Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway

Ubisoft’s Brothers in Arms marches into retail next month and despite being an only child, Ben Parfitt goes to war with the brothers...

When Call of Duty 4 was announced as being a modern day shooter, many saw that as confirmation of what many had begun to suspect – that World War based shooters were passé. Well, if that was the case, do you really think Call of Duty 5 (oops, sorry, World at War) would have returned the Europe’s famous battleground?

And whilst there are those who feel that WWs I and II have run their video gaming course, a look at Ubisoft’s Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway might cause them to think again. Rather than simply copycat its rivals’ scripted hard-hitting Hollywood-esque FPS format, BiA:HH looks to give players a taste of what battling on the front lines really entails – daily routine and all.

“The game’s dedication to authenticity in terms of both the setting and the experience is what makes Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway stand out,” group brand manager James O’Reilly states. “BiA has never been about winning the war or even a battle – it’s about the emotional journey of you and your squad of men. This iteration on next-gen has allowed us to convey an accurate and visceral experience of war.”

Speaking of next-gen – BiA:HH will mark the series’ first outing on the current crop of machines, which brings with it the opportunity to explore new boundaries for the franchise and to explore the ideas laid out in its predecessors.

“Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway drops you into an immersive World War II combat experience, allowing you to take part in Operation Market-Garden, the largest paratrooper operation ever,” O’Reilly adds.

“Whilst BiA:HH stays true to the franchise’s core promise of authenticity, it’s the first iteration on next-gen and as such takes full advantage of the Unreal 3 engine to produce a cinematic experience with destroyable cover, open level design, unprecedented character design and 20 player multiplayer.”

Whilst some of the competition might be higher profile, O’Reilly speaks highly of the publisher’s brand when pressed about consumer tastes:

“The series has consistently delivered a quality experience and the fact that its community is still so active nearly three years after the last release is testament to their loyalty. We’ve had an excellent reaction to our pre-order campaign and are expecting a successful launch.”

Gearbox is putting the final touches to the demo, and will also be launching an ad campaign that includes TV coverage, lifestyle and specialist print and a string of partner promos.

If none of this is enough to convince you that BiA:HH can stand proud with the cream of the crop of console FPS titles, perhaps a look at the developer’s existing catalogue might – particularly when you see it includes the console versions of Half Life and Counterstrike. The series certainly has the pedigree, so there’s plenty of reason to suspect that we will see BiA come of age.