Joystiq E3 hands-on: Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
by Justin McElroy 
{ Jul 21st 2008 at 2:30PM }
So we were curious to see if Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway could cut through the clutter and prove itself worthy of a spot among the powerhouses. The answer? A resounding "I don't know."
Gallery: Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway
The 10 minutes or so I played at E3 opened strongly enough, with some cool, organic ways of teaching players the basics. Once I got into the action proper, the first feature to really jump out at me was the way suppressive fire has been visually integrated into the HUD.
When you or your compatriots are shooting at the enemy, a red circle appears above their head. As firing continues the circle becomes fully gray until the target is fully suppressed, which means they'll be much less likely to return fire and, most importantly, much easier to flank, which you can either do yourself or send your team to do.
It works really well, and definitely makes it easier to think strategically about a battle. Oh, and if you're the sort who likes a little more immersion or difficulty you can turn the feature off, even though the basic mechanic will still be working behind the scenes.
The placement of your forces and deciding how labor will be divided is a key part of the game's flow and does help to set it apart from the pack. But I was being shown a pretty controlled section, so I'll be interested to see if it's something I continue to rely on it or it becomes an afterthought.
When I climbed into one particularly high tower, I was given the option of doing recon, which allowed me to see where enemy clusters are. I'm still a little unsure if the feature can only be activated in high places, but it was certainly helpful.
My uncertainty is pretty typical of our reaction to Hell's Highway. What we've seen so far has us pretty confident. But we're still not sure if all the pieces will come together in a top-flight fashion.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rafoca2008 @ Jul 21st 2008 2:41PM
Is campaign co-op confirmed?
Psykoboy2 @ Jul 21st 2008 3:32PM
No co-op. Yeah. It surprised the hell out of us as well.
Leobebes @ Jul 21st 2008 2:41PM
Playing the first game on the Xbox felt like a revelation. It was different than all the WWII shooters out there. Also the little red marker above their heads was in the previous games, so I don't know if Justin played the previous titles and see that the little red HUD has been part of this series since the beginning.
As long as this game keeps introducing new gameplay elements that others shooters don't have, and do them well it should be well received despite being part of a played out genre.
Shaq-Fu @ Jul 21st 2008 2:45PM
I'm afraid to ask about the supposed Wii BiA game they were making, because knowing Ubisoft is company filled with more pricks than a porcupine, I can only guess that it has been scrapped for something more "casual friendly". How about Imagine: Jonas Brothers in Arms. It will be a collection of the Jonas brothers in erotic poses with each other. And it will sell BILLIONS of copies.
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 21st 2008 2:47PM
I have a feeling this is gonna get crushed by COD:WaW.
luir @ Aug 3rd 2008 1:10AM
too bad when the game is released the graphics will look outdated and it will be forgotten sitting next to bigger games on the shelves
Naota @ Jul 21st 2008 2:55PM
My only problem with Brothers in Arms has been it's weapons, they seem ungodly inacurate from what I've experienced.
Chase @ Jul 21st 2008 3:00PM
The developers addressed the inaccuracy as a way to "improve gameplay" and "force teamwork."
*shrugs*
zaglis @ Jul 21st 2008 3:10PM
Crosshair on Nazis head...8 shots and all of them miss. Good times*COUGH*
Huey2k2 @ Jul 21st 2008 4:09PM
Maybe you shouldn't be trying to kill a Nazi with a thompson from 100 feet away then.
I had no problems with accuracy in the original BIA, you just need to use the weapons as they were intended to be used.
Negativecool @ Jul 21st 2008 5:08PM
Your point is absolutely correct...
But 100ft with a Thompson would make quick work of anything. I think you mean 100 yards.
Negativecool @ Jul 21st 2008 3:01PM
You don't know? Did you like what you played or didn't you?
You didn't seem to give any criticism other than implying that you didn't know how well others would receive the mechanics that you didn't actually criticize.
Seems like you are scared to endorse "another WWII" shooter.
Weak dude.
Chase @ Jul 21st 2008 3:02PM
It's nice to see some information about Hell's Highway finally start to trickle through the cracks. There is presently so little information about the title.
Thanks, Justin.
TJordan0331 @ Jul 21st 2008 3:22PM
For people who like to think a little more in their games this is going to be a great one to get. Along with some awesome multiplayer (Based off the last two) I will definitely be picking this up and keeping it in my library. Just last month I went through the first one again.
@Negativecool - Agreed.
Optimus Prime @ Jul 21st 2008 3:07PM
I'm worried about this game. Most of what I have seen has been promising until the newest trailer on XBL. Seriously, if you haven't seen it yet, oh man. Horrible visuals. I defended it when a friend told me. "I've seen Game Informer pics that look REALLY good!" UGH. What the hell happened? How could it look WORSE than all previous media. It has to be a mistake to release that garbage(with a 1080tag on it too). PS2 like graphics, and I am NOT kidding. I wish I was; I've always liked this series...
OMGOMG @ Jul 21st 2008 3:14PM
Are you serious? That isn't PS2 graphics at all.
Optimus Prime @ Jul 21st 2008 3:19PM
I know, I LOVE the last ones. Graphics looks good in screens right? Watch the XBL trailer. Thats the only time I haven't been impressed with the look. Anyone here seen it? Am I crazy? I'd like to think I was drunk that night or something.
Optimus Prime @ Jul 21st 2008 3:58PM
Okay, false alarm. It was just super shitty trailer compression by Ubi. Like the worst I've seen. Why the hell would they do that? It had a 1080 tag too, lol.
HERE is the same trailer, and actually looks pretty good. http://www.gametrailers.com/player/35316.html
Compare to the one on live, and see why you might cancel your preorder after seeing it. Stupid Ubi marketing idiots.
turricus @ Jul 28th 2008 10:43AM
i totally agree with you, and since your the first person i have found that thought it looked worse i wanted to ask you, doesnt it look like they took out everything sweet about the gun handling, like when it sways, and how it was closer to you, like in the first videos for the five oh sink mission,then they moved the gun all the way out and it looks like call of duty 3 now.
JoeTheBlow @ Jul 21st 2008 4:21PM
Every time i've seen this all i can think is that it looks like a PS2/Xbox1 port.
I know they've gone for some kind of odd stylised cel/unreal-color type of look, but i just can't get over how utterly crap it looks in every possible way.
Seriously last gen.
Gimbal @ Jul 21st 2008 5:10PM
The only thing bad about the previous games in the series was the framerate issues (that and the fact that there is no back-compat for them on the 360). I for one was overjoyed that guns didn't fire with laser-like accuracy. If you want that kind of game try Quake, Unreal, or something like that.
For those of you who haven't played the previous ones before, think of Brothers in Arms as a game like Full Spectrum Warrior. It is about tactics, flanking, cover fire, and all those things that go on in a battlefield. Sure you can play it as a FPS, but you will only end up frustrated.
Turn off the crosshair, turn off the supression indicators too. Pretend it is you that is under fire, ducked behind cover, trying to figure out how to get all of your men through the fight without everyone getting killed. If your decision then is to turn the crosshair option back on and take on each German yourself as they pop up from behind cover, well...you won't like this game.
I'm not as impressed with Hell's Highway as I was hoping I would be, but it looks like all the gameplay mechanics that worked so well in the first two are still there. I guess I was hoping for more than just a prettier version of the previous games.
Nancy @ Jul 21st 2008 5:37PM
Happy 7th Anniversary!!! I love you!!
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 21st 2008 9:29PM
Love you too!
:)
DrHerbertWest @ Jul 21st 2008 7:33PM
To be honest, this article didn't really mention anything new about the game other than using high places to scope enemy troops, the suppression thing has been in BIA since the Xbox version its not a new feature at all, so if those two points are all that could be said I am unimpressed, more with the detail of the hands-on than the game itself.