"What makes a great soldier? Is it his brain or his heart?"
I recently purchased and just completed the newest game in the Brothers in Arms series. Before you even start to go too far into this review, know this: BiA:HH is technically the same game as it's always been, but refined. That said, the refinements they have made have come together to form a truly remarkable experience that pushes the bar up for storytelling in first person shooters, particularly WWII ones. The gameplay is just as tight as ever, with a few very needed changes to make this the definitive Brothers in Arms game.
Story/Presentation - 9/10
First things first, and in this series, that's definitely the storyline. Aside from the squad mechanics, the thing that has always set BiA apart from other FPS games is it's focus on delivering a gripping narrative, something rarely seen in this genre. As did the previous games, this new entry follows the exploits of Matt Baker, leader of a platoon in the 101st airborne during September, 1944. If you haven't played any of the previous games, you are somewhat missing out on parts of the story but fortunately, HH does a great job of catching the player up to speed in its preliminary chapter: "The Story So Far" and throughout, gives you glimpses into the horrors that the squad leader has seen as men have come and gone under his command. It's an incredibly well written and cohesive storyline that keeps presenting the player with the emotional struggle every soldier must endure and ultimately, push through. There are times when the events can come across as being overly dramatic, but that's honestly part of what gives it that true Hollywood feel that you can tell the game is shooting for. I do feel comfortable in saying that this is by far the best story I have seen in any World War 2 game thus far.
Gameplay - 8/10
As stated at the beginning of this review, you must keep in mind that this is still very much a Brothers in Arms game, which means that you will still be controlling squads to suppress and flank your enemies, utilizing each squads strengths and weaknesses. The only true thing that has been completely redone here is the aiming system, which is now more traditional for FPS fans. In the previous games, your aim was affected by how much fire was coming in your direction, meaning that you could be aiming straight at a target while your shot misses them. Well, that's no longer a problem. It's still easier to aim if you're not under fire, but in regardless of if you have fire on your position, it's still possible to pull off a headshot if you can get in one good shot. Speaking of headshots, another new addition to the game is that when you pull off a perfect
headshot, toss a grenade, or a bazooka hits an enemy, the camera now zooms in, showcasing the new Action Camera, which gives the entire game a more cinematic feel. The Action Camera doesn't affect the gameplay in any specific way, seeing as how the entire game stops and zooms in on the damage you have done, and then zooms back out. There are tank sections to break up the tedium of being a soldier, but they're nothing stellar. For fans of Resident Evil games before 4, this part controls like those characters do, which is appropriate for a tank, not so much for a human. They aren't bad, mind you, but they just don't feel like they add or subtract much from the overall gameplay. Another addition is that the game has finally joined the Cool Club and uses the same regenerative health system that is so popular in games of this genre now, which works just as it always has. The last addition to the gameplay is destructible cover, which means that if you're hiding behind a fence or some barrels...don't. Chances are, the enemy will slowly chip away at it, leaving you completely exposed. Luckily, you can do the same to them, or order a machine gun/bazooka squad to destroy cover specifically. The only true flaw in the gameplay is that the AI seems to have a few bugs, specifically with path finding for your squad and enemies standing behind cover, but not actually taking cover. There's one thing I forgot to mention, which is the cover button, but it's the standard FPS fare as of now, so it doesn't really redefine anything.
Sound - 10/10
I hate to say it, but I’m not really surprised that the sound is completely immersive. The team has already proven that they could completely floor what you thought was possible from the sound department in games with their previous endeavors and this is no exception to that high standard. Aside from the obvious exceptional work with their sound effects, the team has also delivered a completely immersive soundtrack. Again, Brothers in Arms has always been known for its Hollywood quality storyline and portrayal of the hardships that come with being a soldier, which is why their incredibly well done and cinematic soundtrack is so important. When you witness the tension going on between the soldiers and a song plays softly in the background, or when you finally complete an objective and watch the cutscene, with music coming in at the appropriate moments, then yielding to highlight others, you truly gain a great appreciation for the amount of work that was put into this title. I previously mentioned the cut-scenes, which showcases yet another area the title excels in: voice acting. The conversations that occur during these sequences feels more like a real conversation, as though the on screen personas are literally expressing themselves and carrying on a conversation as humans instead of feeling like they’re being restricted to a script. Another neat bonus is all of the chatter that occurs on the battlefield, with your soldiers being completely aware of their situations in combat, yelling out when they need cover because they’re reloading, noting you of the enemy’s location and situation, and just the general taunts. Every line feels incredibly well delivered, capturing the emotion of each man that this game so strongly thrives on to deliver its powerful storyline, with the soundtrack and sound effects working with the game instead of against, as so many other titles succumb to.
Graphics – 7/10
This is the only place I have any gripes with. Unlike many World War 2 games, there are plenty of sunlit environments, along with the standard urban combat, night fighting, etc, that we have grown to love in these types of games. The models look incredibly well detailed, and the environments have textures that completely work in favor of the game. One of the neat details that come across because of the dismemberment system is how disturbing it is when you do manage to successfully land that grenade toss, hitting an enemy and causing a limb to fly off. The weapon models look fantastic, along with the explosions, smoke, particle effects, and everything else. So, what’s the problem then? The game suffers from constant texture pop-in, which can sometimes be incredibly distracting. There are plenty of times when I will be aiming down the barrel of my gun, using the iron sights, and the entire gun goes into a flat-shaded version of its self, and then slowly goes back to being bump-mapped, then back again. This type of graphical anomaly is somewhat distracting, but in all honesty, it’s easily overlooked if you’re focused on the action. The frame-rate only dropped on me once, which was mainly due to a lot of units being in an area with explosions going off around them. There is one segment of the game that I can recall that uses that grain filter, and it’s executed as any grain filter should be. Some reviews have reported that there were massive amounts of texture degradation that occurred during the cutscenes in particular, but I never witnessed any of that. The game certainly doesn’t look bad, but it’s apparent sometimes that it’s trying to do too much at once and the textures occasionally suffer from it, but it’s far from a game ruining experience. One nice touch is that the characters models feel as though they convey emotion thanks to their facial expressions and well done eyes, something many games rarely capture.
Overall – 8/10
As much as I love this game and will be keeping it in my collection, I have to admit that it’s not for everyone. The comparison I feel comfortable is how there was a huge divide between reviews of Assassins Creed, some citing it for being repetitive, others loving the entire experience. Some gamers will find the suppress and flank gameplay tiring after the first few hours, but even for them, if they push beyond that, the storyline is incredibly compelling, urging you to play just another chapter to see what is going to happen next. I finished the game on the Veteran difficulty (medium) and the entire game took about 10-12 hours, so it’s not the longest experience ever, but it’s still a great game nonetheless. If you are a fan of First Person Shooters, Squad FPS games, or WW2 games, I could not recommend this title more strongly. If you’re curious about the genre and trying to decide between this and the other titles coming out this holiday season, you might want to hold off for a price drop on this one. The experience is great, but due to the short play time, lackluster multiplayer (deathmatch, team dm, and an objective based gametype), you might find a better experience elsewhere. I do recommend that everyone, even those who have developed WW2 FPS post traumatic stress disorder (medal of badges with honor on hill with brothers in bands…), this is one of the few that nails the gameplay right and that helps it stand up there with the best of them.
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