The first thing you’ll notice when you play Brothers in Arms is the fact that it’s more deliberately paced than other popular WW2 shooters such as Medal of Honor and Call of Duty. The game also more than makes up for any apparent absence of run and gun action with its raw intensity and the overall realism of battles. The online aspect of the game is just as compelling, making for a complete and impressive gaming experience.

The game of Brothers in Arms puts you into the role of Sgt. Matt Baker, a member of the 101st airborne division. The 17 chapter game stretches out over the course of a week. You’ll start the night before D-Day, when you parachute behind enemy lines into France, fighting your way into town. As you complete each mission, you’ll also unlock extras, such as photos, which show you just how close the game’s levels match what the Baker platoon fought through in the actual invasion.

Depending on the mission you choose, you’ll command either one or two squad elements, each of which can consist of a few infantrymen. The infantry are either designated as an assault team or a fire team. Similar to Full Spectrum Warrior, you’ll see icons over the enemy positions to signify their condition. This helps to let you know just how weak the enemy players actually are.

Unlike other games in multiplayer, Brothers in Arms plays unlike anything else available on the XBOX. The multiplayer aspect of the game is very well put together, allowing two to four players to play online on any of the 10 fields. This part of the game is a lot of fun and something you can easily devote a lot of time to.

The graphics and sound of the game help to add to the game’s overall excellence. The character models are great, offering up some nice detail in motion with the way players carry their weapons and take their position behind enemy lines. Your squad mates that have taken a lot of hits will also limp around and won’t move as fast. The vehicles and weapons in the game are also realistically modeled in both the way the look as well as the way they sound.

You’ll also see blood spray as you fire at and hit enemies up close, although this isn’t done gratuitously. There are certain cut scenes on the other hand, that can get rather gory and graphic. Add that along with the cussing that you hear and you’ll have a game that manages to capture the grim reality known as war. Another interesting fact is that there is no music in the game – just during the menus and loading screens.

By bringing together the best aspects of squad based shooters and the freedom of a more action packed game, Brothers in Arms offers a unique experience in this genre. The campaign is varied and very lengthy, keeping players thrilled from beginning to end. Combined with a well designed and well thought out multiplayer aspect, this game offers one of the best World War 2 gaming experiences – ever.

- TopXboxGames.com