Matthew Baker had never envisioned himself as a leader of men and nor did he truly understand his father’s words until Baker found himself in command of men he has come to see as brothers. With the weight of this new responsibility as well as facing incredible odds in enemy occupied territory, the young Sergeant finds himself pushing further into the breach hoping he and his men will come out of this war alive. Of course, nothing in this world is easy and in Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway for the Xbox 360, this is something Matt Baker will find out the hard way.

The third entry in the Brothers in Arms series, Hell’s Highway finds Baker and company in a more dangerous and desperate mission the top brass has dubbed Operation Market Garden. With Earned in Blood more about Hartsock’s experience, Hell’s Highway is more about Baker and how this operation unfolds before his very eyes. In fact, this one dives further into his life and the fate that awaits him after the events that take place around him. Make no mistake, like the past two games in the series; the story is deeply compelling and emotional. This is, of course, what really separates this series from other WWII shooters like Call of Duty or Medal of Honor. This is what makes the Brothers in Arms game such truly cinematic and captivating series.

Entry into Carantan was, by far, one of the hardest events the company has seen but it pales in comparison to Operation Market Garden and the events that transpire during it. When we see Baker in Hell’s Highway, he is slowly experiencing the pressure of combat and the loss of men that were close to him. In short, the war is wearing him down and the faces of fallen comrades begin to flash before his very eyes. The operation has Baker and his comrades attempting to take a key highway in Holland that will secure a direct passage to Germany and thus stopping the German war machine for good in time to ring in the New Year’s back home. Sadly, this was not the case and the results are seen by Baker and his band of brothers.

While it’s not required to play the first two games to understand Hell’s Highway, it’s a far more interesting and complete story if you did play Road to Hill 40 and Earned in Blood. You’ll get a better idea of why Baker is starting to fall apart and what the other characters mean to him. As a result, this particular chapter in the Brothers in Arms saga is gripping and powerfully emotional. Who said games don’t have the ability to tell a compelling story based on historical data as well as be fun to play?

The truth is that Hell’s Highway is a fun shooter that remains to be one of the more realistic and more tactically intelligent WWII shooters on the market. Sure, we enjoyed storming the beaches of Normandy in the Medal of Honor games and yes we really liked looking through the eyes of other Allied soldiers in the Call of Duty games but rarely did these games stress the importance of working as part of a unit. As a squad-based shooter, Baker is in command of a squad composed of an assault squad, a machine gun squad and - new to the series - a bazooka squad. Like the first two games, you can direct the MS and assault squads to provide firearms support but for those pesky bunkers it’s the bazooka team that comes in handy.

Aside from the new bazooka squad, Hell’s Highway introduces a Rainbow Six Vegas-styled cover system that turns the first-person perspective into a third-person view when you “dig-in” behind cover. Some cover can fall apart by return gunfire so picking the right place for cover is essential and the good news is that you can even fire back from the safety of cover. It’s an effective feature that has saved Baker’s bacon more than a few times during the more intense skirmishes you’ll encounter in the game. New to the game is also Action Camera, which displays your more accurate headshots and explosion dismemberments in slo-mo and in all its gory glory.

On the 360, the game’s controls work well, allowing you to issue orders and switching weapons with ease. This is great seeing as the enemies not only decent shots but there are times when they’ll execute intelligent flanking moves. Then again, there are more times when the enemy is actually almost way too dumb to the point that you’ll feel like you’re picking off targets in a carnival shooting gallery. You’ll wonder why Nazi #1 is behind a brick wall while Nazi #2 is providing covering fire from behind a rickety wooden fence. That’s not the worst of it, though, because there are times when the enemy will run out into the open for no reason at all. This also goes for your own squad of dunces that take cover in the most inconvenient places.

As you can see, the inconsistent AI takes away from the realism Gearbox Software and Ubisoft so brilliantly worked into this game. There are also a few levels that are hit and miss, although most of the game is great at placing you in some rather interesting predicaments for those who take the tactical end of this game more seriously. These great moments are often interrupted by some rather frustrating ones and the tank mission just feels added on for the sake of breaking up the shooting fun. There’s also a multiplayer mode that allows you to play with up to 20 gamers in total but it’s a strategy-based game that isn’t fun for too long. What is definitely missing is a co-op mode.

As far as the graphics are concerned, I have both good news and bad news. The good news is that there are some dazzling visuals here that look great on the Xbox 360. The level of detail is actually quite impressive to the point that its hard not to love how beautifully detailed the backgrounds or character models look throughout the game. Some stiff animations aside, the rag doll physics are played up nicely in this game and Action Camera is gruesomely - and strangely satisfyingly - fun to watch. The bad news is that the graphics come with some major glitches such as pop-up (objects suddenly appear) as well as a few problems that make shadows look like they belong in a PS2 game rather than an Xbox 360. 

The sound is another matter altogether seeing as it hits all the right notes at all the right moments. The score, for instance, is downright beautiful. It’s sweeping, dramatic and thoroughly cinematic soundtrack brings each scene and situation to life on the screen. Along with the “Previously, on Brothers in Arms …” opening, the game feels like an episode from a WWII drama. The voice acting is also handled well, although the cussing might turn off some gamers. Even the sound effects and background noises are detailed well enough that you’ll hear everything from coming infantry patrols to the sounds of insects in the countryside.

Despite the game’s most glaring faults and a weak multiplayer mode, Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway is one of those delightfully unforgettable games. We’ve seen many a WWII-themed game but rarely does one really go far enough to capture the essence of field tactics while honorably placing you in the combat boots of heroes. Hell’s Highway manages to do both but, unfortunately, it’s not without its share of problems that hold this back from being one of the best games in the Brothers in Arms series. It’s a fun ride, though, and one that should not be missed by fans of the series.

Gameplay: 8.2
Once again, you’re using not only a steady aim but also quick wits and tactical battle sense and you’ll need it during Operation Market Garden. You can now take cover and perform precision headshots but these features aren’t always necessary since the enemy (and your squad) is dumb as rocks. Still, most of the levels are really fun.

Graphics: 7.0
On the Xbox we were impressed with the last two games in the series but the jump to the 360 just isn’t as impressive. Sure, the character models look great and the environments practically leap off the screen. So why are there so many glitches, awful textures and framerate stutter? These things ruin the awesome Action Camera feature.

Sound: 8.5
The gorgeously sweeping score and the finely tuned voice acting feel like they belong in a movie or a “Band of Brothers” episode. The sound effects are wonderfully authentic to the period and the ambient sound is just as detailed. It’s too bad that sometimes you’ll hear the same phrases repeated throughout.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
There are times when the German squads will impress you profoundly with their field tactics and there are times when they will surprise you with their idiocy. What’s that you say, Baker? Sometimes your squad is better at finding the latrine than solid cover? I definitely believe that.

Concept: 8.0
Action Camera makes for some gruesome yet entertaining kills if you’re into that sort of thing and the cover-and-fire system is a nice touch that should have been added with the second offering. Baker’s tale is worthy of the big screen. I just wish multiplayer was better.

Multiplayer: 6.5
The lack of co-op hurts like a Lugar shot to the foot but there’s online multiplayer action for up to 20 players. Unfortunately, the tactical multiplayer fun doesn’t last very long thanks to a lack of diversity. Sorry, but this multiplayer action just won’t cut it.

Overall: 8.2
Great storytelling aside, Hell’s Highway is an utterly gripping and action-packed jaunt into the hellish frontlines that might not be executed as well as it should be but is still worthy of playing. Its glitches and somewhat unspectacular visuals actually keep this from being a brilliant game but it doesn’t hold it back from being fun either. Take a trip down this highway … you will definitely enjoy it.