Unlike games like Rainbow Six Vegas and Gears of War, you can't just take shelter behind any old object, as gunfire can now degrade your cover. For instance, taking cover behind a wooden fence or a table isn't really in your best interests, as it will be torn to shreds by machinegun fire and leave you a sitting duck. For those moments when nothing else is available, it pays to have your men lay down some suppressing fire to give you time to move to safer ground. The suppression icons from the previous games are back, turning from red to gray as you and your team lay down more and more fire. All you need to do is highlight the enemy with your reticule and tap the left trigger to give a context-sensitive order.
During combat, you can have your men move, suppress, and assault as in the previous games, as well as use some special new talents. Players will now have machinegun and bazooka teams at their disposal, allowing them to confront situations in a variety of ways. If your enemies are dug in behind a pile of sandbags, just have your bazooka team blow it up. Need to suppress a wave of enemies while you sneak around them? Set up your MG team and let them lay down a blanket of bullets. The enemy AI is pretty solid, moving around to better positions if they see you trying to get the drop on them.
For the most part, the combat feels similar to that in the first two games, though it should be noted that there were a few fundamental changes. Rather than have a traditional health system like medical packs or rechargeable "shields," Hell's Highway instead features a system that will alert the player of danger before a shot is even taken. If an enemy can see you or if you're in a bad position (taking cover on the wrong side of a fence, for example), the screen will turn red to warn you of the danger. As it only takes a few hits to take you down, this is definitely something worth paying attention to.
While the Brothers in Arms series has always been violent (it is, after all, a war game), it's never really been particularly gory. That has changed this time out, as you'll now be able to see just what your bullets do to an enemy. Chunks will messily be torn from heads and limbs will come off, and we were told that you can even saw someone in half with the mounted MG. While it's definitely not for the weak of stomach, we were glad to see that it's not gratuitous in any way. It's a lot more like "Saving Private Ryan" than Soldier of Fortune, meaning you won't see exploding heads or limbless torsos every time you fire your weapon. It's brutal stuff that'll likely make you cringe whenever it happens, like when we tossed a grenade into an MG nest and saw a body tossed out sans legs.
If you were a fan of the previous Brothers in Arms games, we have a feeling that you'll love Hell's Highway. There have been a number of excellent gameplay additions, including one of the best cover systems we've seen yet. While the game's storyline will draw in previous fans, the backstory vignette that opens the game should make it much more accessible to those who've never played the first two entries. Although some people are still claiming that the WWII shooter is dead, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is proof that the greatest (virtual) generation is still alive and kicking.
