Product Description
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Featuring unprecedented visuals and gameplay, Brothers in Arms
Hell?s Highway drops you into the boots of a 101st Airborne
paratrooper during Operation Market Garden, the largest Airborne
operation of WWII. * Next-Gen Narrative: Based on the true story
of 101st Airborne paratroopers in WW2 ? grab your weapon and join
the squad. * Next-Gen Graphics: Mind-blowing high definition
visuals powered by Unreal Engine 3 bring WW2 Europe to life like
nothing else * Next-Gen Technology: Real-time cinematic effects,
physics and 6 channel Dolby surround sound will take your breath
away * Next-Gen Tactics: New third squad puts bazooka teams,
mortar crews and more under your command. * Next-Gen Multiplayer:
Team up with real squad-mates to win intense on-line battles
.com
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Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway brings the critically accled
squad-based WWII shooter into the next generation of gaming with
amazing graphics and sound, new cutting-edge gameplay features,
and a totally redesigned online component. Delivering on the
franchise's compelling story, unrivaled authenticity and intense
squad-based action, Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway drops you
into Operation Market Garden, the largest paratrooper operation
in 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 in Europe.
Operation Market Garden: The Story of Hell's Highway
Operation Market Garden was a real-life Allied offensive designed
to destroy Nazi Germany before Christmas, 1944. The plan was
ambitious - it was largest airborne invasion in the history of
the world. The plan was to capture a corridor through Holland to
punch through the German lines. Paratroopers of the 101st
Airborne and other divisions dropped from the sky in
mid-September to seize and hold the corridor by surprise. The
surprise attack was a bust. Hitler's best units were in the area
and immediately counter-attacked and crushed the corridor. Meet
the Squad
Although players see the chaos of Operation Market Garden
exclusively through the eyes of Sgt. Matt Baker, Hell's Highway
is squad-based and as such players will direct, interact with,
and get to know all the members of the 101st Airborne in
detail. Some of the characters return from earlier games in the
series, while others are brand new. Regardless, each has his own
personality, history and attitudes towards the plight the squad
finds themselves in as they seek to survive a bold, but doomed
plan. Some of the dog faces players will encounter are include:
Key Features: * Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway - Next
Generation: The classic authentic, squad-based combat series
explodes on next-generation hardware, offering unprecedented
graphics and features.
* New Story, New Setting: Follow Matt Baker, Joe Hartsock and the
rest of the 101st Airborne Division in "Operation Market-Garden"
as they fight to open famous "Hell's Highway" in a daring bid for
a quick end to the war.
* Live the life of an Enlisted Man: Get orders from HQ, go on
patrol, spot the enemy and set up a devastating ambush. For the
first time, finding the enemy before they find you is part of the
challenge.
* Unprecedented Character Design: Lifelike characters look, talk,
move and think with incredible realism. Game characters interact
with the player and each other like true brothers in arms,
trading ammunition, helping wounded allies and civilians, working
together to man team-operated weapons, and more.
* Rich Cinematic Experience: As the squad leader, you interact
with and get to know your brothers. Each character has his own
personality, unique story and background, and grows through the
game.
* Powerful New Units Under Your Command: Players can use or
command combined arms teams - machine crews create intense
fire, bazooka crews destroy buildings and tanks, and mortar crews
pound the enemy from a distance.
* Step Into the Boots of a Soldier: Hit the dirt and get prone,
rip grenades from your chest and hurl them at your enemies. See
and feel the blast of nearby explosions.
* Completely New Multiplayer Experience: Fight major multiplayer
battles with dozens of players on each side; all the intensity
and accessibility of Deathmatch meshed with the squad-based
gameplay that helped make Brothers In Arms famous.
* Destroyable Cover: Keep your men moving and choose your cover
wisely - simulated with real physics, weapons will damage, dent,
scorch and destroy the world around you.
There's only one way out of hell, and that's through it. To the
Allied paratroopers who fought to capture and hold the bridges
and roads of Holland targeted in Operation Market Garden the
price was the lives of their brothers in arms. To them the
corridor became known as Hell's Highway. It was the the last
great Nazi victory. It was simply hell for Sgt. Matt Baker and
his squad. Relive their courage and heroism in Brothers in Arms:
Hell's Highway. Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway: The Colonel
Antal Interview
Since 1985, when it dropped into the WWII division of the
popular /strategy shooter genre with Brothers in Arms:
Road to Hill 30, the Brothers in Arms series has consistently met
with critical accl and gamer praise. This was a tough mission
to accomplish, but it did so by focusing compelling squad-based
gameplay against the backstory of a fictional squad
within the US Army's 101st Airborne Division as they battle
through a historically correct re-creation of the events of the
Allied invasion of Europe during WWII. This type of realism is
more or less unheard of in the video game world and can only be
provided by someone who really knows their stuff. Enter Colonel
John Antal, US Army (Ret.).
Vice President of Knowledge Operations and and
Historical Director at Gearbox Software, developers of the
Brothers in Arms series, Colonel Antal is an Airborne-Ranger
officer, and a published author of scores of magazine articles,
as well as several fiction and nonfiction books on
topics. Most importantly for the subject at hand though, he is
also a major force behind the development of the Brothers in Arms
series. Recently I was able to catch up with him and ask some
questions regarding the newest title in that line, Brothers in
Arms Hell's Highway.
.com/games: The modern is full of cutting edge
technology, but I'm sure that some readers will be surprised to
hear that a career man, such as yourself, plays such a
pivotal role in the development and marketing of a video game.
How did this come about? And did you have any video game
experience prior to the Brothers in Arms franchise? Colonel
Antal: I just returned from a ten day visit with US and NATO
troops in Afghanistan, and I can report to you that when Soldiers
are not fighting, they are training for the next fight. The more
time Soldiers spend training in realistic simulated battles, the
less blood spilled in battle. During my thirty years in the US
Army, I trained thousands of Soldiers using constructive, virtual
and live simulations. Once I retired, it was an easy
leap for me to switch my experience with simulations
into value-added content for video games.
.com/games: I know you've probably been asked this question a
thousand times, but let's make it a thousand and one. Operation
Market Garden, the WWII allied offensive that Hell's Highway is
based on culminated in a German victory. Why make a video game
based on a defeat?
Colonel Antal: Market Garden was not a complete success, but war
is fought at many levels. At the squad level, war is about
fighting for the next hill, hamlet or road junction. Victory and
defeat is very clear in a squad - when the battle is over you
either have won and lived, or have lost and most of your comrades
are dead or wounded. In Brothers in Arms, Hell's Highway, we
created a historical fiction that is true to the real history of
the battle in ways no other game has approached. The true story
of the battle for Hells Highway is dramatic and a worthy story.
If we told only stories of victories, we wouldn't be telling true
historical fiction. War is about victory AND defeat, gain and
loss. Telling both is part of being true to the actual history.
.com/games: As a follow-up to this, because this game is based on
a very real and in many senses, tragic event for the forces
involved and the civilian population, was there more pressure to
stick to the facts in this game in order to get things right? And
if so how did your team ensure this?
Colonel Antal: Yes. We have done our best to make the game the
most authentic WWII experience ever. Our goal is to put you in
the boots of a true-to-life squad leader in the 101st Airborne
during the fight for Hell's Highway. This game addresses the true
history of the Battle for Hell's Highway, uses realistic tactics
and requires you to lead a squad in ways that no other game
has ever done.
.com/games: The game's story is centered around the events of an
American squad, but since Operation Market Garden was an allied
offensive, will players get to control, or even better, play as
other allied forces? And will there be any playable German
characters?
Colonel Antal: The player will play as an American, Staff
Sergeant Matt Baker. If you want to learn more about the British,
the Dutch Resistance and the Germans, read my companion novel to
the game, "Brothers in Arms, Hell's Highway", published by
Ballantine Books, Random House. There will also be a history book
out in January 2009 that explains the battle for Hell's Highway
in day-to-day detail with s, historical photos, screens
from the game and much more. Shop for the Colonel's companion
novel, "Brothers in Arms, Hell's Highway."
.com/games: I've read that Hell's Highway will contain a whole
new multiplayer experience. Can you shed some light on how this
experience is different from what previous games in the series
offered?
Colonel Antal: Multiplayer is really exciting. Our multiplayer
design is different from other games because it brings squad game
play on-line. We created a team based game, where the team-based
aspect is about squad organization. The game will select (or
players will vote on) a commander on each team. There can be up
to 20 people in the game, 10 per team. The teams will go after
objectives in each that will be resolved in rounds.
.com/games: A common criticism in squad-based games is that AI
enemies engaged in singleplayer modes are too easily outwitted,
which is obviously something that should not happen on a real
battlefield. Was dealing with this a consideration in the
development of Hell's Highway?
Colonel Antal: Yes, the team did a good job at creating a robust
enemy AI that is clearly a tough nent. Players will be
excited about this feature.
.com/games: Hell's Highway will feature a wide variety of
weapons, not only used by US forces, but also those of allied
troops and the Germans. Are all of these usable by any character
and if so does each have specific ammo?
Colonel Antal: All the small arms -- pistols and s -- will
be useable, as well as most of the crew served weapons (like
machine s). Players can choose from semi-automatic s such
as the M1-Carbine and M1-Garand, to machine s such as the
M1A1, bazookas such as the M9A1 and pistols. To check out all the
weapons you can use and see them in action, check out the website
(www.brothersinarmsgame.com in 'the game' section).
.com/games: Hell's Highway is the first Brother in Arms title to
come to Next-Gen platforms. How much has the visual clarity made
possible on these platforms helped in the series' ongoing quest
for authenticity?
Colonel Antal: The visual clarity is stunning in this game. It
makes use of the Unreal 3 Engine technology to deliver incredibly
realistic, authentic and cutting-edge 3D environments. The game
also has unprecedented character design - with lifelike
characters who look, talk, move and think with incredible
realism.
.com/games: Hell's Highway is the third game in the series
featuring Sgt. Matt Baker, and now Sgt. Joe Hartsock. These two
have differing views on the acceptable costs of war and have
traded off command duties in the last two games. In Hell's
Highway both lead separate squads, but Sgt. Baker appears to be
front and center. Will the game feature the ability to play as
either sergeant? And regardless, is this dichotomy of outlook
regarding command as much an attempt at realism in the field as
anything else in the game?
Colonel Antal: The player will play the role of Baker. The story
of Baker and Hartsock, and their different approaches to
leadership is a vital part of the story that I many of our fans
will find intriguing.
.com/games: I don't recall tanks playing too much of a role in
earlier Brothers in Arms games, but one of the nicer videos I've
seen indicated that they might be prominent in Hell's Highway.
This seems a nice touch considering that Operation Market
Garden's objective was to secure a path for armored units
crossing into Germany. What exactly will players be able to do
with tanks and what other new units and/or changes to the control
scheme can players expect to see?
Colonel Antal: The player will be able to fight as part of a
Sherman Firefly crew and will be able to battle German Panzers
head to head.
.com/games: When last I saw Hell's Highway demoed, one of the
things that stood out in my mind was the destructibility of
environments and cover. Considering that the game in filled with
weapons of varying destructive power, I thought this was a
fantastic and natural addition. Can you give a few details on
this for our readers?
Colonel Antal: Destructible cover allows the player greater
flexibility. Now you can create a flank by blowing away
flimsy cover that would normally block your maneuver. The
destructible cover system was modeled using real physical
properties and behaviors, so weapons will actually damage, dent,
scorch and destroy the world around you. It's a great addition to
the game that gives players a truly authentic experience.
.com/games: Having grown up myself watching movies like A Bridge
Too Far, The s of Navarone/Force 10 From Navarone, Where
Eagles Dare, The Dirty Dozen, Kelly's Heroes, The Longest Day,
etc. I've often wondered why the events of WWII have not been
more heavily mined for game subject matter. With the continued
success of the Brothers in Arms franchise and others, as well as
the power of Next-Gen technology, do you see this changing?
Colonel Antal: I strongly believe that powerful, dramatic human
stories provide an exciting medium for video games. WWII was a
vast WORLD WAR with countless powerful, dramatic, human stories.
Anyone who is bored with WWII hasn't studied the war in depth.
The stories from WWII have importance relevance to us today and
are archetypical examples of the moral dilemma of war. No sane
person wants war, but if you value life and liberty, sometimes
you are forced to fight. I expect that we will be telling these
stories and incorporating them into our games for many years to
come.
.com/games: Since the framework of the Brothers in Arms series is
the allied invasion of German-occupied Europe and the battles
that would eventually make up the march towards Berlin/the race
to beat the Red Army there, can players expect to see more from
Sgt. Baker and his squad in the future, perhaps at the Battle of
the Bulge and beyond?
Colonel Antal: As long as I have anything to do with it, the
answer is YES.
.com/games: Finally, because it's interesting to pick the brains
of people behind the games, do you mind telling our readers what
games you are playing and/or what you are reading these days?
Also, I know that you have authored several fiction and
nonfiction books as well as articles. Are you working on anything
new that you might want to tell us about?
Colonel Antal: I'm an Airborne-Ranger and have been a combat
officer all my adult life. I pretty much like to play anything
with WAR in the title!
Many thanks to Colonel Antal for taking taking some time to give
us his ins into the impact that the historical events of
WWII, as well as actual combat tactics, have played in the
creation of Hell's Highway and the Brothers in Arms franchise as
a whole. We wish him, Gearbox Software and Ubisoft much success
with the new game and look forward to the next installment in the
Brothers in Arms saga, where players may find the Screaming
Eagles of the 101st Airborne fighting their way to Berlin and an
eventual rendezvous with VE day. --Tom Milnes, Freelance
Contributor
- Experience the largest paratrooper operation in World War II.
- Get orders from HQ, go on patrol, spot the enemy, and set up a devastating ambush.
- Each character designed with individual personality, unique story and background.
- Incredibly realistic, from trading ammunition to helping wounded allies.
- Fight major multiplayer battles with dozens of players on each side.