I was one of the people lucky enough to be invited to the recent press preview for Brothers In Arms Hells Highway, which took place at the most appropriate of venues, "The Union Jack" soldiers club London. Before the gaming got underway, we were privileged enough to be given a briefing on operation Market garden, the campaign that this episode of the BIA series centres around.

Ubisoft had a Mr Neil Powell In attendance, a serving army officer and expert on the history of operation market garden.
Before he started, he asked If anybody In the room had seen the film "A Bridge To Far" (I highly recommend watching this film for anyone who wishes to gain a greater understanding of the campaign before playing BIA HH) and then proceeded to outline the objective of Operation Market Garden, a day by day account of how the battle unfolded, and the mistakes that were made that eventually led to the ultimate failure of the main objective. I won't personally go in to all the details, as this preview is about my thoughts on the game based on my hands on time, but if you are not familiar with this part of WWII history, I suggest wikipedia.

Mr Powell brought the analysis of the campaign to a close, and introduced us to two very special guests, Mr Des Page and Mr Arthur Latchford, veterans who personally took part in the battle at Arnhem, the main objective of the British and ultimately the entire Allied Command. Less than two thousand from an original ten thousand men involved In the offensive at Arnhem survived the battle, and there can't be many of these men still alive today, so Iit was an absolute privilege to have them in attendance. Their stories were truly humbling, and It was a great opportunity to hear about the campaign from the personal perspectives of two soldiers that were very much In the thick of the battle.

To have these gentlemen at the event, tells me that Ubisoft and Gearbox clearly care that Hells Highway Is as authentic as possible In honoring the lives of the people involved In this conflict, whilst trying to make as visceral and enjoyable experience for the player as possible.

My hands on time consisted of the first four levels of the game, all played on the normal difficulty setting on the 360. HH starts with a "Previously on BIA" FMV, giving some background on bakers story for those who are new to the series or just need a recap, an optional tutorial Is also included In the first level of the of the game.



Controls And Gameplay.

I have noticed on the various forums that many people are eager to know whether the game will have options to change the configuration of the controls, as the first game In the series RTH30 only had the option to "invert Axis", I'm pleased to tell you that HH will have three custom options, as well as the ability to configure your own layout, although to what extent, I didn't ask.
The controls can be change in the main options menu, or during gameplay and the custom options are as follows.

Ring World = Halo

Tour of Duty = COD

Tactical Six = Rainbow Six

To start with, The controls felt a little stiff, but I put this down to the fact that I am a PS3 gamer through and through, so the 360 controller, with its offset analogues is bound to feel a little alien at first.
Anyone familiar with the first two titles in the series, should be able to get to grips with the controls strait away, as gearbox haven't really tampered with what has been a successful formula for the franchise.

To issue an order to move, simply switch between the different teams under your command via the D-pad, aim your cross hairs over the desired position whilst holding down the left trigger and they'll move to that destination upon release of the trigger. To issue an order to fire on the enemy, tap on the right trigger whilst holding down on the left, but you must make sure you have your cross hairs sighted over the enemy's suppression icon, otherwise you'll be in danger of having your team assume its an order to move. The three, two man teams that make up the squad consist of an assault team, armed with light weapons such as SMGs or rifles, A fire team consisting of one MG and your Bazooka team.

A couple of new features to be introduced to HH are the grenade range indicator, a red ring icon similar to the blue command ring, which allows you to throw grenades through windows or doorways with greater accuracy, by placing the ring on the desired target, and the new health indicator, which simply turns the screen a shade of red, darkening In color to warn you of the level of danger you are In.


New Tactical Map.

The new map that replaces the old recon view from the first two games, Is accessible through pressing the select button, which pauses the game, giving a basic layout of the terrain, with markers detailing your position, the various teams that make up your squad, and most importantly where the enemy Is dug In.
I found this to be an improvement over the system implemented in the first two games of the series. It seems to improve the flow of gameplay In Its simplicity and Is more In line with a soldiers field equipment of that period.


The Cover System.

In all honesty, I wasn't to keen on this to start with, but I put this down to just general lack of experience In putting It into effect, and the fact that I have never personally played an FPS such as RB6 that uses a cover system. You soon learn that taking advantage of cover Is a necessity part of the game If you wish to stay alive. Taking cover Is quite a simple process, place Baker behind an object such as a wall, and hit the cover button depending on how you have the buttons configured, and tap the same button to exit cover mode.

Be warned that with the incorporation of partially destructible environments, Its not a very wise move to take up cover behind wooden objects such as barrels or fences. The only criticism that I can point out, Is that during my hands on time, I directed my bazooka team to fire on a group of Germans taking cover behind some sandbags, and then proceeded to take up behind cover my self, My bazooka team scored a direct hit, and the game slowed down to show me the consequences of my actions utilising the latest slow mo feature, this became redundant however as my view of the carnage was blocked by the cover I had taken to hiding behind. Its a minor criticism, but I'm sure this wont be an issue with the final game.


Bazooka And MG Teams.

The incorporation of these new fire teams Is one of my favorite aspects of this new instalment In the series. These teams can be put to devastating effect If used properly, and can give you a real feeling of power when put to good use, especially the bazooka team which has to be my personal favorite.
I also notice gearboxes attention to detail, being that Iin order for the bazooka team to be affective, they need to be well within range of the target. For instance, my squad and I were getting shredded by an MG team hauled up In a church tower, my only option was to move my bazooka team into position as firing on them with my BAR had no effect.
I instructed my bazooka to open fire on the church tower, but they weren't In range, necessitating the need for me to clear some cover for them further infield of the battle, whilst under a hale of gun fire coming from the MG nest hidden in the church tower. Scenarios like this require you to really use your brain and to put not only cover but flanking tactics into good use. once I had cleared the area of the battlefield that would put my bazooka team In range of the MG nest, I ordered them to move In, take up cover behind a wall, and fire on the target. the top of the church tower went up brick by brick shredding the Germans to a muddle of limbs and torsos, all captured In slow motion by the new BIA CAM.
Terrific stuff that gives you a real sense of achievement once the dust has settled, even more so If you manage to get through It with your squad still intact.

I can see battle scenarios like this lasting for hours If played on the most difficult setting "Authentic" mode. The MG team is not to be taken for granted either, as Its the best possible option for laying down covering fire, pinning the enemy down, leaving them no where to go, thus allowing you to take up the flank and "finish them" as Col Antell would put It, you can also simply fire In their direction, forcing them out of out into the open with no where to go, whilst you watch your MG team rip them to shreds.


Graphics And Animation.

Graphically, BIA HH Is very impressive and does the job for me, It's has Its own unique style, which Is very much what I had expected to see in a next gen outing for this series. I will say, that having now played HH first hand, the trailers and video footage circulating the net, don't do the game justice, but then again, thats usually the case for any game.
Some people seem to have issues with the daylight missions looking to sunny, the ambiance seeming to be to bright, but we're all used to seeing the gray and dank conditions of Omaha beach and Normandy, that games developers in the past have so repeatedly used as a backdrop for their games. The history books also show that It was sunny on the morning of the landings on September 17, which coincides with first levels that we spent time playing.

The opening level takes place In a bombed out hospital, with the atmosphere grimly inspired by the surroundings. The moonlight pouring through the windows beautifully highlights the dust particle effects whilst fire Is also suitably impressive, reflecting against detailed tiled walls as you make your way through the atmospheric wards of the hospital. There were times when I saw Certain surfaces of the environment, or objects such as hospital beds that seemed to be lacking a little in definition, but overall I was most impressed with what I saw. The original games captured the sensation of motion blur and depth of field beautifully, and hells highway boast the same visual touches, which Is particularly pleasing to the eye when looking down the sights of your M1 Garand.

The most impressive visual element for me though, has to be the way In which shadows perfectly correspond with movements from trees, plants, members of your squad or your own body leaping over an object for example. I remember back to the original developer walkthrough's, with Randy Pitchford explaining how shadows would correspond with "First Person Actor", immersing the player into the role of the character, and after playing the game first hand, I can definitely understand what he was trying to say. The Little things, such as Bakers body casting a highly realistic looking shadow, that distorts when falling over objects, go a long way to making you feel like your character has a tangible presence amongst the environment. You no longer feel like you are hovering around through the environment with a couple of arms stuck In front of a camera.

We haven't heard much from gearbox recently on the once much publicized "First Person Actor" but I can tell you that this feature Is definitely still In effect, and works beautifully with the games shadow effects. Climb over a wall or fence and you can clearly see your body interacting with the environment, your shadow corresponding consistently with your movements, and traveling down the stairs of a windmill, looking towards the ground, I could see my legs and and feet realistically working away as I negotiated the steps, further showcasing Hells Highways impressive animations.
Its also a pleasure just to sit back and watch your squad negotiate and interact with the environments, realistically leaping over objects, or taking up position behind cover.

The absolute pinnacle of the games animation can be seen through the new slow motion mode. Scoring a direct hit with a bazooka round or single head shot, slows the game down and zooms into the action, allowing you to see the repercussions of what you have just done in greater depth. Bodies can be ripped apart displaying all manner of guts, bones and gushing blood. whether this feature will prove to stand the test of time without becoming repetitive, will probably depend on how bloodthirsty the player Is as Its a bit of an horrific affair, but I have to admit that the animation was so attractive, I couldn't help but marvel at what Gearbox has created. These moments are not at all scripted and can happen at any moment of the game depending on the circumstances and the impact point of the bullet or bazooka round upon your target and as a result, I didn't once feel like I had seen a repeat of anything I had seen previously.

On the down side, there were occasions when watching my squad mates In more depth, the lip syncing didn't seem to fit the animations properly, and on another occasion whilst destroying an enemy's cover, and killing him In the process, his MP40 seemed to be suspended In the air for a brief moment. But to be honest those are miner concerns, and the MP40 incident only happened once, hopefully gearbox will have addressed these issues before the final release.


Level Design And Destructible Cover.

Another part of BIA HH I'm most impressed with Is the level design. Although you are following a set path as with the previous games, the battlefield feels relatively open, allowing you to peruse more than one route of attack. Another new feature to be taken advantage of Is "Recon Points", high points on the battlefield such as windmills, which give you an opportune vantage point from which to see enemy positions or locate your objectives, this Combined with a new tactical map, can be of real assistance when trying to find a route from which to flank a well placed enemy position. Looking at photos or documentary footage of that campaign, you can clearly see that Gearbox has once again succeeded in replicating the terrain as it was at that period. Contrary to a recent preview I have read elsewhere, grass, foliage and trees all sway with the breeze, their movements nicely reflected in shadow upon the environment courtesy of some stunning lighting effects. There also seems to be a plentiful amount of variations in plants foliage and trees, as I never one felt the sensation of "deja vu".

The level design also incorporates the new addition of destructible cover, which adds a hole new layer to the tactical element of the game. You now have to mind your surroundings as sitting behind a wooden fence, you won't last long, the enemy's AI is very clever. Realising you're in a weak position in terms of cover, they'll try and flank you. Likewise, If the enemy Is sat behind a penetrable piece of cover, and you open fire on them, they'll fall back to a safer position, try to flank them whilst leaving them a route to escape and they'll fall back and counter flank you.


Closing Thoughts.

A week later, and I'm left with withdrawal symptoms from my first taste of HH, and eagerly anticipate Its release.
Strait away this felt like a BIA game, but grittier and more adult themed than the previous games In the series, or any other war game for that matter. And for the first time, civilians play a role in the story, showing us the consequence of war upon the non combatants, and In particular women and children, as hinted to In some of the teaser trailers that have been released recently. I think Gearbox has tried extremely hard to create an engrossing game In terms of story and excitement, but at the same time, from what I have witnessed first hand, seeing the various trailers of how Baker Is In for a most difficult experience this time round, that this will be an anti war game.

I think one of the main reasons BIA has such a large and dedicated following Is because of Its engrossing story-lines. I would partly attribute this to the fact that while other games take you from one theatre of war to the next, giving you no time to acclimatised to your surroundings, or to get to know the characters you're fighting along side, BIA takes place over a matter of a few days, following the story of a single operation, and seems to be a stronger more consistent game because of It. I wish more games developers would follow gearbox's example, and create more engrossing, story driven games that will make the general public think twice when considering whether every aspect of WWII has already been visited by the video games industry, because that's as far from the truth as can be.


I'm happy to answer any questions, so feel free to ask.

Finally, I would like to thank Neill Powell, Des Page, Arthur Latchford, everyone at Ubisoft and Gearbox involved in the event. I would especially like to thank Kazzoo, Ubisoft community manager, for selecting me for what was a great opportunity to play BIA HH In advance of Its release.

So did you get to see anything at all about the multiplayer? And did they say anything about coop?

thank you very much VANNO1! its great to finally read a detailed post by an educated individual! my only question for you is rather pointless but it was the only problem i had with the first two games. in the previous BIA games your squad wouldnt move that realistically. for example, if you ordered them to move to a certain area they would crash into each other and have very sharp movements. for some reason that really caught my eye and took away from the realism of the game. so my question is, do they move like real people and not crash into each other? thanks a lot man!

jsterling26, the "hands on" event was soley for the single player campain, there was no mention made of either the multiplayer, or CO-OP, though with only two weeks till the release of the game, I don't think you will have to wait long for news on these aspects of HH.

thuglife110, the AI of your both your squad and the enemy is top notch, you never have problems with allies running through your line of fire, or blocking doorways or entry points, as is the case with such games as COD4, because you are in control of the squad and can direct your teams into the desired position. I never once saw any confusion amongst the squad as they seem to navigate the terrain intelligently and realistically, taking up behind suitable cover even If you order them into a dangerous position on the battlefield, such as directly into the enemy's line of fire. I didn't have any issues with my squad interfering with each others movements, or getting stuck on areas of the environment, no jerky, unrealistic movements at all, in fact the animation is one of the most impressive features in my opinion. As I said in my preview, watching the squad in action, leaping over objects, with their shadows realistically interacting with the environment, is a pleasing sight to the eyes.

Another feature that I failed to mention, when you are approaching an unsuspecting enemy position, your squad will automatically switch into sneak mode, speaking with hushed voices and treading carefully through the environment, so as not to alert the enemy of their presence. This new feature of the character AI is a great addition to the immersion factor, making the already believable squad that little bit more human. I know what you mean about the original game, but this is a next gen title, which you would expect to perform as one, and I can definitely tell you as a fan, that it does.

Outstanding report. Too bad you couldn't get any video. :-) Thanks for taking the time to write an intelligent and legible account. Meeting the veterans would have been an even bigger buzz for me than playing the game. I would say see you on the battlefield but you're a PS3'er. I'm an Xbox360 man myself.

great information thanks a lot man!

In past videos i noticed that when Baker was in the "dig in" position, there was some problems with the crosshair and the actual gun lining up. Like the crosshair would be pointing at one spot, but it appeared that the gun wasnt quite pointing at the same spot. So i guess my question is, did you notice anything like that?

jsterling26, I didn't experience any such issues with the cover system, just the one occasion I mentioned in the preview, when my Bazooka team scored a direct hit on a couple of Germans, triggering the slow mo feature, but for some reason, the camera didn't centre in on the action and my view was left blocked by the wall I was hiding behind.

For the First Person Actor, can you see Baker's body when you're not jumping over cover or walking down steps?

I only looked towards Bakers feet on the journy down the stairs of the windmill and This was during gameplay and not an FMV or scripted moment, so I'm pretty sure that "first person actor" is in affect at all times.

did you notice any bullet holes in the germans or blood on the ground? just curious. nice review

I didn't I'm afraid, but during the first level, after I had shot my first German, I wanted to test the rag doll effects, so I took a couple of shots at the body lying on the ground, but it didn't seem to react at all. It's a minor thing, and In all honesty I don't think people will be spending their time on HH shooting up dead bodys, but I understand how people appreciate the little details.

wow i cant belive they didnt add blood on the groung or holes in the bodies they said how they wanted to showoff what a grenade does to someone in one of the trailers and they dont even put a spot of blood on the ground . oh well im still getting it

Was there blind fire? And if so what button did you hit to do it?

There wasn't any referance to blind fire during the tutorial included in the opening level, so I assume not, but I can't be sure.

Was there blind fire? And if so, what button do you use to do it?

Do you get to choose your weapon befor each mission? Or does it just give you one.

ZEROfreak101st, I don't think it's possible to blind fire, but I cant be 100% sure on that.

jsterling26, It wasn't possible to choose your own weapons load-out during my hands on, but the final version of the game may be different.

could you tell us a bit about the levels?? dont spoil it but just to tell us what some are like, if night time ones are scary or are dark, is it hard to see enemy???

Yeah sure kill_boi,

The first level which takes place in an abandoned hospital, is very atmospheric, quite chilling, and reminiscent of Silent Hill, with wheel chairs and hospital beds littering the wards. I won't say anything regarding plot points, but at the end of this level you end up in and operating theatre, complete with rows of seats where students would once have observed their teachers in action, operating or dissecting bodies. entering the operating theatre was my favorite part of the level, as I'm a fan of Frankenstein and it very much reminded me of the sort of place the doctor would have brought his creation to life in the story, minus all of the electrical conducting equipment of course. seeing the enemy in this environment is not a problem with the red suppression icons on, although if you choose to play the game without them on, on Authentic mode, you will have to tread carefully and keep your eyes peeled that little bit more.

the daylight missions are in great contrast to the grey and dreary beaches of Normandy that we are all so familiar with by now, the sunny idyllic landscapes, doted with windmills and farm yards are all so alluring, with sheep roaming the fields, whilst birds take flight at the nearest sign of disturbance. And just when you are admiring the beautiful country side, and taking in the view, all hell brakes loose, and the contrast between this lushes terrain, disturbed by warfare, with Germans being ripped limb from limb, very much brings you right back down to earth.

Contrary to a couple of reviews I have read elsewhere, namely IGN (which I wasn't very impressed with, I must say) you don't parachute into the level, as on this occasion you are dropped into Holland on board an American Waco CG-4A Glider, towed by a C-47. During one of the levels, you are charged with clearing and defending a landing Zone that has already seen a couple of these Gliders crash landing. This was one hectic battle, with the Germans cleverly counter attacking, and flanking at the best opportunity, whilst all the time, you can see the paratroopers slowly descending from the sky in the background.