Gamenikki
Systems
Screens
Summary
pros
- Unique gameplay
- Story and voice acting are first rate
- Controlling your squad is simple and fun
- Great enemy AI
cons
- Very challenging, the faint of heart need not apply
- Movement blocked unrealisticly
- May be to similar to the first game in the series for some
final score
8
The Review
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
- Number of Players: 1-2
- Genre: FPS
- Developer: Gearbox Software
- Publisher: UbiSoft
- ESRB Rating: M
- Online: Xbox Live
- Supports: HDTV-480p, Dolby Digital, USB Headset
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood is a solid successor to Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30. It improves on some of the AI quirks and delivers an enjoyable, challenging gameplay experience.
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood puts you in the role of Joe “Red” Hartsock. You play through a series of ten chapters as Hartsock recounts his story to Samuel Lyman Atwood Marshall (SLAM for short), an Army reporter who transcribes tales from the front lines. Your objectives throughout the game vary, ranging from procuring medical supplies for injured soldiers to blowing up a bridge.
Brothers in Arms is not conducive to a "run and gun" style of play. This is a tactical FPS where your tactical prowess determines your success, and mistakes are punished severely; this is not an easy game. I strongly recommend the lowest level of difficulty for players who have anger management problems.
You will start most of your missions with a handful of soldiers under your control. As you come upon a group of soldiers, you will use the “situational awareness view” which pulls the camera back and lets you view your options. This gives you an overview of the map and allows you to plan your strategy. It also shows you the condition and specialties of your team.
After you make the decision, controlling the soldiers in your command is a breeze. You can order them to suppress the enemy, move them to different spots and have them regroup and follow you with simple-to-use controls. For example, pressing down the left trigger and looking toward the end of a wall will tell your team to head for that spot. Using your team effectively is the only way to beat the game on the top three difficulty levels.
Even on the normal combat level, the missions are challenging. Some missions will force you to restart several times. Despite this, I never felt like the AI cheated to make things tough on me. When I died, it was usually a tactical error on my part which prematurely ended my mission.
I would not, however, want to challenge the game on the authentic level. This level can only be unlocked by winning the game on the difficult level. For example, in one of the early missions I thought I had found the secret to beating the game: I had my squad suppress a couple of German soldiers. I went around a wall to flank the Germans and found a nice spot to try to snipe them from a distance. I confidently took out the first soldier with a couple of well placed shots and I was getting ready to take out the second when things went terribly wrong. Two Germans had snuck around and flanked my team on the other side. Neither of my soldiers survived and I was left to fight three Germans by myself.
In addition, there are different types of skirmish modes which have timed assault and defense missions. For those who crave a challenge, there is also a Tour of Duty mode. You must complete five consecutive missions without any checkpoints, saves or extra health (Good luck with that).
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood puts you in the role of Joe “Red” Hartsock. You play through a series of ten chapters as Hartsock recounts his story to Samuel Lyman Atwood Marshall (SLAM for short), an Army reporter who transcribes tales from the front lines. Your objectives throughout the game vary, ranging from procuring medical supplies for injured soldiers to blowing up a bridge.
Brothers in Arms is not conducive to a "run and gun" style of play. This is a tactical FPS where your tactical prowess determines your success, and mistakes are punished severely; this is not an easy game. I strongly recommend the lowest level of difficulty for players who have anger management problems.
You will start most of your missions with a handful of soldiers under your control. As you come upon a group of soldiers, you will use the “situational awareness view” which pulls the camera back and lets you view your options. This gives you an overview of the map and allows you to plan your strategy. It also shows you the condition and specialties of your team.
After you make the decision, controlling the soldiers in your command is a breeze. You can order them to suppress the enemy, move them to different spots and have them regroup and follow you with simple-to-use controls. For example, pressing down the left trigger and looking toward the end of a wall will tell your team to head for that spot. Using your team effectively is the only way to beat the game on the top three difficulty levels.
Even on the normal combat level, the missions are challenging. Some missions will force you to restart several times. Despite this, I never felt like the AI cheated to make things tough on me. When I died, it was usually a tactical error on my part which prematurely ended my mission.
I would not, however, want to challenge the game on the authentic level. This level can only be unlocked by winning the game on the difficult level. For example, in one of the early missions I thought I had found the secret to beating the game: I had my squad suppress a couple of German soldiers. I went around a wall to flank the Germans and found a nice spot to try to snipe them from a distance. I confidently took out the first soldier with a couple of well placed shots and I was getting ready to take out the second when things went terribly wrong. Two Germans had snuck around and flanked my team on the other side. Neither of my soldiers survived and I was left to fight three Germans by myself.
"...Two Germans had snuck around and flanked my team on the other side. Neither survived and I was left to fight three Germans by myself...."
For those who enjoy co-op or multiplayer, Brothers in Arms delivers there as well. The game’s story mode can be played in co-op mode over Xbox Live. There are also timed missions series to complete. In addition, there are different types of skirmish modes which have timed assault and defense missions. For those who crave a challenge, there is also a Tour of Duty mode. You must complete five consecutive missions without any checkpoints, saves or extra health (Good luck with that).
Written by: Troy Fabrizio