Realism/Gameplay

In Brothers In Arms, you’ll play the role of Sergeant Matt Baker, a fictional character Gearbox created for the game. While Sgt. Baker isn’t real, everything else about the game is, including the missions you’ll lead, and the terrain you’ll fight on. Gearbox scoured through the National Archives, studying the same maps and photographs real 101st soldiers used during the D-Day invasion. In fact, the Gearbox team has actually made several trips to Normandy, and has accurately recreated the battlefields and surrounding countryside to look just as it did in June 1944.

The boys of the 502

Tank provides support

For insight into squad-level tactics and the weaponry of that era, Gearbox enlisted the help of Colonel John Antal (U.S. Army, retired), who is an accomplished military historian and author, and the former director of the U.S. Army’s armor school at Fort Knox. With Colonel Antal’s access, Gearbox developers were also able to practice field and training exercises as well as fire the weapons that are used in the game.

But enough about the basics behind the game, how does it actually play?

Taking out a German soldier

Looks like that tank commander got taken out

You’ll start on the night before the D-Day invasion, as the 101st begins their airdrop into German-controlled France. Just as in real life, you’ll start the game separated from the rest of your unit, with the early portion of the game dedicated to linking up with the rest of your unit as you learn the game’s controls. This is important, as the squad-based warfare Brothers In Arms uses will likely be completely new to most players and will require some time to get acclimated to it.

Your men lined up outside a house

More fire support

In the game you’ll command two squads, a base-of-fire team, and an assault team. The base-of-fire team is responsible for pinning the enemy down, and accomplishes this with the use of heavy weapons (machine guns) such as the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). Once the base-of-fire team has the enemy pinned down, the assault team moves into the enemy’s flanks, surprising them, and ultimately killing them. To perform these maneuvers, the assault team carries lighter weapons, such as the M1A1 Thomspon submachine gun.

Technically, you could play the entire game without firing a single shot, merely commanding both teams from a safe position, or you can directly lead the assault team’s charge; it’s all up to you. You can carry up to two weapons, in addition to grenades, and can pick up weapons off the battlefield, including German weaponry.

Look ma, no crosshairs!

Look down your sights for better accuracy

For added realism, the game by default doesn’t have a traditional crosshair, instead you zoom-in to look down your gun’s sights, just as you would do in Call of Duty. There are also no health packs, nor is there a health meter; take a few hits and you will die. This also applies to your teammates, so you won’t be able to send your assault team head-on into enemy fire without taking significant casualties. You’ll have to use real tactics if you want to survive on the battlefield.