The original Brothers in Arms was a brilliant, innovative game; it was one of the first shooters to emphasize competently leading your squads in battle just as much as your individual ability to fight. Though other releases have peppered the series on various consoles Hell’s Highway marks it’s oft delayed debut on the current generation of consoles. Though far from flawless the game still succeeds in showcasing the same squad-based gameplay that made the original memorable.

The game continues the story of Sgt. Baker and his band of men who parachuted onto the battlefield before D-Day and fought their way through Europe. This time around Baker and his men must tackle the massive and bloody (and failed) campaign known as Operation Market Garden; a bloody skirmish that cost thousands of lives on both sides in a mix of both open and urban combat. The toils of war have taken a toll on Baker, and just as he battles the Nazi war machine he combats ghosts from his past and the continually downward spiral towards a future in which not all of his men will remain to see.

Calling the game a shooter is a bit heavy handed, and while there are plenty of Nazis to be found at the business end of your weapon of choice, simply playing the game as such will quickly get you killed. For most of the game Baker has up to three squads of men under his command to suppress and flank the enemy. These squads each have specific weapons and roles such as MG and Base of Fire squads for suppression, Assault squads for flanking, and Bazooka squads for destroying cover and enemy tanks.

All enemy squads have a circle above their head, and when filled red it means that they are fully able to fight back. As fire is sent their way, especially by suppression squads or MG fire, the circle gradually fills up grey. Once filled the enemy will become suppressed; meaning that they will pop up to take shots at you far less frequently and with much lower accuracy. Essentially they’re scared as hell, which you can maintain by continuing to fire over their heads while you toss a grenade in their lap or send a squad around to flank them.

The cover mechanic seems like a good idea at first; with a tap of the shoulder button you switch to a third person viewpoint as Baker takes cover against any nearby solid object. The enemy will do the same thing any time they realize they’re in danger, and will scatter and take cover among sandbags and fallen trees in turn. From your position you can fire above or from the sides of cover and then quickly pop back to safety, and generally look like you are truly participating in an epic gunfight. The problem is that oftentimes enemies can still magically hit you while not a pixel of their gun or body is visible behind solid cover. Also, you can be crouched behind a low wall or other cover and still take just as much damage as if the wall was not there; the game only considers you in cover if you actually dig in next to an object.