- however, squad control changes things up. It's kind of like a strategy oriented Call of Duty 2; you can direct your squad as a whole. It is up to you to direct them to cover, order firing positions, cover fire, and survive through the hellish battlegrounds.

This isn't to say your combat mates need their hand held. The AI in the build we played was staggeringly good. As cover degenerated, soldiers sprinted for the nearest stable protection, and fired back to ensure they made the run.

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway's visual presentation is impressive to say the least. Characters express an unparalleled level of emotional detail in their faces. Their uniforms show individual pieces of equipment, each with its own unique physics-based animation. The squad mechanics are fitting well, and are lending to the overall experience rather than becoming a distraction. Even with the numerous delays and production hold-ups, we can't help but be excited as Hell's Highway nears its August 2008 release date.

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will   |69.118.8.xxx |2008-06-28 10:37:15 This game looks hot. WWII FPS's are usually good, however I thought that Turning Point; Fall of Liberty was garbage. I don't think that Brother's In Arms franchise would mess this one up. (*fingers crossed*) Reply | Quote 0   0

cableguy  - nice   |24.189.105.xxx |2008-06-28 15:11:02 I am a big fan of FPS games. However, how is this game going to be any different than let's say COD3? etc.. maybe im not too knowledgeable in BIA games and I have played the one for the DS (which i thought was pretty good) Reply | Quote 0   0

om3gaz28   |Registered |2008-06-29 12:20:03 Well perhaps the biggest difference is the squad mechanics. Other than that they aren't quite so glaring. Its more in the subtleties. The cover, AI, and cinematic differences, etc... (writer of the article) Reply | Quote 0   0

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