brothers in arms HELL’S HIGHWAY

Games about war – ho hum, right? Wrong. There have been some real first person shooter shockers released over the last few years, but Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is certainly not one of them.

This is a story-driven first person shooter about Matt Baker, a soldier taking part in Operation Market Garden during World War Two. The harrowing storyline flashes back and forth between his childhood, memories of his father and his current tour of duty in Holland. The gritty realism of Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is impressive. The facial expressions of the characters are very realistic. Matt's eyes vividly portray all the emotions of his experiences as you listen to his story and take control of him for certain portions of it.

As you'd expect in a game about war, there's plenty of intense close-quarters combat and spectacular fire-fights. I particularly enjoyed the suspenseful missions where you're moving through heavily patrolled areas with German soldiers all around. The 'duck and cover' aspect of the gameplay certainly adds to the atmosphere. If your head is up, expect to be shot at.

You're not just responsible for keeping yourself alive. You also lead a team of allied soldiers and this tactical side of the gameplay is superbly executed. You can choose to play with the tutorial training guide on or off, but I recommend keeping it on – especially at first. Directing your combat squad is also easy in the heat of battle; using the L1 button to position your troops. The artificial intelligence of your squad members is also very intuitive – for example they will automatically locate cover when you move them.

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is an excellent war game that boasts a high realism factor, thanks to its emotional and historically accurate storyline. After all, war is anything but fun and Hell's Highway delivers a serious gaming experience to fans of the genre.