Silicon Fusion >> Reviews >> Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood

	All Platforms
	Xbox
	GameCube
	PlayStation 2
	PC
	Game Boy Advance

Site Sections:

	Updates
	News
	Games
	Publishers
	Developers
	Reviews
	Previews
	Release Dates
	Editorials
	Glossary
	Contact Us

Review:

24th November 2005:
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
The war still rages in the world of Brothers in Arms, more so than ever. Can this follow up really earn its worth in blood? Read our review to find out...
Posted by Chris Barnett - Xbox,PlayStation 2,PC - UK and Europe

As we really liked the original Brothers in Arms it is a welcome addition to our arsenal to be in possession of the sequel so soon, especially when it is this good.

Earned in Blood picks up right where Brothers in Arms left off, with Sergeant Matt Baker promoted to platoon leader. The role changes to newly awarded Sergeant "Red" Hartsock, Baker's fire support section leader. Instead of starting a new story after the first one or changing perspective completely, the game goes back and tells the story of Red as he leads men that he already knows as friends.

You take the role of a parachute regiment leader, allowing for many varied missions where you land in all manner of chaos and despair. You and your paratroopers must survive by using intense tactics that often involves you issuing a suppressing fire order in conjunction with an attack. This is easily carried out by a simple trigger hold and direction flick. This is a very important aspect to the game: the ease to pull off even the most demanding of tactics in quick time. It gives the feel of leadership more than you would imagine.

The context sensitive nature of the interface also lends itself to creating a smooth and well thought out experience. As you come into contact with different objects and enemies you are given different options such as attack, suppress or hold. All this is done 'on the fly' without need for clunky and intrusive menus. Instead of feeling as if the context sensitive icons are there for simplicity, you are given the feeling that you simply have a leader's eye and can literally 'see' the possibilities.

The major difference between this game and the first is in scale. Everything here appears to be bigger. The buildings and locations are definitely more expansive, to such an extent that they change the approach needed for each mission. In wide environments it is intelligent to seek cover if you are outnumbered, and if you act like a true leader you will be on the lookout for the safest route for you and your men. To lose a man when you know he could have been saved by simply hiding in a haystack is really heart breaking.

The enemy intelligence has been vastly revamped so that they now have greater views of you at all times and can effectively flank you as if they were actually trying to win a war. Even in the first game there were moments when it felt as if they were running at you rather than considering why they were doing it. The enemy squads can be watched forming into formations when they have chance and this offers a chance to counter in an almost 'chess like' manner.

The combination of the environments and enemy AI has been well done and it is common for the whole map to be used in most missions. Enemies will realise if you are too lazy to explore and exploit your surroundings and you can actually learn quite a lot about how a general must plan from them alone. Some of the decisions they make initially appear baffling, but if they are not stopped you will see the full extent of their intentions.

The graphics and the sound have been vastly improved. Gone is the hazy and blurred look of the landscapes and in comes a grittier, dare we say, dirtier form of visuals. This is a much darker game. The sounds are more brutal; from screams to shells and gunshots, everything impacts on your ears. You can learn to use the surround sound (if you have a surround setup) for strategy, allowing a real integration into the missions.

A new mode featured offers a skirmish which essentially allows a rifle division to be driven into combat on a single map, away from the confines of the war on whole. This is a great diversion from the central game and can be played in multiplayer, both online and as system link. This works really well and missions can often take a long time if two even sides are pitched into one another. It will keep the game alive well beyond the usual mediocrity of war games, without feeling as if it is 'wringing out' anything.

The only gripes that we have with the game are that it is too similar to the first or to other strategy war games even. Instead of being risky and original as the first game was, this is more like an old friend returning with a better hairstyle and a slightly leaner figure. Non strategy fans will also be unimpressed as the game really does need a leader to be in control. Those who can only stretch their minds to 'Halo logic' of shooting a swarm of drones will be lost in the realism and thought requirements of it all.

That said, anyone who wants to play the best war strategy game on the Xbox without having to worry about clunky interfaces and descents into repetition will enjoy this, hopefully as much as we did (and still are, due to the online magic).

Chris Barnett

Latest Images:

Review Scores:

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Length:
Overall:
Click here for our Review Score Guidelines .

Review Summary:

The best war strategy game that we have played on a console, and one of the best interfaces in recent memory. The only people who will not like this are those who have no eye for thought. For the rest of us this is really a game to savour, both online and offline - just don't expect to find it easy to win the war.

Related Games:

Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
for Xbox

Screenshots

Review

Click here for
All Game Information .

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
for Xbox

Screenshots

Reviews