- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Release Date: Mar 1, 2005
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 2
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The gameplay has been honed to near-perfection, showing that a tactical approach doesn't necessarily lead to more complexity.
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Just about every aspect of the production is top-notch, from the stunning graphics to the realistic, graphic dialogue. Although there might end up being better Xbox games this year, you won't find a better WWII shooter anywhere.
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With a gripping musical score, harrowing voice-overs and all-too-realistic dialogue between the men under your command, you will feel as though you've been thrown back into time and reliving the life of Matt Baker and his Screaming Eagles.
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It's not just its uncompromising realism or its emotive theme, it's the whole package -- great looks, fantastic sound, and a gameplay and plot structure that promotes bonding with the men under your command. Wrap that up with a slick control method and, for once, some tactical depth, and you're left with a very special recipe.
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The squad based combat was a great idea and the developers executed it perfectly.
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Not only did it offer a refreshingly factual wartime story with real characters, real events, and real places, it put it all inside a highly polished game that blends action with squad-based tactics and strategy.
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There's a sense of respect in the game, a sort of homage to the past, that isn't available in other WWII shooters. Couple that with a truly magnificent presentation.
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Official Xbox MagazineBoth its single-player and multiplayer facets deploy innovative, brilliantly crafted gameplay that makes this WWII action/strategy blend an evolutionary step forward in combat videogames. [Apr 2005, p.76]
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Does for the World War II first person shooter what "Saving Private Ryan" did for the war movie. Brothers in Arms is the definitive World War II action game and should be experienced by everyone who enjoys a quality shooter.
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Brothers in Arms isn't just the World War II game of the year, but it is quite possibly the best World War II game ever.
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Simply the greatest military game ever released to the public... Brothers in Arms will teach you that war is anything but glorious, it is about doing what you have to do to get back home to your family, and it is about doing what you have to do to keep your brothers in the war with you alive.
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A shooter that's both powerfully moving and intensely exciting from start to finish.
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Easily the best World War II shooter that has ever been released. With everything including innovative and fun gameplay, amazing visuals, great sound, simple control scheme, and enormous replay value, this game should make its way to the home of anyone who enjoys strategy shooters.
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Brothers in Arms is now the measuring stick for all war-themed FPS titles thanks to its amazing accuracy, fantastic storytelling, and dead-on presentation. Even with its flaws, there is no denying that this is an FPS that hardcore gamers have been waiting for.
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Easily the best WWII first person shooter on the Xbox.
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The game has something that many games are missing these days, and that is emotion.
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It offers an incredible story in a medium that is still struggling to elicit a wide range of emotions from its audience, and the authenticity and attention to detail cannot be rivaled by another other game.
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It is one of the very first games to move onto a new level by being able to manipulate you're emotions. Brothers in Arms is a superb game.
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Offering up engaging, squad-based battles and presenting it all in an authentic yet undeniably cinematic setting, Brothers in Arms is a game that, to borrow a phrase from General Patton, "grabs you by the nose and kicks you in the ass."
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The game more than makes up for any apparent absence of run-and-gun action with the raw intensity and realism of its battles combined with the added tactical considerations required in the challenging campaign. The online aspect is equally compelling, making for a complete and thoroughly impressive game experience.
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Action and strategy seamlessly blended together.
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If you're looking for a great single-player experience, a deep multiplayer mode, or a game where tactics and strategy are more than thinly veiled aesthetics, then this game is for you. Even if you're tired of WW2 shooters, Brothers in Arms delivers so many innovations that the game still seems fresh.
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Gearbox has put an enormous amount of effort into making Brothers in Arms authentic and realistic, but still fun at the same time. Their brand of tactical action meshes perfectly with the first person viewpoint, and the story and characters are some of the best you'll see in a game like this.
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The learning curve is spot on and the graphics and in particular, the audio are of a very high standard.
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The thing about Brothers in Arms which makes it stand out in this genre is its realism, and attention to detail. A painstaking amount of work has gone into re-creating what happened to the men of the 101st Airborne Division in World War II.
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More than just a fragfest – it's an eerily realistic one. Each of the men in your squad have their own unique personalities that develop as the story progresses, with Baker's narration tying everything together into one nice, neat package.
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AceGamezFitting and intense graphics matched with simply amazing audio and a gritty uncensored environment makes this one game not to pass on no matter what kind of games you enjoy.
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What makes this game even more impressive is the Xbox Live support, which is honestly the best online squad-based experience out there today.
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Luckily both the AI of your squad and your enemies hold up fairly well.
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Quite honestly the first realistic shooter I've found myself completely enthralled within. It's cross between Medal of Honor/Call of Duty and Full Spectrum Warrior gameplay creates an experience that is fresh and compelling, while the multiplayer mode should make this one of the most popular titles around.
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Realistic missions and tactics plus a superb squad system make this a must-take tour of duty.
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In the end, crisp visuals, superb sound and an engrossing solo campaign all help Brothers in Arms stand out from an overcrowded crop of World War II shooters.
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netjakThe graphics are gritty and realistic, the sounds will make you nervous as hell, and the immense feeling of accomplishment that comes with successfully executing a good strategic assault both in the single-player campaigns as well as multiplayer is overwhelming.
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What makes Brothers in Arms such a compelling combat simulator is its ability to completely suck you into its hell, kick your heart rate into overdrive, and make you feel like you're not fighting to save the world, but fighting just to save your own ass.
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The game's ending lacks excitement and closure, but rest assured this is due to the fact that the story is to be continued when the next game in the series - currently in development and only recently announced - is released.
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Not only does it feature great gameplay, but it offers up a virtual documentary of the World War II D-Day landings thanks to its attention to realism and fascinating added extras.
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Though it can be a bit strenuous at times, this title is definitely a blast.
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We say without hesitation that Brothers in Arms dethrones the likes of "Call of Duty" as the best World War 2 shooter out there. It is a strategic mind game and an intense action game simultaneously.
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Brothers really ends up feeling like you're playing a really good WW2 movie like "Saving Private Ryan," or "Band of Brothers." As long as your into the game you definitely should not feel bored from it.
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Where "Full Spectrum Warrior" offered a fairly straightforward series of forking streets, Brothers' battlefields are big--so much so that you never feel bound by arbitrary barriers, wondering why you're funneling into forward fire when crossing the low wall on the left or the field to the right will take you well around it.
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Everything about it, including its dazzling sound effects, gritty visuals (that feature a phenomenal "down the gun sight perspective"), chess-like gameplay, and its variety of missions really elevates it above the competition.
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Not only does it have everything that all of the other first person shooter games have had, but it also has a feature that adds just enough strategy to the game that separates it from the rest.
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Electronic Gaming MonthlyWhat makes this game such a wonderful and hellacious journey into the heart of warfare is its ability to let chaos reign. [May 2005, p.122]
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If you were a fan of last years sublime Full Spectrum Warrior then this is a game that continues that style of play and adds even more playability.
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So much more than just another WW2 game.
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TotalGames.netWe didn't want just another gun-toting FPS and this is realistic, intrinsically comfortable to play and a solid alternative to single-trigger action. But, as a long-term contender this doesn't carry enough depth to make it the ultimate combat ally.
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Game InformerOther military games might be more gung-ho or more over the top, but Brothers in Arms gets closer to the tactics and camaraderie of working as a well-oiled maching in the heat of battle. [May 2005, p.85]
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Play MagazineWith more of an emphasis on the intimate perils of war, the game feels fresh enough, but staggers in an attempt to draw us in to the characters. [May 2005, p.50]
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A "thinking mans" shooter.
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The aiming system is a pain. While you can look down the sights of your weapon for a supposedly more-accurate shot, it seems nearly impossible to hit a target without firing several times, and don't even think of trying to shoot without looking down the sites.
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Therein lies the major problem with Brothers in Arms gameplay mechanics; it uses the whole tactical element as a crutch, but there's nothing really "tactical" about the way the game ends up playing out.
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A pretty tough game. It's not a long experience, but players will no doubt add a few hours to the final tally from being killed and having to replay missions.
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Gearbox's refusal to arm us with anything other than historically accurate kit is also incentive to take it slow and think. Medi-pacs are non-existent and no, you don't miraculously heal over time or stumble across a BFG. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]
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Gamers with short attention spans will likely find all the squad management tedious, but we think it adds a much-needed dimension to a very stale genre. Plus it includes the best video game quote so far this year: "If you see something, shoot it; if it screams in German, shoot it again."
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It's a WWII shooter that will teach you about what your grandpappy went through with the same gritty verve as "Band of Brothers" and "Saving Private Ryan." This is the kind of game that proves war is truly hell.
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Enemies are intelligent, using cover effectively. Unfortunately, most encounters are overcome using the same method: laying suppressing fire and flanking.
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Pelaaja (Finland)Brothers in Arms is a good start for Ubisoft WWII franchise. The drama of the story, frantic fire fights and well implemented squad command system makes other WWII shooters feel, well, just like your average shooters. Brothers in Arms is more of an authentic WWII combat experience. [May 2005, p.66]
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Whilst the clunky control system is the only significant flaw, it certainly doesn't quite ruin the game.
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Could have been a four-star game, were it not for a couple of things that don't work well. You can press a button to give you an overhead view during missions. But instead of helping to advance the plot, the swirling, zooming view left me dizzy. And the enemy intelligence is set pretty low, meaning they don't pursue you with much cunning.
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Edge MagazinePlenty of games have flourished around the slaughter, scale and destruction of war, but few have managed to realise a soldier's role and worth - disposable, vulnerable, pivotal - as well as this. [Apr 2005, p.100]
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games(TM)Gearbox should be applauded for taking the first-person genre in a bold new direction, but during the bulk of the game, players must be willing to sit back and let the developer tell the story. [Apr 2005, p.104]
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The level design is regrettably less inspired. Many stages are disappointingly contrived to funnel the player into acting out a fixed, linear solution, precluding creative tactics and diminishing the realism created so well by the visuals.
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The game's netcode is incredibly finicky, and on more than one occasion I ran into situations where I shot a guy several times in the face with no obvious effect, or died from incoming fire that seemingly came from nowhere.
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It's disappointing that a bad engine and rushed execution detract from the overall experience, leaving it with nothing really remarkable.
Awards & Rankings
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11
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8
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#8 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2005
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74
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#74 Most Shared Xbox Game of 2005
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 54 out of 73
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Mixed: 10 out of 73
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Negative: 9 out of 73
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Jun 6, 2013
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Sep 1, 2011
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RickMar 2, 2006