Good tactical shooter
The first thing I noticed about BiA:HH is the graphics. I think even today, Q4 of 2009, the game looks amazing. It's not just the level of detail, it's the overall colorful atmosphere which you wouldn't expect to find in a WW2 shooter. I love it.

The storyline is pretty solid. It does feel a little too heroic at some points, but the squad-based gameplay covers it up:

The game is based on you, and your squad(s). At almost all time, you are in control of a few more soldiers, squads, each specify in a different field for different situation. It adds a lot to the game when you're not playing alone. Especially when battlefields are designed to allow you to play tactics on the covered enemies, and flank them.
Unfortunately, it gets a little repetitive after a while. The game tries to vary that with little 'mini' modes throughout the game such as: controlling a tank in the battlefield, a sniping mission, escape missions, and so on.
The rest of the deal is a pretty standard WW2 FPS gameplay. It's well done, however, my only complaint is close combat. It's sluggish. Don't be a hero is what I learned.

As of today, for under 30 bucks, I think it's worth the investment even if you're into singleplayer only like moi.

for less than 20 bucks worth it ...
the campaign and squad based tactics are really cool. Although the game play controls are pretty bad and the multiplayer is horrendous!

Outstanding
Have been eagerly waiting for the package from Play-Asia to arrive. i have played and completed the earlier BIA road to hill 30, BIA earned in blood games and BIA Hell's Highway was a highly anticipated game.

What makes this series stand out from other war shooters are its squad based combat system. From the first game the concept of "find, fix, flank, finish!" was introduced and added the element of real time squad command in shooters. You play as a squad commander and have the ability to give orders to your squad mates for them to take up certain positions in the field, provide suppressive fire at enemy positions (fixing the enemy) and flank their positions once they are suppressed in order to finish them off.

Game play differs from the usual first person shooters as enemy encounters should be dealt with as a squad rather than a lone wolf squad commander charging into battle. Patience and situational awareness are required to outwit the opponents. Once again the story telling in this game is great, and the sound effects are wonderful.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoyed the games in this series and for anyone looking for a first person shooter with a twist.

GOOD
The Game is good, I bought and received in Brazil in perfect condition

Well worth it
The story is very cool indeed for a ww2 game. The tactical aspects are well wroth it as well. Especially now that it is cheaper it a solid purchase for any FPS fan.

Meh
This game was all about the Achievements for me. The game play is horrible. There are 3 different difficulties and really there is no difference. You get shot twice on easy, and you turn bloody red! It's not the fact that its a hard game to play, its just the game play in general. It's not very realistic and the AI are terrible! Played worse games but this is at the bottom of my list!

Product Review
When I grabbed this game I was expecting yet another cookie cutter, World War II first person shooter. I’m new to the Brothers in Arms series but the combination of a cheap price, good reviews and an easy 1000gs made me give it a shot…and I’m certainly glad I did.

The story puts you in the shoes of Sergeant Matt Baker during Operation Market Garden. This 8 day campaign in 1944 was the largest Airborne Operation of all time and was meant to put an early end to World War 2 in time for Christmas. The game’s story encompasses the entire operation from an initial successful landing on day 1 thru to a full retreat on day 9.

As Sergeant Barker progresses through Holland we are treated to a beautifully crafted cinematic experience telling the story of a man dealing with death, superstition, rebellion, mistrust and self doubt. The characters in your squad each have a very unique personality which helps us understand the pressures Baker is faced with and giving a rare insight into the pressures and psychological effects soldiers in WW2 would have experienced. It is this well crafted story telling that sets this game apart from any other World War game I have played so far.

The cutscene integration between levels is done so well it feels more like we are watching a movie we have taken part in rather than seeing a setup for the next level. This blends seamlessly into the level design allowing levels to follow the story as you play through them rather than relying on between level cutscenes to solely tell the tale.

The other unique factor in this game is the gameplay. This game requires a much more strategic approach to combat than is present in your standard FPS and, whilst it is played from a first person perspective, taking cover and deploying your troops is key to overcoming each obstacle. Running into a fight strafing, jumping and meleeing will just get you killed, no matter how good you are as it only takes one or two shots for you to be killed..

The main control method is the same as any standard FPS with the added features of taking cover and controlling support squads. The cover mechanics are similar to those in Gears of War or the Rainbow Six games. The camera goes into a third person view affording you a view of the enemy troops, you can then stick your head out, zoom and fire, then duck back into cover to reload. Where the game’s innovation comes into play is when you start directing your additional squads. At any time you have up to three supporting squads with weaponry ranging from standard guns through to machine guns or bazookas. The idea behind squad management is to provide suppressing fire and then flank the enemy. When an enemy is fully suppressed they will be less likely to raise their heads and fire until your team reloads. The game is cleverly designed to show you’re enemy’s suppression level and each level is designed so that you can take alternate routes and flank. To complement this strategic approach you are provided with a number of different types of squads. Assault teams are great for flanking whilst Fire and Machine Gun teams are awesome at providing suppressive fire. The third squad is the bazooka squad which serves two main purposes in your game. First they can be used to attack the unprotected sides of tanks and 88s. Second they can be used to destroy various types of enemy cover such as sand bags or wooden fences. I must admit it gave me great pleasure to play a game where hay bales and fences weren’t bullet proof and could be destroyed!

This versatility in approach gives the game a very different feel from your standard FPS and adds a nice variety to the approaches you take. Will you provide suppressive fire to distract a tank then send your bazooka team around the side to attack? Will you have all teams provide suppressive fire whilst you sneak around the back and plant an explosive charge? Or will you abandon all strategy run straight in and probably die? The game also provides a couple of “recon” points per level where you can look at a map or gain a birds eye view from a highpoint and update your in game map. Whilst this can be useful in planning your strategy I often found my map had enough information without a recon completion.

Whilst the design of the gameplay can’t be faulted there were a few small quirks that marred my playing the game. The first was the ability to direct troops only within your line of sight. This meant that, if I wanted to send my assault team around the back of a building to flank an area I actually had to run around the back of the building telling them where to go each step of the way. Suppressing fire and just telling them to go to the cover beside the enemy resulted in them taking a direct line, being spotted by the enemy, and voiding all surprise in a side attack. The second glitch in my mind was throwing grendes, especially when behind cover. Holding the fire button brings up a marker indicating where the grenade would land however positioning that marker where you wanted the grenade to go was exceptionally difficult.

The third negative for me was the enemy AI. Admittedly you don’t want your enemy to be too smart or a squad of 7 or so people won’t be able to single handedly kill hundreds of germans…but you don’t want them to be ridiculously stupid either. Many times, even on the hardest difficulty, I would be shooting a soldier from the side who would just stand up, duck back down and repeat. Easy pickings but not very satisfactory.

Graphically the game is very well presented although the cinematics are not up to the quality standard of many games released around the same time. The environments are well crafted and varied offering everything from building interiors to open fields. Each level gives a great feel for the environment it is trying to portray and the weapons look and feel like you’d imagine they would. The voice acting is fantastic and the music and sound effects ensure each level looks and feels exactly as you’d imagine it would in real life.

For those achievement hunters out there this game is a definite must play as the full 1000 is very easy to get. Most achievements are gained by simply playing the game thru on any difficulty. There are no rewards for playing on harder difficulties and the 7 multiplayer achievements are worth 0gs each. These would be very easy to boost if you can find anyone playing online so wouldn’t prove much of a challenge if you wanted the full 100%. The annoying achievements for this game are the four time based achievements. These are play the game on September 17th, play the game once a day for 7 days, play the game once a week for 3 months and play the game once a day for 100 days. Believe it or not these 4 achievements carry a hefty 225 points so are worth getting.

Conclusion

Brothers in Arms : Hell’s Highway is a very good game that rewards strategic planning rather than just hide and kill tactics. If played properly it will not prove a big challenge for most average gamers with full completion taking around 10 hours. Once the main game is complete there’s not much to do except for some simple multiplayer, collecting some collectibles, finding the recon points and playing the game on an enhanced difficulty (unlocked after you finish the game). I wouldn’t imagine you’d play it through more than once or twice at most and probably wouldn’t bother with the multiplayer as there is no online community anymore. In summary this is a fantastic, innovative game that tells a great story. It is a unique game in both gameplay and story. Whilst I would be disspointed if I paid full price for this game it currently sells for around 1/3 retail and is definitely worth purchasing and playing thru.

SCORECARD

Fun
9/10

A very fun game to play and very rewarding when you pull off a successful strategy.

Difficulty
3 / 10

Very easy game for an average player.

Graphics
7 / 10

Great graphics, suitably applied however quality comparatively inferior

Sound
9 / 10

Great sound effects and voice acting make for a great experience.

Gameplay
7 / 10

Great innovation but some glitch squad management and AI lower the experience.

Longevity
4 / 10

You might play it thru twice however lack of an online community or additional challenges make for a short lived game.

Presentation
8.5 / 10

Well presented, good menus, easy to understand, nice tutorials.

FINAL SCORE: 6.8 / 10

Rent or Buy?:
I’d advise renting this game as you should be able to complete it fully within one weekend.

If you like this game try :
Rainbow Six Vegas or Rainbow Six Vegas 2

Very good game
The story is very good. The grafics are Ok too. Is a great tactical shooter. And Only $US 14.90!!!

Impossible to say...
I'd love to review this game, but apparently there was a postal problem and I never got the game.

Play Asia was very helpful and understanding, and aren't at fault here. After making postal inquiries from both sides the postal services just simply lost the game... Hopefully it will turn out one day!

A great tactical shooter.
I'm only a casual player of first person shooters and I usually play them only on the easiest difficulty setting. I found this game to be too difficult for me. If you're like me you might be better off buying a game that is a little more pick up and play than this.
But if you're into tactical shooters this game has a beautiful presentation as well as a fantastic group of voice actors.
A great WWII environment.

Good game
The story is very good. For the most part, I loved the game play. The achievements are doable and easy to get so that's a bonus.

Gritty with a compelling storyline.
To be honest I hadnt played a version of this franchise on a console, wish I had of sooner. The graphics are above par, completely suitable with the realistic nature of the gameplay. The character development is way above the majority of shooters out there. The tactical nature is compelling with many ways to win each map section (excellent replay value). Where is the next one in the franchise Ubisoft we want more!

Better than previus BIA.
The graphics are updated and more story and character development. 4F (Find, Fix, Flank, Finish) still applies. Recommended .

Nice game
The single campaign of this game is awesome!
Very easy to play and fun!
But the multiplayer achievements got "ZERO" point... This is the only bad part of this game.

Nice game!
Brothers in Arms is an awesome tactic shooter, Rushin' forward is in most of the cases the worse decision. You will experience the true tactics: supress, flank and kill. The graphics are stunning, the story is epic, the maps are huge. No more to say. This is a playground for all who like WWII-shooters and those who are not bored by the mass of 'em in this section.

Great Game! Historically Accurate.
This is a great game! Great story, however I wish the acting was better. I believe the people that give this game a negative review is because they don't understand that this is more of a strategy game (not a run and gun).

Brilliant
A lot of people complain about the multiplayer but if you can get over that this is one of the best single player WW2 game experiences out there.