Brothers In Arms: Earned In Blood (PS2)

This sequel is a traditional FPS. You need to win by carefully positioning your troops and using cover to your advantage. You won't get anywhere by running around firing aimlessly. Its a definite change from the usual, no brainer shooter.

Its very realistic. If, say, a mortar explodes near to you, mud will cake the screen, and the camera rolls around. You'll be helpless until, you regain your senses.

However, the combat is very slow paced. Sure, this is the point, but can soon become repetitive. Its also pretty much identical to the original. It just doesn't add enough as a sequel. This really let me down, as I loved the previous game's tight battles, which have now become sprawling slogs.

If you've never played the original then this is still a highly recommended game, but if you're a fan of Road to Hill 30, then you'd really just be paying money to play spot the diffence.

Graphics 07 Occasionly jerky but still crisp.
Sound 07 Sparse, but relevant.
Gameplay 08 Tactical military action.
Lifespan 07 Lots of missions, and online too.

OVERALL: 7 out of 10.


Band of brothers   December 6, 2005
20 out of 21 found this review helpful

In a genre swamped by run-of-the-mill FPS shooters (and WW2 ones in particular), this stands out as a shining example of how to challenge expectations. There's no space for "run-and-gun" tactics here; any one-man armies will be quickly dispatched by the German enemies.

The idea is simple: in a series of events running parallel to those in the first Brothers in Arms instalment, "Road to Hill 30", you take command of a paratrooper fighting his way through France following the D-Day landings. Based on real battles and with missions recreated using WW2 photos, there's a strong feeling of authenticity throughout the game. Shells landing nearby will splatter you mud, and the solid recoil motions will kick your gun back considerably, making it important to make every shot count where you have time to line it up.

As a newly-promoted sergeant, you also have command of several troopers (numbers slowly increase as the game goes on). You have to deploy your privates effectively to pin back German soldiers - each enemy has a "suppression gauge", so that if your troops keep firing at them they'll stay hiding behind cover, afraid to move or return fire. What this means in gameplay terms is that covering fire actually works, becoming crucial to the success of each mission. You have to keep your foes on their toes as you outflank and outmanoeuvre them to pick them off from angles where there is no cover. Similarly, it's incredibly difficult to pick off the Germans when they're directly behind cover.

As time goes on, your men earn scars and their uniforms detoriate. Your ongoing use of the same men, who you've pulled through various other tricky missions and sticky situations, makes every loss heartbreaking, and you start to develop a real feeling of camaraderie with your band.

Another improvement on Road to Hill 30 is that the enemy AI has been significantly improved: the Germans will fall back to new positions if you press them too hard, try to outflank you as well, and even charge you in a desperate last-ditch effort if you corner them. This makes the game a rewarding challenge rather than an orgy of mindless killing, and the learning curve is pitched just about perfectly.

However, there are a few small gripes: there are no medikits or health equivalents, and the only way to "save" your in-game progress is to reach a mission checkpoint. These checkpoints, however, are somewhat erratically spaced. Some are very close together, while others require you to battle your way through hordes of entrenched Germans before you can even pause for breath. This adds to the difficulty, and may require you to replay some parts of the mission almost ad nauseum.

Furthermore, there is a "situational awareness map" to allow you to tactically plan your next move. While this is an excellent idea, it's a poorly executed one. The lack of free-rotating camera means you can only look directly at the objectives, allies, or enemies, making a simple area overview almost impossible and long-term route-planning tricky. It's still better to have this feature than to not have it, but it could be more useful.

The multi-player mode is the only other thing to comment on: it's solid enough, but you can't play co-operatively, which is a little disappointing.

Overall, then, a tense recreation of WW2 skirmishes, with excellent gameplay employing strategic thinking. A very worthwhile purchase, but with a few minor blemishes, I recommend this to anyone sick of the bog standard WW2 FPS genre. A real challenge, and a long game with added multi-player life.


Brothers in Arms Earned in Blood   February 3, 2006
Norwich Gamer (Norwich, Norfolk United Kingdom)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

Or - Road to Hill 30 Part 2.

While there are no major enhancements from the first game this game stills hold an attraction for those who want more than just your basic shoot em up.
Take the supression indicators and cross hairs off, don't use the tactical view and it's probably as real as you can get. Killing the enemy is pretty difficult and unlike MOH or COD you cannot just sit there aiming until a head appears in the same place as your gun never stays dead still.

Use of tactics and positioning your squads are key to success and
a bad decision leaves your mates dead.

One improvement worthy of a mention is the skirmish sections, hard or what?

For those new to Brothers in Arms I would just say after these all the other FPS WW2 games are second rate.
Those familiar with Road to Hill 30 this is more of the same but really should have been an add on rather than a seperate game.


Brothers In Arms: Earned In Blood   September 23, 2006
My Name (Stranded, Pacific Ocean)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

Gritty, dirty, vivid.

If you have ever wondered what it would have been like to have fought in 1940's Normandy, then this game is probably just as good as a veteran's auto-biography. Set entirely from photos taken from reconnaisance planes, this game really puts you in to the perspective of Sgt Baker's, now Sgt Harstock's, "Dozen".

The game starts were Hill 30 left of. War-torn, bombed out Carentan, with a familiar gang of soldiers. The game is basicaly one big "flash back". In several cut-scenes you see Sgt Joe "Red" Hartstock talking to a General about his story so far. They talk about a particular mission - you play that particular mission. Interesting really when you think the very characters in the game were actualy once there as real, normal people fighting for what they believed. Anyway, back to the review...

The gameplay is very similar. Supression indicators and Situational Awareness maps play a big part in the tactical side of the game. Sure you can turn them off, aswell as your cross-hairs, and you will have it as authentic as you can, but then the game would be practicaly impossible. The AI of your squad hasn't really improved, but that of your enemies has, HUGELY. The Germans try more ambitious assaults, aswell as a quicker awareness of seizing a flank. This adds to a truly commanding game. As seen in many WW2 games, your squad prefers to run out and get shot, than stay behind cover and fire at the enemy from there. Although by now gamers should expect this flaw, it's still really frustrating when you lose a man due to poor AI. The AI of your team is really the main problem and it's why I have given an Overall Rating of 4*, but have still given a Fun Rating of 5*, because that's what it is - fun.

There are one or two new weapons introduced into the game such as the German FG42 assault rifle, a personal favourite of mine. As in the old game, you can still man 30 Cal. assault rilfes on the top of US tanks, aswell as sending your tank to run down a MG42 position - well - it is a lot easier than doing it yourself....

Graphics: 9/10: Great, gritty, realistic graphics but just not as crisp as those on BIA's rival, Call of Duty.
Gameplay: 10/10: Easy to use control interface make for an enjoyable gaming experience.
Sound: 8/10: The guns, in my opinion have never sounded fantastic and also, the fact that when you take a hit, your character just gives a little grunt, where as in real life he would be screaming.

Overall: 10/10: Great realism and gameplay, combined with real challenges make this game well worth its price tag.

Hope this was helpful.


BOTHERS IN ARMS ROCKS   December 10, 2005
war game fan
9 out of 18 found this review helpful

when I first got this game,I thought would be a fun game to play but also that it would be very much like MOH and COD, games were you feel like u r the best man in the army and feel cocky enough to take on hundreds of enemys solo. but after 5 mins u really feel like u are part of an army not some do gooder who is so arragant he feels confident enough to bust into a room of armed enemys without getting a scratch.

In the game u r a newly promoted sgt called joe hartsock or red as his men call him.The game is all a flashback,red is being interviewed by the marshel.

in each mission u r given a certain amout of men, most of wich u will end up knowing pretty well. When u command yr men though u have 2 think there is a line between loyalty and stupidity.

the graphics are ok but if u get to close to a man his gun goes straight through u.

the only other annoying thing about this game is that when u aim the gun it moves as u breath and makes the move.

on the whole this is a great game,alttle short but if u try 2 unlock everything then it will give u many hours of fun GET THIS GAME!!!!!!