My Top 100: #74 – Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30

2005 – GearBox Software (PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

 

Not long before the World War II shooter genre got stale, GearBox managed to squeeze a little bit of innovation into the formula.  Take some elements from co-developer UbiSoft’s Rainbow Six, mash it together with Medal of Honor’s European WW2 setting, and what do you get?  One of the most critically acclaimed titles in the relatively short history of the genre.

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 adds a strategic element to the already hectic battles fought in previous World War II games.  If you play like your character is Superman and feel like taking on the entire Nazi occupation by yourself, then this game is probably not for you.

 

 

This probably goes without saying, but the war was not won by a handful of people acting independently from one another.  This is the point Road to Hill 30 hammers home, and the game will kick your ass for not going about it the right way…  enemy soldiers entrenched on the other side of the road?  Get your squad mates to lay down suppressing fire, while you find a way to flank the enemy.  Going into a barn?  You might want to take a quick peek before casually strolling in there like you own the place.

This game ups the difficulty without being too unforgiving, and I actually found it to be one of the more genuine World War II experiences in a video game…  not that I’d know anything about that, but it just felt more real, and I actually cared for my in-game squadmates.

Play it!

 

Here’s the sequel, released in late 2005. Pretty much the same game, but it actually follows a squad with characters that are referenced and seen many times in the original.

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