Brothers in Arms
polycounter lvl 18
I just picked this up today for the pc. I know the WW2 shooter thing has been done to death, but damn, this is seriously good. Move over Call Of Duty. This has some interesting strategy elements too. Firing a weapon in game never felt as visceral as this. The MG42 is insane. So might I add are the loading times, but other than that, I'm thoroughly enjoying this. Gearbox done good.
Replies
BiA definitely looks cool, Im sorta waiting for my buddy to buy it so i can just borrow it later
If the game is really good then the fact that it's in a genre that's been done before is kind of an odd reason to not like it ( especially without having played it ). Lets face it, there are very few truly original subject matters in videogame shooters these days.
The strategy elements make it feel very fresh.
I noticed your comment about the ww2 based games after I posted (been a rough week for me which included going to emrgency to get rid of a migrain). For the ww2 genre based games, it's a saturaed subject matter. All that's probably left are games based on the German or Japanese points of view and those really wouldn't go over well.
About the lack of original subjects for games, I disagree and feel there is plenty out there. some recent history ie the cold war, or the korean war both could be used for quality games. Then there's all the conflicts in africa or south america which could provide some very good backings for games.
Here's the press release from May 28:
Ubisoft announced today that Gearbox Software's Brothers in Arms has received official endorsement by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Foundation, which seeks to protect the legacy of combat veterans.
Scheduled for release this fall for the Xbox and PC, Brothers in Arms will give players a detailed, immersive recreation of WWII's invasion of Normandy. The VFW endorsement speaks to the game's realism, intensity, and careful depiction of the soldier's experience.
"The VFW Foundation believes that Brothers in Arms will help us reach our goal of increasing awareness about the sacrifices of veterans," said VFW Foundation President, John Senk. "Video games are the new medium for storytelling and Brothers in Arms accurately depicts the contributions made by veterans during World War II."
"In Brothers in Arms, Gearbox Software is telling an interactive story about the brotherhood between soldiers during one the most important battles of the modern world," said Colonel (U.S. Army retired) John Antal, Gearbox chief of staff and military and historical director. "Brothers in Arms places you in the center of D-Day to experience the self-sacrifice and unprecedented bravery of the troops who fought to win the freedoms that we enjoy today."
What we've seen of the game so far is indeed impressive. Check out our full coverage to date for the full scoop, and look for more details on the title as they come in.
I read an other article last week about a veteran seeing BiA for the first time and basically saying he was amazed at the games authenticity and it would serve as a great history lesson for younger generations.
I've often had a twang of guilt for playing a game that relives hellish events that actually took place. But whats worse? A game like this that attemps to depict it as realistically as possible? ( there is swearing, fear shown by the men and gore ) Or a game like Battlefield 1942 that turns it into something almost comical? Oh wait, I play that game too
But If you start to wonder If we have the right to depict War in the hope of providing entertainment ( something that has been happening ever since War itself has been around. Film, theatre, books, wargames, boardgames etc etc ) then where do you draw the line? Many videogames depict deaths that actually occured. Do we question the ethics of 'Rome: Total War' depicting bloody battles of men hacking each other apart? Nope, because it was so long ago ( but perhaps games that depict much older war are more acceptable since there aren't any vets around? ). The thing is, I personally happen to have an interest in WW2 as a subject matter. I grew up being obsessed with it, making model kits and playing with soldiers as many boys do. So that's why it appeals. And it's the same reason I own the 'Band Of Brothers' DVD box set. ( well that and the fact that its the best thing ever made for TV ) But I think I can play this videogame or watch a movie and see it purely for what it is, without losing any respect that I have for men that lived and died through it, nor for a moment thinking that in playing the game I'm gaining some understanding of what it was really like. But I don't know. This could end up turning into a huge debate
Wait a minute, I worked on this game.
Brothers in Arms does seem very cool though. I've followed that one for quite a while. Glad to hear it turned out well. Gearbox has always impressed me.
Jody
Is CoD the Band Of Brothers game?
I never saw BoB on tv but I knew it was good, so like Daz I bought the DVD box set(a good buy IMO). The weird thing was that I could recognize the buildings/towns etc from playing CoD. I know I can hear you saying 'well duh' but playing CoD first then seeing BoB well... just an odd experience is all.
What's with this naming convention (noun)(article)(noun) they all seem to have?
Back to Brothers in arms-- I heard that there is no lean or going prone, true?
Can't wait to play BiA. Will pick up the PC version soon.
So how is the multiplayer in Brothers? Single player just loses my interest, no matter how good it is.
i just need one question answering : are the guns woefully inaccurate, or do enemy solidiers need 5 bullets in them before they notice and fall over dead? There's nothing to suggest when you've scored a hit, not even a flinch ... i don't even know for sure that a single shot has hit home, just that they *eventually die ... so, what was it when they do bite the dust? Hit-points reached and breached, or the one dead-centre bullet that took the guy out?
over than that confusion, it's great. I love the soft, slightly sepia, slightly out of focus look to the gfx (making up for many shortcomings in the scripted character animation).
Action is definitely as visceral as vicious cock, one wrong move and you end up horribly broken - unlike CoD's gung-ho charge-giggling-for-the-nearest-health-pack approach (normal difficulty). Quite happy really. It makes me wince when it all goes wrong, and the blood and mud spatters into your eyes ... not many games do that ...
I know they're harder to hit since theyre behind cover, but sometimes they've had their entire torso visible and my shots just keep missing. And forget even trying to pick them off with their heads just visible.
edit: having played with the sniper rifle, im starting to think that the guns are just less accurate than we're used to
Firing the weapons was seriously off as well. I've fired quite a few firearms in my time, and it's nowhere near as "bouncy" as it is in BiA. The fact that you are "stuck" in place during a lot of the dialog is also really annoying.
Aside from that though, it's an okay game. The graphics are nice, and the sound is top notch. I don't see it competing with CoD in the least, though.
Scott