Team Based - Brothers In Arms: Earned In Blood

Gear: Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood.

Every once in a while I play some tactical squad based games. Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood is the successor of Road to Hill 30.  At $10 this game is worth it for those crave some squad-based gameplay.

Team
Like before, this game allows you to guide several fire teams at the same time.  As in real life, one is often used as a base of fire, and the other for assaulting.  Unlike Call of Duty or Battlefield type games, this one forces you to use the teams--you are unlikely to beat this game if you play in a solo mode.

Gameplay
This is mostly a fire and maneuver game, and can get repetitive.  There are some variance, but overall you are stuck to the same gameplay-style again.  In a way, it feels as if you are restricted to following a specific path.

Graphics
This game is similar to Road to Hill 30's graphics.

Issues
On Road to Hill 30 the audio would randomly cutoff, but in Earned in Blood this problem is not present.

Audio
The voice commands get very repetitive, and I wish there was more variance.  Ambiance audio and music seem ok.

Story
If you thought that Sgt Baker was a cool fellow in Road to Hill 30, then expect your views to change.  This game follows Cpl  Red's experience, and Baker does come out as a complete pompous attention seeker.  Story wise, Earned in Blood is the middle of three games that complement each other, and if you wish to get the full picture you'll have to buy all three.

Overall I have to say that Earned in Blood presents an improvement over Road to Hill 30, and does emphasize leading teams in a tactical way.  The game can get repetitive, so you'll need breaks every once in a while.  Replay value is almost nonexistent--I had no desire to play the game after finishing it.  It was good while it lasted though.