Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway Announced

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Ubisoft sent out this press release, officially announcing the third installment in the Brothers in Arms series. The Unreal Engine 3 powered Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway is scheduled for a holiday release on PC and next-gen consoles.

Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway brings the critically acclaimed squad-based WWII shooter into the next generation of gaming with amazing graphics and sound, new cutting-edge gameplay features and a completely redesigned online component. Delivering on the franchiseâ??s compelling story, unrivaled authenticity and intense squad-based action, Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway drops you into Operation Market-Garden, the largest airborne operation of World War II. Lead Matt Baker, Joe Hartsock and the rest of the 101st Airborne Division as they fight to open "Hell's Highway" in a daring bid for a quick end to the war. "With Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway, Gearbox is investing everything to take next-generation gaming to an entirely new level," said Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software. "For Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway, the Unreal Engine 3 powers real next-generation graphics and the most intense, action-oriented recreation of true history ever offered as interactive entertainment."

From The Chatty
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    April 12, 2006 10:08 AM

    Were there not wars other than World War II? Where is the US Civil war FPS? Or even a WWI shooter? Heck, they could even be creative and make a war game that started in the late 20s.

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      April 12, 2006 10:21 AM

      crimson skies?

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        April 12, 2006 10:22 AM

        Thats what I'm thinking but with a focus on the ground forces.

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      April 12, 2006 10:22 AM

      It's a fair point that there are a lot of WWII games.

      However, WWII does really lend itself to games more than most. A World War I game would probably involve sitting in trenches for 9 hours of play, then the final 'boss' would be going over the top and getting killed in 10 seconds.

      And as big as the US market is, would a dev/publisher really want to risk making a US Civil War game, that would probably only sell in the US? I know practically nothing about the US Civil War.

      Having watched A Bridge Too Far recently, and having read up on subsequently, I do know about Operation Market Garden and have an interest in it.

      Road to Hill 30 really sucked me in, I didn't do much else until I finished it, so Hell's Highway definitely interests me.

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        April 12, 2006 11:05 AM

        War games are never made to accurately reflect the way war was fought. First-person shooters even moreso. A WW2 game isn't played as going through back-breaking bootcamps and rigorous training followed up by a level or two on the battlefield where you're quickly shelled or hit through the neck with a sniper round.

        Likewise, a WW1 game doesn't have to be spend sitting in the trenches, hiding from the riflemen just out of view, ending in a rush into no man's land to die. There's plenty of events during WW1 to draw from in making a game, and taking some liberties to make things more entertaining would be expected as well.

        Though, in the end it's hard to imagine it playing out any differently than a WW2 shooter.

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      April 12, 2006 10:24 AM

      Shooting single shot muskets is not my idea of fun. But I agree though, these WWII games are getting tiresome.

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      April 12, 2006 10:26 AM

      I've always thought a WWI game would be pretty cool if you did it right. But, yeah, I'm getting tired of WWII games

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        April 12, 2006 10:33 AM

        WWI is the worst war for a game ever, perhaps not as bad as the war that lasted 6 mins (somehwere in Africa), but you know, pretty shit compared to WW2 which is prob the best war for gaming purposes.

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          April 12, 2006 10:36 AM

          ww2 has also been "romantized" in a way through movies and other media where the heroic aspects of it are pushed to the forefront. Good and Evil was very clearly defined there which helps alot.

          Contrast that to WW1 which most people associate with muddy trenches and pointless prolonged fights over feets of land.

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            April 12, 2006 10:41 AM

            yes but WW1 was a boring war (compared to 2) and pointless. A game would equate to popping head above trench, dieing. Perhaps they could implement a mini 'avoid trenchfoot' game to aleviate bordom.

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            April 12, 2006 10:42 AM

            Indeed. A good example of this romanticism is this quotation from Colin Powell: ...a noble war that pitted pure good against pure evil-and good triumphed...

            The emphasis is mine but it's clearly ridiculous.

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          April 12, 2006 10:40 AM

          Agreed. And it was probably the only War in which everyone agreed needed to be fought.

          On a side note, after seeing that new Crytech engine game: Maybe some Nam games can now capture the real atmospheric intensity of the jungles.

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        April 12, 2006 10:38 AM

        I'd like to see a modern war depicted, myself. Perhaps a vague reference to uh..various...middle east occupations. The problem is that so many war games focus on shooting, I want to see a war game that explores the mind of a soldier. Sort of a Jarhead thing. I mean, take a look at the supposed effects of white phosphorous in Iraq. Wouldn't that make a compelling experience, to see that first hand? Of course, when you tackle serious issues in a game, the aim is to lessen the "gamey" elements, making it more of an interactive experience.

        So yes, I too think war games are getting pretty stale. WWII is apparently a giant cash cow whose udder has not run dry. Brothers in Arms is at least commendable for attempting to delve into the mind of a soldier, despite its cinematic grandiosity.

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          April 12, 2006 10:47 AM

          "Of course, when you tackle serious issues in a game, the aim is to lessen the "gamey" elements, making it more of an interactive experience."

          That actually sounds like the sort of thing GearBox wanted to go for when they started BiA. Road to Hill 30 worked for me not because of the shooting but because of immersion of the storyline -- I was just one member of a team, and it was (pretty much) always the same team around me, I knew their names, and we had a mission to do. There was so much more to it than 'kill all the bad guys, find the key, open the door to the next level.'

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          April 12, 2006 11:27 AM

          my nazi-simulator pitch: http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?id=9122820

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      April 12, 2006 10:36 AM

      See the thing is they make the ww2 games about ww2. I'd get way more jazzed if they used ww2 as the backdrop for a story rather than as the story. More games like rtcw or along the lines of Kelly's Heroes would be nice, instead of "ZOMG NORMANDY again."

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      April 12, 2006 10:38 AM

      Actually I always thought the Korean War would hav ebeen good, but most people would say "Oh no not another Viet Nam game", well at least the younger gamers would. Not to mention if we want to venture out of the US-centric world, there is teh 6 days war, which I wouldn't mind seeing. And I am sure if I sit down I can think of otehr wars that wuld be fun to play in also, hell we could probally make some up.

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      April 12, 2006 10:57 AM

      The world is not ready for a civil war FPS as realistic as BiA.

      Seriously. You think that would be fun? You think you've seen violence? A realistic civil war game would be *brutal*.

      Even worse would be a WWI FPS.

      BiA is great because it really makes you feel like you're there. It's hard enough to take a WWII game like that. An earlier war would be disturbing in far too many ways.

      Plus of course, Civil War era weaponry would likely be too slow in an FPS. And trench warfare in WWI would be too suicidal.

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        April 12, 2006 11:00 AM

        all ww2 games now are the same thing with different spins.
        what about a first person sword game like oblivion but on a mass scale with armies charging each other.

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          April 12, 2006 11:27 AM

          Cuz a sword swing battlefield would break down into button mashing. Not fun.

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          April 12, 2006 1:02 PM

          Isn't that a vague generalization? Aren't all FPS games the same thing with a different twist. Brothers In Arms and Call of Duty are as different as night and day. They share a common theme in World War II, but as far as gameplay is concerned, they couldn't be further apart.

          Someone mentioned above that they like the setting of WWII without the story actually being WWII (if I understood you correctly). That is in many ways the emphasis of BiA (and more so with the upcoming game). The setting of the war helps move the narrarrative focused on the characters forward, and, their progression as people throughout the war.

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      April 12, 2006 11:08 AM

      In terms of vehicles, setting and weaponry, WW2 is the only war that really leads to compelling and balanced gameplay.

      You have automatic weapons, high powered rifles, bazookas, flamethrowers, grenades, tanks without computer targeting, aerial dogfights without lock-on missiles, the first paratroopers, U-boats and multiple theaters of combat ranging from the deserts of Africa to Russian cities in the dead of winter.

      Also, no ICBMs, limited usage of weapons like mustard gas, no helicopters or jets (for the most part), no night vision, and very little (compared to WWI) trench warfare.

      The Axis and the Allies were so evenly matched in technology at the time, that it really does lead to exciting singleplayer and multiplayer games.

      I just prefer that style of game to more modern stuff where helicopters, tanks, jets and long range strikes have reduced the importance of the ground soldier that you play as.

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        April 12, 2006 1:46 PM

        Well sumarized. I completely agree. WW2 forever!

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      April 12, 2006 11:56 AM

      My thoughts on this genre are as follows:

      World War 2 has pretty clear cut morality (for most people). Everyone knows Nazis were evil, so it doesn't really take much to make that into a game.
      Plus, it really was the birth of modern infantry warfare, and combined arms, at least on a large scale. The variety of devices fielded by all involved really lends itself to a game as well.
      A civil war game would be tough as it was all lining people up and shooting at each other. A World War I game would be trench warfare, bolt action weapons, and randomly being blasted by artillery.

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      April 12, 2006 2:33 PM

      They make the games because there is evidently a market for it.
      I fucking HATE WWII games. I think they waste great talent on fps's that are a niche' market.

      I'd like to see the talented teams that make these games come up with their own IP's and give us something new. WWII is WWII no matter how you present it.

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      April 12, 2006 2:44 PM

      when developers smell money in a topic they milk it until 10 of them go out of business making crappy knock offs.

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      April 12, 2006 4:41 PM

      Have you tried that Revolutionary War mod for HL2? That has got to be one of the most neat ideas on a non WWII influenced war FPS in a while. Just the act of reloading a musket and being forced into close quarters bayonet/knife combat if the enemy gets too close changes the whole perspective.

      It's like .. make every damn shot count.

      http://mods.moddb.com/5662/image-gallery/Battle-Grounds-2/

      The models are slightly better than the original release and it's a cool change from the usual Counterstrike semi-autos/autos from time to time.

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      April 12, 2006 6:59 PM

      I'd love to see a shoter set in an alternate reality. Like Fallout... a Fallout shooter, but with an engine able to sustain a large and open ended world with lots of NPCs.

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