Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood

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Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
Xbox cover
Developer(s) Gearbox Software
Publisher(s) Ubisoft
Engine Unreal Engine 2.0
Platform(s) PC, Xbox, PS2, Mobile phone
Release date October 4, 2005 (NA)
Genre(s) Tactical first-person shooter
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: Mature (M)
System requirements PC system requirements: Windows 2000/XP only/1 GHz minimum (2.5 GHz Recommended) 256 RAM (1 GB Recommended)

Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood is a video game and sequel to Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, developed by Gearbox Software.

Earned in Blood continues the Brothers In Arms saga as newly-promoted Sergeant Joe "Red" Hartsock (Hartsock was the Corporal of Baker's Fire Team), who was part of the historic Normandy invasion in the previous game. Earned in Blood includes several new multiplayer missions, weapons and vehicles, plus a new co-op skirmish mode. The AI of enemies has also been improved considerably in this game, while level designs are more open-ended than the original.

Contents

[edit] Story

The story is essentially told as a "reflection" on the events that took place earlier, as Army historian Colonel S. L. A. Marshall is interviewing paratroopers 15+ days after D-Day. The story is divided into three parts. The first part of the game is recollection of Hartsock's time in Sergeant Matt Baker's squad during the initial D-Day invasion. The second part picks up when he takes command of 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon during the liberation and defense of Carentan, and the eventual link up between 82nd and 101st Airborne Division at the town of Baupte. The final part will take place in and around Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte. Although the first part takes place under Baker's command, every mission is one not included in Road to Hill 30. The player commands Desola, Allen, and Garnett from 3rd Squad, and some soldiers from 2nd Squad at first. Then the game switches the player to command the entire 2nd Squad after the Battle of Bloody Gulch 30).

Hartsock's squad consists of the remains of the original 2nd Squad (Cpl. Franklin Paddock, Pvt. Dean "Friar" Winchell, and Pfc. James Marsh, the Assault Team) and the reminants of 1st Squad (Cpl. Jacob Campbell, Pfc. Will Paige, and Pvt. Derrick McConnel, the Fire Team). In addition, the player will also be in command of Corporal (later promoted to Sergeant) Seamus Doyle of the 82nd Airborne during the initial D-Day invasion in early parts of the game.

[edit] Graphics

The games uses the same graphic engine as Brothers in Arms: Road to 30, which is based on the Unreal Engine 2.0

[edit] Gameplay

The gameplay in Earned in Blood is similar, if not identical, to Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30. The player usually assumes command of two teams of paratroopers to use the Four Fs--Find, Fix, Flank, and Finish--tactic against the enemy. The game discourages the use of solo run 'n' gun tactic by limiting the player's ability to aim, by decreasing the player's health, and by placing large numbers of enemies behind cover. To successfully complete a mission, the player has to study the layout of the battlefield, fix/suppress the enemy with overwhelming suppressive fire with one team (usually the fire team), and direct another team (usually the assault team) to flank the enemy by sneaking to the side or rear of the enemy to finish them off.

One huge difference between Earned in Blood and its predecessor's gameplay is the improvement in enemy AI. In Road to 30, the enemy usually will not move under fire even when the player's flanking action has been detected. In Earned in Blood, the enemy will constantly reposition himself according to the player's action, regardless of danger. This change makes stealth and distraction important considerations when the player is attempting to flank the enemy. At the same time, new tactics such as forcing the enemy into kill zones is possible with the new AI system.

The new enemy AI allows the player to be attacked more frequently than in Road to Hill 30.

[edit] Reception

[edit] Criticism

Although the game has been praised for continuing the gameplay and engrossing story of Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 by adding better enemy AI and more open-ended level design, the game is under some criticism for being fairly similar to the original, while the extra features and content perhaps more worthy of a proper expansion pack. Earned in Blood has been released as a nearly fully priced sequel with little new content. On top of this, a main criticism among most squad-based shooter games is the occasionally questionable squad A.I., which has been considered to be worse than its predecessor.

[edit] Storyline errors

  • In the game's opening sequence, when Cpl Joe Red Hartsock recollects the event on the cargo plane during the night of the drop, he remembers that excluding Baker, he was fourth in the line to jump, while Private Leggett was first in the line. In Road to Hill 30 during the same sequence, it appears that after Baker, Cpl Joe Red Hartsock was first in the line to jump, while Pvt Allen or Garnett occupies the fourth position.
  • In the Battle of Bloody Gulch, Cpl Joe "Red" Hartsock and 2nd Squad disappears shortly after Sgt Matt Baker is knocked out for the first time to halt the German Army's first flank in Earned in Blood. However, in Road to Hill 30, Hartsock is already present with the rest of the defending force when Baker wakes up to reach the 2nd Armored Division. However, in this game, Hartsock just returns seconds before Baker arrives with the 2nd Armored Division, causing a minor continuity error.
  • Sometime before Cole's Charge in Road to Hill 30, Hartsock was seen throwing his helmet at the river bed, and spends that mission, as well as the following mission fighting without his helmet until the Carentan chapter. However, in this game, the game shows Hartsock walking in the river trying to get the helmet while near the bridge he threw the helmet from, which is not possible since the helmet could have been carried a lot further by the river's current during the span of two days.
  • In the Battle of Bloody Gulch, three soldiers from Road to Hill 30 were missing in this particular battle, Pfc Tom Zanovich, Pvt McCreary, and Pvt Courtland. Instead of having McCreary and Courtland as his Assault Team, Cpl Sam Corrion is partnered with Cpl Franklin Paddock and Pvt Dean "Friar" Winchell instead. As Red's fireteam, Zanovich is replaced by Cpl Jacob Campbell and Pfc James Marsh.
  • In Earned in Blood there is another error, the 502nd PIR used a heart insignia on their helmets, and the 501st used a diamond, but Col. Johnson wears a heart on his helmet as well. The 82nd didn't use insignia on their helmets to indicate the regiment to which they belonged.
  • When you use the Situational Awareness Mode, Cpl Doyle belonged to the 205 PIR, but this unit never existed in the 82nd Airborne Division. There was however a 205th Infantry Division in the German army during WWII.
  • Cpl Corrion and Pvt Desola are shown too early in 'Earned in Blood'. They are shown in the 'Three Patrol Action' Mission on D-Day. In 'Road to Hill 30' After Risner is killed Mac shows up and tells Baker that Corrion and Desola have been fighting with the 506th since they landed and the squad would be falling back to link up with them. This was on D+2.

[edit] Copy protection

The PC version of the game contains the controversial StarForce DRM which may interfere with some CD/DVD burners, burning software and disk mounting software.

[edit] External links

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Brothers in Arms video games
Main series
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