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Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
By Brett Molina,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Gory WWII shooter doesn't stand out in genre.
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Based on 13 parent reviews
Not much different from predecessor.
What’s It About?
With the release of WWII-shooter BROTHERS IN ARMS: HELL'S HIGHWAY, you have to wonder whether war fatigue is starting to set in. The story focuses on Operation Market Garden, a series of battles spanning Germany and Holland after D-Day. As squad leader Sam Baker, you'll lead your troops through the war-torn battlegrounds to defeat German forces. You can also engage in 10 vs. 10 online battles in the multiplayer mode.
Hell's Highway places strong emphasis on cover and suppression. Red dots appear above enemy units. As squad mates fire on them, the dot starts turning grey to signify enemy forces have been suppressed. You can then approach them from a different vantage point and take them out. Squads vary from assault teams with light machine guns to bazooka squads with heavy artillery. Some missions may require you to command tanks to wipe out enemies. This battle system adds a nice layer of strategy. You must survey the landscape, then decide the best approach to defeating enemies. But computer opponents aren't as aggressive with these tactics. They tend to stay entrenched in their positions most of the time, forcing you to flush them out. Rarely do they ever attempt to outflank you.
Is It Any Good?
Hell's Highway portrays a grittier, more graphically violent image of World War II than has been seen in news clips or other games. An Action Cam feature depicts gory views of warfare, like bloody headshots up close or images of limbs being blown off bodies. During one scene where American forces cross a waterway, you'll see arms floating in the water or decapitated bodies.
Ultimately, there's nothing extraordinary that sets Brothers in Arms apart from the stacks of World War II games available. While it boasts of a solid adventure with interesting cover and squad mechanics, there are few exhilarating moments along the campaign that separate itself from the rest of the pack. Combine that with the sometimes repetitive grind of "take cover, shoot, repeat" and you've got merely a competent shooter that blends in with every other title in the genre.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the combat during WWII in this game compared to what really happened. How accurate was the game in depicting this? Also, with the overwhelming number of games based on WWII, are there wars or periods of history you think developers should focus more on?
Game Details
- Platforms: Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Windows
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: UbiSoft
- Release date: September 25, 2008
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
- ESRB rating: M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Mild Sexual Themes
- Last updated: November 4, 2015
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