Brothers In Arms: Earned In Blood was released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox and PlayStation 2. Developed by Gearbox Software and published by Ubisoft this game is a tactical first-person shooter style video game. Told in story form by Joe “Red” Hartsock, he relives the events surrounding D-Day while he and his squad succeed in combating Nazi’s. Red must lead his paratroopers past Hill 30. This is done through a series of commands that indicate where the squad is to go and what they are to do when confronted by various situations.
Special Features Of Brothers In Arms: Earned In Blood
You can choose to revive fallen comrades for the next mission or replay it and attempt to keep everyone alive. New weapons, vehicles and maps have been added. Even though the locations might be different they still have the same fields, forests and urban-ness that we experienced in the last game Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30.
Arguably the best addition has been the upgraded intelligence of the enemy. They don’t just stay in one position and wait for you to surround them. They keep their eyes open and if they see you moving in one direction they will move to a safer position. You won’t be able to catch them by surprise anymore but they might be able to do it to you if you’re not careful.
If need be, they will retreat but you might be able to get them to retreat into awaiting units and ambush them. The upgraded AI makes this game more challenging but also more frustrating.
Exciting Gameplay
Upgraded online modes add more replay value to this version. You can play Deathmatches and Skirmishes in co-op fashion. The gameplay is more exciting than the single-player story mode in that the Germans will actually be attacking you but there is so much overlap between the online and offline modes that the gameplay becomes repetitive quickly. There are only so many ways you can flank your enemy and only so many ways to use your weapons or vehicles.
Characters don’t gain experience points and very few new challenges or variables are introduced although you can play the game as a German. Brothers In Arms: Earned In Blood looks similar to Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30 although there are some pleasant upgrades that give certain scenes a photo-realistic look to them. The animation is very smooth, especially the dying scenes which look incredibly realistic.
The characters, like most of the environments, are well rendered and convey a great deal of detail and dimensional depth. The cutscenes are moving and dynamic and clearly illustrate your objectives and motives. The symphonic soundtrack is a perfect accompaniment to the action. Sound effects are loud, sharp and take full advantage of surround sound, putting you in the middle of a war zone.
Parting Words
Brothers in Arms: Earned Blood addresses some of the issues of its predecessor, Road to Hill 30. But in the process, it comes across as more of an expansion pack than a true, stand-alone game. It’s fun and well produced but it’s a console version of an expansion pack and nothing more.