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Simply put, the best War First Person Shooter, ever!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 38 / 43
Date: March 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Brothers in Arms is amazing & fun.....

Graphics: 8/10 -Good graphics but some bland textures.
Sound: 10/10 -Everything sounds very good & molds together perfectly.
Gameplay: 10/10 -Excellent! It's a first person shooter combined with strategy. You can control up to two squads of soldiers and stuart & sherman tanks in combat. You can order the two squads to take up positions to flank enemies & provide cover for movement.
Story: 8/10 -Story is good & is similar to the Band of Brothers mini-series. Though a few parts of the dialogue are cheesy or boring.
Presentation: 10/10 -Menus are easy to navigate & the cut-scenes go together well with the gameplay....everything is good.
Over-all: 10/10 -I gave this game a 10/10 because the gameplay is extremely awesome. It's probably the most historically accurate first person shooter ever made thus far!

I haven't played multi-player yet, so I can't say anything about it but the single player game is good enough to play over & over again, so the replay value is also good!

The Battle for Normandy France has begun, are you ready?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 26 / 28
Date: October 15, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I've been syked for Brothers in Arms since I first saw it's trailer in June 2004. When I finally got it, an extreme feeling of excitment came over me. I knew I was in for something extrodinarie. Before I continue, let me just say I wasn't wrong at all in thinking this. After completing the game about an hour ago, i feel as though I have made friendships and also lost several. The men of Fox Company 502nd regiment of the 101st airborne come alive in Brothers in Arms. They aren't dumb ai bots running into walls and getting killed for not returning fire. They are smart, almost to the point of creepiness. Level after level I was continuely worrying about the welfare of my men. Not because I couldnt survive without them, but because I didnt want to survive without them. I wanted to see all of my men through to the end. Sadly not all of them can be saved and your always wondering who is going to die next. As you get closer to the end of the game you begin to feel that the rest of your "dozen" has a chance. The game's opening scene is intense with violence as well as profanity. It is brutal and sets the mood for the scene that follows. Don't go into Brothers in Arms thinking its another "Americans win everything" game. Many of the levels are sad and some moments are downright scary. If you've viewed, no, experienced and enjoyed the film Band of Brothers, this game will appeal to you. The story is so gripping I literally played it for 24 hours straight until I beat it. The gameplay in Brothers in Arms is solid enough to get use to fairly quick and both the game's sound and visuals are top notch. The weapons in Brothers in Arms are true to life weapons that feel more real than ever before. You need to be precise in your aiming, be careful where you take cover, and think like a soldier because two well placed shots is enough to drop you. Over all, Brothers in Arms on the Xbox is very nice and offers split screen multiplay, online play, and tons of extras. Check this game out, its incredibley good.
Thanks for reading.

We HONOR all Veterans with this game........

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 24
Date: March 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Soldiers ~
My thoughts ~
"Brothers in Arms" is THE 1st FPS to be inspired by real (historical) events by which the members of the 101st (Screaming Eagles) have participated.
I have read about the authenticity and research in which this game was developed from, so I was wondering just acturate it really was.
Once I opened the packaging, I was anxiously awaiting to play this game.
I was NOT disappointed!

I am a veteran of the Gulf War and this game "Brought tears" to my eyes.
ONLY a few will understand what I just said, and those few are the Veterans (from any war/conflict/mission) in which they participated in.
I was taken in by knowing that a generation who fought before me, gave their life for freedom (plain and simple) and did not complain (in the media) of not being able to come home within 3 months of being in the "Danger Zone".
I can not speak for all Veterans, because all Veterans have a different experience in experiencing combat.
But, remember, the 1940's was a different time, a different way of thought.
Yes, I served and I would do it again.
Now on to the Game Review....

I have the X-Box version with a 5.1 Bose Surround Sound.

Controls:
Score 10 out 10 ¬
Controls are easy to understand and adjust to.
The controls are assigned as Standard play
(for you seasoned Console players) you know what I am refering to.
Default Squad player, Conditioned Player, and Current.
There is also a "Lefty" mode for you left handers.

Main Character ~
Score 10 out of 10 ¬
You play as Sgt. Matt Baker ~
and You command a TEAM and must guide them to safety and to complete the task/missions at hand.
Your an NCO, the "backbone" of the Army, and YOU must use common sense, contain a brave heart, and above all - "LEAD".
This gamer does not agree with the statement made in which a NCO explains that a NCO does not do the following:

"The NCO never goes out into the muddy field to lay satchel charges..heck when I was active duty an NCO wouldn't even empty a trash bin if someone of lesser rank was standing around. The NCO is the the one that leads and inspires/intimidates his men to follow orders".

NCOs are THE Backbone and YES, they do pick up trash!
NCOs EARN that respect, and when they are RESPECTED, the
NCOs men will follow them into hell!
Why? Because they earn that by being respectful
(even by intimidation) of his men, but in the same respect, understand his men.
NCOs MUST set the example and do things that his men would also do and in addition would not let his men do anything that HE is not prepared to do himself.
You will come across this many times while playing this game.
YOU must lead and MUST guide your men or they are killed.
If they are killed, you have an opportunity to "reclaim/heal" them, as a statement says in game....
"War is sometimes not Fair, But in video games it is"...
then YOU have an option to "Heal and continue" or if you wish..don't. YOU have a choice.

Sound ~
Score 10 out of 10 ¬
Sound quality is excellent!
Sound are real and authentic and NOT Hollywood, meaning overly loud or hyper-extended.
Ambient sound is high quality and very clear.
Weapons sounds are taken from real weapon counterparts.
Natural sounds and quiet tones are heard and are wonderous.
Language ¬
Be forewarned, there is "Colourful language in this game and IF your not offended by such, then it just adds to the realism of the game play.
The Germans "speak" German and if you understand German, it will come in handy as it will also help in trying to figure out what the next move the Germans will make.
When you get wounded, you hear your character grunt and feel pain.
Music in the game is just right and fits with the scheme.
The music reminded me of Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers.
Yes, there is some similarities to Band of Brothers, but remember, this game is based off historical fact, just as was Band of Brothers.

Graphics ~
Score 10 out of 10 ¬
X-Box graphics are outstanding and very unique to this type of game.
Uniforms are exact and even have the muddiness on the lower half of the uniform, which blends onto the character.
Even the face cammo, the the Paratroopers have at the begining of the game, will fade away after a time.
I also noticed that the uniforms become more gritty and dirty as you contuinue through the game. Increadable!
Each character has a personality all his own, and the eyes "blink".
Explosions are awesome and realistic.
Your POV (Point of View) has you getting mud (splattered) on your face and when your wounded, you see blood splatter on the screen.
and when you get killed, your tossed backwards and see the sky and you hear your fellow TEAM mates cry out your name, stating that your been hit and are down.
Bullet hits are noted and seen. Dirt is kicked up.
Splinters of wood are tossed up around you and you "feel" like your actually in combat!
Simply amazing and outstanding.
Granted NOT EVERYONE will be happy with the graphics, as everyone, every player has a different "taste" of what they need and should be.
You have to notice these "small" indicators when playing, because you will not see them the 1st time around.

Historical acuracy ~
Score 10 out of 10 ¬
COD is left behind by this game.
Brothers in Arms is as authentic in every sense of the word and it shows!
A Military adviser was used in the making of this game.
Research was painstakenly made and the locations are REAL.
Some of the locations, buildings, towns, and roads in the game still exist in to this day!
There is side by side pictures taken from the WWII vs present day photos and then comapred to the game, THEY ARE EXACT!
This game also has the approval of The VFW, The D-Day Museum, and The Fort Knox Museum, amoungst others, all which have contributed to the making of this game and so placed their "AUTHENTICITY" of approval to this game..

Extras ~
Score 10 out of 10 ¬
As you progress through the game, you recieve medals for your actions and with each medal earned, the game gives you "unlocks".
Things such as the history of 101st Airborne (Screaming Eagles), a WWII 101st timeline of events, Productions stills, Character synopsis, plus much much more.

Multiplayer Mode ¬
Score 10 out of 10 ¬
This was not diapointing in the least.
During Multiplayer Mode you also command either a single "TEAM" or a duel "TEAM" (Assault/Fire) in order to complete a mission.
The Germans in Multiplayer speak "English", which makes it easier when you play in the role of the Germans.
However, the Germans speak "German & English" intermixed...and repeat the german words in english and vice versa.
The dfault Maps are VERY Different and exciting to play!
I personaly enjoy the "foggy town" map!

Educational Value ¬
Personal Opinion ¬
My son (who is 10 yrs old) and I are playing this game together.
While playing,
During game play, I noted to him that this was the most realistic war game depecting actual events that I have seen and so took this opportunity to "learn" from it.
I explained the realities of war and the end result.
I also explain that once you die in combat, your dead and can not drop a quarter nor press re-set, and have a chance to live again.
Its a FINAL sacrifice and that actual "Heros" did give there lives for what they believed in and should be honored and remembered. This game does JUST THAT!
I liked thet fact that the game is taken after real events and the value of doing research in creating it and knowing that the battles/mission depected actually occured.
Which (he) can reference back to actual documentation and records.
Since I am a history and WWII buff, this was a BIG plus for me and added the pleasure of teaching/learning with my son on/in a educational level.
This game started a actual conversation about history and so "peaked" his intrest and wanted to learn more! (a plus in my book).
Of course EACH person will have a difference of opinion when it concerns what is "worthy" teaching.

Glitches ¬
There are VERY few and minor ones that I have noticed.
It is true, that I noticed that a machine gun (sound) was "stuck" on continous fire, but this happened once and I never experienced it again.
In addition, during my whole time of playing this game, I noticed ONLY 1 "single" German firing at his own men, very strange and I only saw it once.

Imporovements needed?
(IMO) I would say that it needs VERY little to improve in this game.
I do agree that maybe a purple heart medal (should) have been awarded and have some Germans "surrender" would make it more realistic.
But these are "minor" items that don't really phase me in the least.
As you all gamers know, Games such as these types, when 1st released, will always be critizied, but will be improved on in the future versions/releases.
Same with this game, I am sure that (BiA 2) will come out with a newer, more enhanced version.

In closing ¬

This game is a MUST HAVE for all the reasons mentioned.
Its give you an opportunity to Honour and to Remember those who have actually lived it.
In my case, when I see those "old guys", this gamer/soldier will always (silently) give a salute in respect.

¬ End of SitRep ¬

Decent game, but not for children.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 15 / 19
Date: March 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

As a fan of different first person shooter and strategy type games and that OF WWII dramas such as 'Band of Brothers' and other excellent reviews from gaming websites, it appeared that the game 'Brothers In Arms' was a no-brainer must have.

While it does indeed satisfy intense gaming styles and the cold, gritty feeling of war as opposed to other games, 'Brothers In Arms' has some great ideas but also a fair share of shortcomings.

From the get-go, this game is clearly styled after the mini-series 'Band of Brothers', for it mimics many of the cut scenes, look, sound, and even introductions to episodes even down to the introspective narration of your games alter ego, Matt Baker. Definitely the designers of Gearbox Games were huge fans of the series, and this translates fairly well.

The game is definitely a good combination of intense combat and strategy. Gung-ho button mashing and assaulting the enemy in any given mission map assures instant death. While you can do missions at your own pace, the ability to 'pause' the game for what the designers term as 'situational awareness'' can help, but not always. This feature will allow you to get an overhead view of the 'seen' battlefield to make some tactical decisions which is definitely helpful to keep you and your artificially controlled squad mates alive.

There is also a fair amount of mixed missions and objectives (albeit only 10), so it's not the same get from point A to point B and kill as many Germans as possible. You may have to blow up a strategic point, or clear a field, or infiltrate enemy barracks, to hooking up with stranded or lost squad mates.

There are 4 difficulty levels, and completing each mission unlocks 'extra content' based on the mission difficulty. While some of the un-lockable content is interesting, cheat codes and extra weapons are only obtained on harder levels. Easy settings unlocks historical content which while interesting adds no substantive value to gameplay and is easily forgotten.

There is a fair measure of explicit cursing. Like real life war, your squad mates tend to have profane mouths and in any given mission you'll wanna make sure children are not present.

The graphics are good, but not excellent. There is some synching issues with spoken words and facial expressions and mouth movements of the AI characters. Sometimes they move a bit stiff and seem un-natural.

Sound is great, especially in surround sound. The only musical scores you hear are in mission loads and completions, otherwise it bullets flying and shouting's.

Game control does take sometime getting used to. Even though you can remap the X-Box control settings, the default ones seem more complex than I am accustomed to on similar games. Some frustrating moments for me occurred when it seem intuitive hand control is not what 'it should be'. Also camera control in 'situational awareness' mode can also be confusing and not as smooth as it should be. This has proven to be slightly more difficult to master than I would expect as well.

I think the most frustrating thing is that the environments are not 100% interactive. Why are there doors on homes or farm gates that can never be opened? Why can I climb on the back of a tank, but can't crawl over or jump over a 3 foot wall? Why can I use a building or tree for cover and jump in a fox hole, but can't walk through a small hedge. Environment inconsistencies like this make the gamer puzzled. I see many ways to get to an objective, just to realize when I try something, I can't crawl, or squeeze in a gap between buildings that is much wider than my body. And why can't I loot fallen Germans for their grenades, but I can pick up their rifle?

But don't let these negative comments detract you. It is indeed intense. It does have realism in certain areas and you do feel as a part of a team and quickly care about your AI controlled squad mates...they do have personalities and quickly are become likeable. Your learn to care if they get hurt.

I was so excited when this game came out.....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: March 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

And when it did, I was so damn happy. I had saved a $50 gift card thing to buy this and when I finally got my hands on it I took it home and played it basically the whole night. Sadly, I finished almost half the game in that night haha. When you first play this, it is fairly short, especially on easy, mostly because the levels are fairly easy. But as the levels go on, the game gets more difficult, making a great war game, and the most realistic shooter ever. I have never played a game where I actually felt bad that I sent a man to his death, and this feeling only increases by the difficulty you play the game on. Now to rate the game on the five main aspects.

1. Graphics 9/10- pretty damn good, some of the textures could use touch ups but the lighting and scenes in this game are pretty nice.
2. Gameplay 10/10- very easy halo control type, and the squad control is perfect.
3. Story 8/10- pretty good story, as usual resembles a band of brothers type thing, although some of the voice acting can be kinda cheesy.
4. Replay 9/10- a high replay factor makes this a great game in my book, try unlocking all the extras by playing through each difficulty, makes it a better single player experience as well.
5. Overall 11/10- since im a big WWII game buff, this game makes me want more and more, this is 20 times better than MoH, and 20 times better than CoD, hopefully they will make a second brothers in arms game. especially if they had like... a d-day level, and you had to control your squad up omaha beach.

do yourself a favor, when you get the money, get Brothers in Arms, its a great game, and a good contender for best of 2005.

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: December 06, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is my review to the game Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30.
Graphics- The graphics on this game are very good, not the best ever but a good and solid. The enviroments aren't as good as they should be, but the charecter models are awe insipiring.

Sound- The sound is suprisingly good. Gun shots are loud and tanks roar. It also features an great collection of classical music. Thats about it.

Gameplay- The game is a hybrid of real time strategy and first person shooter. Other games that try a hybrid like this are horriable, but this pulls it off great. You can control several teams of 3 each (including some tanks). It is also the ture amount of soldiers in a squad (8 people). You have to follow 4 Fs. Find him, fix him, flank him, and finish him. The game will explain it all.

Multiplayer- The games mulitiplayer is great, each person gets a 3 man team (including self). The Germans defend, Allies attack. The gameplay is the same.

What is wrong with this game- The M1 garand has 8 shots, and you can't reload it mid clip, in this game you can relod it.
Also I found it hard to aim, but that was probably intentional so you use your teammates.
This game is overal great. It isn't as fun or as authentic as Call of Duty, but sure beats Medal of Honor, and its only $20.00. I give this game a 4 1/2 out of 5.

The best war game up to date!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: April 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Brothers in arms is probobly the most realistic war game that i have ever played in my entire life.

PROS:
1.Graphics are great
2.VIOLENCE and BLOOD, what everybody wants.
3.Lots of missions.
4.Online that never lags/disconnects.
5,Realistic as hell, for example, you don't have a crosshair, when you want to shoot, you actually have to look through your scope.
6. Music/Audio is great.

CONS:
1. Controls can sometimes be hard to memorize
2. Sometimes the images that you see while the game is loading is TO gruesome!

As a result, you can see by reading my review that this is really the best war game there is out there!

The FPS meets the strategy genre in one game -- finally!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 03, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I like the first person shooter genre but I must say that I truly love strategy games even more. Rome: Total War, Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War, and Shogun: Total War are the RTS games I love the most even more so than what I have on my XBOX or GameCube. However, when Full Spectrum Warrior was released I was just overjoyed. Finally there was a game that forced you to use your brain instead of relying on your shooting skills. Although FSW was brilliant in its own right it did not seem to be enough since I did not have the ability to fire at the enemy myself.

Much similar and at the same time refreshingly dissimilar to FSW is this amazing game that I've recently bought Brothers in Arms. Although the subject of the WWII American paratrooper is becoming somewhat overexposed and maybe tiresome in movies and recent programs (Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers), and in videogames (which I do not have to mention), trying to experience his hard reality of war is not boring in the least especially when you have to lead them on the battlefield and to save your own skin.

In the game much like FSW you must command teams to move here and there strategically of course to beat the enemy. The common technique is to first use one team to fire on the enemy (you know who) in order to keep them suppressed and unable to fight back effectively. You'll be amazed how inaccurate yet incessant small-arms fire will keep enemy heads down. That's what it does. The other team or even you yourself, since you are autonomous, can outflank the enemy. That is the name of the game! You command a good number of men and you are able to participate in the battle; Full Spectrum Warrior has the strategy but not the first person perspective to take part in the battle; Medal of Honor and Call of Duty have the intense FPS action but you don't have the ability to utilize certain allies to help you win.

Thank goodness though that your AI comrades in this game are really on their toes! They think on their own when they need to. That is they can find cover and fire when necessary. I wish Ghost Recon 2 was just as good. This aspect lends much realism to the game.

As far as graphics and audio are concerned each is exceptional. The weapons-fire is just amazing and arguably sounds better than MoH or CoD if you can believe that.

The storyline is taken from actual events so expect no hokey special missions like stealing a special Nazi jet fighter or stealing secret plans from some general's mansion in the heart of Germany in this game. You'll be participating in realistic missions like securing villages, capturing machinegun nests, and wiping out mortar sections with a team of men at your disposal.

This is the best game I've played in a long time -- really!

Don't just read the hype, PLAY THIS GAME NOW!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Brothers in Arms is as much a tribute to WWII vets as it is to gamers of the genre. I've experienced all WWII games, and while you cannot mistake the atmosphere, nothing compares to the realism portrayed by this game. The game has combined the strategy and squad based action of Full Spectrum Warrior with the story, style and feel of Band of Brothers. It's a beautiful mix.

The realism is unsurpassed. Imagine a first person shooter without a crosshair and add the fact that if you want to really hit what you're aiming at, then you have look down your weapon to engage your target. The sounds, the looks, the dialogue are all incredible. The dialogue may be unrefined (meaning bad language), but it is a squad-based "military" tactical simulator. The game maintains it's realism throughout.

Without giving too much away, the game places you deep in the shoes of a squad leader for the 101st. It just so happens that those shoes are standing "in the door" getting ready to jump into France on D-Day. Everything you experience from that point on is exactly that... an experience, especially as join your Brothers in Arms.

After reading previous reviews and playing the game, I must say only one review seems off here. Even the reviewer mentions his experience in the military, thus questioning the Non-Commissioned Officer's role and responsibilities on the combat field. Without sounding too bold, once you find yourself in a situation that would determine your life and the life of your men, then anything is possible. The unbelievable becomes believable. Personally, 16 years in the military and two combat tours help realize that.

This game plays well on experiences like that, reportedly drawing a lot of the games realism from individual war journals. The game strives hard to achieve a sense of brothership and it succeeds. Final word is that if you like this style of game, BUY IT. If you have any doubts, BUY IT and let your own experience speak for itself.

Brothers in Arms. A Revolutionary First Person Shooter.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

First of all, I should start off by stating how great Ubisoft and Gearbox did on the historical accuracy of this game. They had a very reliable source in creating the game. Their help was U.S. Army Colonel John Antal Retired. This immediately lets you know that this game will be militaristically accurate. In Brothers in Arms, you play as Sgt. Matthew Baker of the 101st Airborne. You are the leader of a team of soldiers throughout. You are responsible for the lives of these men. As you fight your way through the first days of the Normandy invasion, you must make the right decisions to keep your men alive.

You command your soldiers using a cursor system which tells them commands such as suppression fire, assault, and a location for cover. The AI in this game is superb. Your men are able to respond to fire coming at them, they can accurately find and shoot at the enemy. One would assume at first that the bots in this game would be completely helpless and therefore would hinder you useless and therefore you could not complete missions. This is a false assumption in this case. Your men are smart and can pretty much think on their feet. They just need a helping hand.

The graphics are nothing short of amazing. The scenery in BIA is superb. The foliage in itself is something to be emulated. The models look amazingly realistic down to their facial expressions. The games graphics remind me of half-life 2.

To make a long story short, Brothers in Arms is a very entertaining game that deserves recognition. Plus, the multiplayer is very fun. This game is a definitely must-have.

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