Brothers in Arms DS Review
Brothers Rejoice!
From the mobile game experts at Gameloft comes the anticipated arrival of Brothers in Arms DS. While the company’s success with the Nintendo DS so far has been a rather hit and miss affair they’re one company that has been there since the beginning. Past performances aside, this game is definitely a hit. Let’s list some of the major selling points shall we? Realistic 3D graphics? Check. Huge battlefields with destructible environments? That’s a check. AI controlled squad mates? Check again. While the DS is obviously being stretched to the max, you can tell lots of work went into this game. Brothers in Arms DS really is an excellent showpiece for how shooters can be well developed on the DS console, while still showing off the maximum potential of the systems graphics. While we all know the DS isn’t designed with the best graphics in mind, the game still looks damn good. However, it’s not all a bed of pretty roses, mainly at the fault of the DS itself, but lets get into that later.
Brothers in Arms DS (here on in referred as BiA DS) puts you in the hotseat of three campains. The total of 13 missions across these 3 campaigns which take place in different settings across Tunisia, Normandy and Ardennes. Youll take the battle to the enemy on foot or in jeeps and tanks. While the game’s engine handles these other transport methods well, the bulk of the action is on foot which is notably where the game excels. BiA DS also deviates from its heritage a little in that while you do a have a squad following, you no longer have control of them, but their presence is enough for what BiA DS is.
Taking Control of War
BiA DS moves Brothers in Arms away from its usual first person view to a over-the-shoulder type view reminiscent of Resident Evil 4. Players can easily hit the zoom button in order to close the view in on your yourself. (To avoid confusion you dont play a persona in this game, so you simply means you) While the mode slows your movement, it allows you to snipe effectively or slow down to aim at tanks or infantry more effectively. The game uses the conventional DS method for aiming; moving you stylus across the sreen to aim up and down and left and right. It also allows you to change weapon via an onscreen button. A new use button is also included, which can change to various quick time events. Nothing random as youll be informed when you need to hit it. Grenade throwing is handled with a grenade icon at the right of the screen You tap on it and then drag the stylus up to switch to a higher camera angle that shows where where the explosive is going to hit. This makes throwing grenades very easy and its good for taking out tanks.
The game uses a recharging health bar in which your health recharges if you slow down and hide, a function which is perfomed automatically whenever you approach a wall, barrel or similar object. Leaning out and picking off the krautz is easy and a good way to get some health back in a very tactical manner, especially since just busting out and running through the level will get you killed. However, the amount you can run around freely is limited, and while the game is far from being on rails, it does have a linear structure. Following the marker from point to point is a no-brainer and its hard to get lost. If you do try and deviate from the path as well the AI goes, in a word, stupid. On the right path the AI knows where you are but deviate from the path a little and it takes them a bit longer to find you and in some cases they’ll miss you altogether. It doesnt happen all the time but when it does and you’ll notice it.
The campaign on a whole however, is great. The story is there beside the graphics and sound, all making you feel as though you are in the middle of a battlefield. But your tour of duty is rather short. Not short enough to feel chepeaned mind you, but the game breezes right past with the first campaign (Normandy) on easy to finish up in about 2 hours. The others are about the same too. Luckily you can come back on hard mode to get all those medals.
Wait though! There is more, with Multiplayer included in the game. Sadly its not single card or Nintendo Wifi connection compatible but that might be included in the next one right? Anyway, playing multiplayer with two people, while fun, garners an obvious sense that it would be better with four. Plenty of options are included with the game and a co-op mode would have been a suitable addition as well, but multiplayer still proves to be great fun.
Now onto the best bit of the game. Now being a Nintendo site, it’s not often we say that graphics look really really good, (Hell, look at half the Wii line up and the previous pathetic attempts at 3d graphics on the DS for example) but Brothers in Arms DS looks absolutely awesome. While the game is low on polygon count and the textures sometimes (mostly) a little iffy, the game is a total package. Nice touches to the presentation add more to the game and make up for the weak DS hardware such as planes flying over head, explosives and mortars going off and blowing up the ground in front of you and shooting a rocket into the side of a building to then watch it crumble to the ground. These are just some of the great achievements Gameloft have managed to squeeze out of the DS, and they are definitely squeezing it because at times the game drops below what would be considered a stable framerate.
Its the Grits!
The gritty nature of the graphics does ad to the realism somewhat. War is gritty and dirty and while the game looks a bit rough this is the best the DS can do but its defiantly a showcase of its potential (until Phantom Hourglass hits anyway). Anything less from a 3D game on the DS in the future is not enough, since BiA DS is now the benchmark. The sound also adds to the realism and immersion, as the game is nearly fully voiced with enemies, teams mates and leaders yelling battle cries and orders alongside other ambient sound effects like machine gun fire and planes crashing or flying overhead all adding to the immersion.
Brothers in Arms DS is one the best examples of graphics on the DS, and the rest of the game is just as good. The only real concerns are the length and the less then steady frame rate at times which, when compared to the rest of the game is inconsequential.
