Brothers in Arms: Road To Hill 30 (PS2)

Con
1) Rag doll physics could have been better
2) Dialogue between you and and other troopers sounds a little forced at times.
3) You may be surprised at just how quickly you progress through the game. At ten hours (roughly) you'll be screaming for more.

Pro
1) Strategy element excellent. Splitting an enemy line in half with the help of your fire and assault team is quite simply, a buzz.
2) No riddiculous canteen/medical packs to pick up. Out there, you keep your head down 'cause sometimes it's a long haul back to that last restart point.
3) Monologues from lead character, Baker, are sedate, reflective and in keeping with the probable mood of a frontline leader.
3) Lack of music during levels is not a problem. Ambient sound and a variety of gunfire is what you'd expect. In between levels you get a decent orchestral score.
4) Gameplay is a blast. Curious sense of fun and danger balance together perfectly. On even partularly tough levels where you find yourself dying a lot, you cannot help yourself having just one more try.
5) I think the PS2 graphics are fine. I mean, it's Normandy during WW2 so you get mud and lots of grass and hedges. Character animations and tank movements are all ok too. Certainly nothing in this department should stop you buying the game.

That's it. If you loved MOH Frontline when you played it but hated the follow up, (whatever that rubbish was called...) or if you love WW2 stuff and were totally let down by Call of Duty, then Brothers in Arms is really worth a try. I've never gotten rid of my old MOH Frontline disk. I reckon BIA might be one 'for keeps' as well.


MOH with more realism & depth   April 5, 2005
Music Lover (Warrington)
24 out of 26 found this review helpful

Im a big fan of the MOH series & also own Call of Duty, but can say without a shadow of a doubt that this title is better then both of them. The principle reason behind this is the players ability to control your squad - something unique and warranted in the WW2 genre.

Having control of the squad allows for a less rigid and clearcut progress through missions as oppossed to the more linear MOH & Call of Duty, as various different tactics can be used on each level in order to progress.

Graphics - the description given on many reviews of 'BIA' implies that the graphics a far below MOH / COD - this is inaccurate. While at times MOH may be smoother, I found the BIA graphics still above most PS2 titles & in no way detterred from the game.

AI - The effectiveness of the AI cannot be underatted, especially in the harder settings. Enemy troops will actively respond to your movements - eg, by attempting to prevent your squad flanking them etc. Also as mentioned in another review, the AI of your men is also superb, with suicidal commands being rejected. This all adds to a greater sense of realism then in MOH / COD

The lack of health pickups & stats may dissapoint some gamers, however I felt that both led to a greater realism, as you focus on survival & success rather then the obtainment of prizes.

Accuracy, the disputes re the accuracy of levels, weapons and locations as mentioned in some reviews, are petty self congratulatory and frankly unneccessary. As somebody with a degree in History & who focussed primarily on WW2, I can honestly say that any inaccuracies were minor & unworthy of mention - afterall its a game, not a history lesson, some liberties are always going to be taken for entertainment sake.

The dialogue was worthwhile & to say it sounded forced seems somewhat harsh - arent most like this (in particular COD & 'Nam 67, being far worse examples). The lack of music in the actual levels was compensated with a decent score in between missions & as bonusses for completion of the game under authentic settings.

The reviewer who oppossed the swearing & gore, should be reminded that this is a game based on combat & with a age-rating aswell. In combat both Gore & bad language do occur with regularity - to think otherwise or be surpirsed by this shows naivety on the part of the gamer when the game was purchased - neither detracts from the game itself - if anything, both add realism.

OVERALL - anybody who enjoyed the MOH series or COD will find this a much more rewarding, less linear game, in which the relative shortness of the game is compensated for by the increased difficulty in other modes - highly worthy of purchase.


Absolute Brilliance!!!   March 23, 2005
David Jones (Hereford/England)
18 out of 21 found this review helpful

I got this game the day it was released and iwas hoping that it would be as good as MOH:Frontline and it didn't dissapoint! Infact it's alot better! The first enterance in the game starts at Hill:30 which surprised me but it works well with the story line. I was in Shock and awe! I won't say too much about what happens in the game as you will need to find out yourself. The graphics are the best i've seen and the French countyside is almost real! The sound effects are fantastic! If you have seen 'Band of Brothers' you will know what i mean! There are loads of other bits of detail that are brilliant like the AI of the Germans and Rain, mud and blood that add to realism. Not one level is bad! one thing that can be annoying is the sometimes bad aim but that could be just me! The red symbols above the enamy is also annoying as you can spot the germans a mile away but you turn it off anyway. 10/10


Sorry David, I DISAGREE!!!   February 15, 2005
17 out of 34 found this review helpful

I recently read the review by David John Kitchen. Im sorry, but if you didnt read the manufacturers description, it says that photos were used by the developers from the army of the terrain in 1944. So i doubt it would actually be a caravan park. Maybe you wish it was a caravan park, i dont know. I went to Normandy in 2002 and so have many other people including veterans who participated in the landings. I'm pretty sure that the developers have got the game to with a certain historical context. It sounds like you're asking them to get it to the exact detail like it was on the day. Are you going to complain that a chimney in the game is on the wrong side of the roof whereas in real life, it was on the other side?? I certainly aint. This game is going to be a lot better than Call Of Duty (dont get me wrong im a huge fan of the game). This is more of a complaint not a review. Sorry Amazon, i just needed to get my point across. (I gave it 5 stars, as i have been on the Brothers in Arms website, seen the information on it, and it looks amazing) Without even playing it, I recommend you buy the game.It looks amazing!


Just bought this game.   June 22, 2005
Andrew Puckering (Cambridge, England)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

I have just bought BiA, and I have to say it's a class game. The blooming really works for me, and combine that with the authenticity, the way mud and blood splash the camera, the actually-not-too-badly-sounding weapons and the realism of your men - it adds up to a really good experience. Many times playing Call of Duty I felt it was nice having buddies, but sometimes they never followed you where you needed them, and they were dumber than the Germans. Being able to do precisely what you want with your squaddies is very good, and lets you feel part of an army rather than a rambo-figure with some occasional lame help.
Okay so your mates get blown up real easy (especially the assault team). But they are still handy - you can use them as a second fire team, for example - and you have more control over, and feeling for them, than in Half-Life 2. And that's saying something because I got waaaay more attached to the rebels in HL2 than I did to the comrades in CoD, particularly since crucial guys like Benny Church were invincible. And although none of your fellas actually dies unless it's in the script in BiA, it still pains you to see them go down.
Poor weapon accuracy is not a problem - it makes the game more challenging, and encourages you to use your buddies. And despite what the explanatory pamphlet that comes with the game says, there are more options of taking out enemies than using the four 'F's. Experiment and see. On the subject of invisible walls, yes it's a bummer, but there's only so much of Normandy the developers can re-create; so unless authentic locations were dispensed with, invisible walls and unjumpable hedges are a necessary evil.
Even for the PS2, the graphics easily beat Call of Duty and Medal of Honor - Frontline was excellent, don't get me wrong, but BiA has tonnes more atmosphere. If you want to come close to what your grandad felt like 60 years ago, buy this game.