VGT at E3: Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
05-11-06 | 05:12 PM
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From: Westchester, Los Angeles
VGT at E3: Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
Wow, just saw 2 incredible demos of Brothers in Arms and Spore. Of course, waiting in line 75 minutes for Spore wasn't cool.
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
The version I saw a demo of was the 360 version. Colonel John Antal was there offering narration. You probably heard his voice on those History Channel specials. It follows the same characters from the first 2 games.
The difference with this version is a massive, and I mean massive, visual update. The cinematics still use the in-game engine, btw. At the opening of the demo, the soldiers are sitting in an abandoned toy store. As the camera pans around the room, the amount of visual detail is astounding. The glass reflects like those old bubble glass panes used in that time period. The light effects, like the sun shining in the window, are perfect and not overused.
At one point, the main character starts smoking a cigarette and the smoke effects are just flawless. As the soldiers are sharing stories, an 88 shell hits the store and everything explodes. The particle effects are the best I've ever seen in a WWII game. After the explosion, the main character has 2 inch glass shard sticking into his skin, which is still showing reflections btw.
The rest of the demo played out with the main character commanding his two teams to take out the 88 crews in the town. The gameplay has pretty much stayed the same, but your crew seems to respond to commands a little quicker.
There are many new animations to increase the immersion factor this time around as well as something called accidental actions. New animations include swaying weapons when running or looking down at the ground as you leap over fences. Random accidental actions now occur by your squad mates. For instance, one soldier didn't quite make it over the fence and fell down. Another soldier dropped his gun while running and had to pick it up in the middle of the street.
I've always been a fan of the Brother's in Arms series, but was always disappointed with the visuals. It's finally come into it's own on the 360 and the PC as well.
I'll have more on my 30 minute Spore demo later. I have 2 pages of notes and no time to write it up due to an appointment. Thankfully, it's my last of the day, so I'll be able to freelance a bit on the floor afterwards.
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
The version I saw a demo of was the 360 version. Colonel John Antal was there offering narration. You probably heard his voice on those History Channel specials. It follows the same characters from the first 2 games.
The difference with this version is a massive, and I mean massive, visual update. The cinematics still use the in-game engine, btw. At the opening of the demo, the soldiers are sitting in an abandoned toy store. As the camera pans around the room, the amount of visual detail is astounding. The glass reflects like those old bubble glass panes used in that time period. The light effects, like the sun shining in the window, are perfect and not overused.
At one point, the main character starts smoking a cigarette and the smoke effects are just flawless. As the soldiers are sharing stories, an 88 shell hits the store and everything explodes. The particle effects are the best I've ever seen in a WWII game. After the explosion, the main character has 2 inch glass shard sticking into his skin, which is still showing reflections btw.
The rest of the demo played out with the main character commanding his two teams to take out the 88 crews in the town. The gameplay has pretty much stayed the same, but your crew seems to respond to commands a little quicker.
There are many new animations to increase the immersion factor this time around as well as something called accidental actions. New animations include swaying weapons when running or looking down at the ground as you leap over fences. Random accidental actions now occur by your squad mates. For instance, one soldier didn't quite make it over the fence and fell down. Another soldier dropped his gun while running and had to pick it up in the middle of the street.
I've always been a fan of the Brother's in Arms series, but was always disappointed with the visuals. It's finally come into it's own on the 360 and the PC as well.
I'll have more on my 30 minute Spore demo later. I have 2 pages of notes and no time to write it up due to an appointment. Thankfully, it's my last of the day, so I'll be able to freelance a bit on the floor afterwards.
