Without proper medical supplies, the wounded men in the barn are likely finished, prompting Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Cassidy to send Hartsock and a pair of privates, Franklin Paddock and Dean “Friar” Winchell, to the nearby town of St. Martin. There they’ll find bandages and plasma in a church. However, they’ll also encounter German soldiers guarding the medical depot.

Producer Mike Wardwell, writer Mike Neumann, writer/adviser Col. John Antal, and I follow the trio as they cautiously make their way along a dirt road. An eerie quiet hangs over St. Martin, as if the Normandy Invasion is trying to catch its breath during what will turn out to be the most frantic day of the war.

In Your Sights. Look down your scope to improve your aim. Your mobility will severely decrease, however.

“You’re invited to think about combat tactically.”

- Mike Wardwell, producer

“For me, the personal stories of these heroes were the most compelling reason to make Brothers in Arms,” Antal remarks, motioning toward the men in front of us. “These games focus not only on the combat and tactics of battle, but also on the brotherhood between soldiers, where friends are made and lost and the heroic actions, decisions, and sacrifices of one can save the lives of many. This is a story worth telling.”

Move Out! After getting a top-level view of the situation and issuing orders, watch your troops move into position.

Flanking Manuevers

Hartsock and his men come across a field with low walls along two of its borders. Hay bales and barrels dot the landscape, providing cover for attackers and defenders. Situational view offers a top-down perspective on the action, allowing you, in the role of Hartsock, to plan out a strategy. After you return to the battlefield, order your squad to take specific positions and lay down suppressing fire that forces the enemy to take cover while you flank them. When you have a clear shot at the defenders, eliminate them and send your squad to the next engagement.

Mission Accomplished. One early assignment involves taking out enemy AA guns.

“You’re invited to think about combat tactically,” Wardwell says as Hartsock begins issuing orders. Bullets whizz by, but they don’t faze him: the corporal calmly calls for suppressing fire on the enemy. Circles above the German soldiers’ heads turn from red to gray, indicating they’re pinned down, and Hartsock creeps into a flanking position. “All games employ the concepts of suppression and flanking to some degree, but Brothers in Arms built a game around it,” Wardwell continues.

Later in the game, you’ll add a second squad, so one can engage in suppression while the other handles assaulting the enemy. Each situation you encounter in Road to Hill 30 and Earned in Blood requires a unique strategy. How do you handle two or more groups of enemies firing from different positions?

“The personal stories of these heroes were the most compelling reason to make Brothers in Arms.”

- Col. John Antal, writer/adviser

Where is the best place for your men to get a clear shot at the enemy without exposing themselves too much? How do you respond when opposing soldiers adapt to your tactics?

Engage! The air cavalry comes to the rescue.

“For Earned in Blood, we created what we called ‘situational AI,’ which allows the Germans to understand the position of you and your squad and then adjust to protect their flanks,” Wardwell explains. “For the most advanced levels, you can’t just move to the Germans’ flank and take them out, because they will change their positions to stay safe.”

Two Tales, One Perspective

The Gearbox team decided to focus on the Normandy Invasion from a different perspective because, as Wardwell says, “Omaha Beach has been done.” He continues: “But what about the paratroopers who landed behind enemy lines and helped make the beach landing a possibility? The 101st also played a critical role in taking the city of Carentan, which was the Allied forces’ first foothold in Europe.”

Brothers in Arms: Double Time tells its story in two parts: Road to Hill 30 delves into Baker’s trial by fire while Earned in Blood portrays Hartsock’s determination to prove himself. “Each game explores separate themes,” Neumann explains. “Road to Hill 30 is really all about Matt Baker coming to grips with becoming the leader and sole person responsible for the lives of his men. What kind of leader can someone be if they never wanted it? The answer: a damn good one.”

Creeping Carefully. A tank makes handy cover.

He adds: “Earned in Blood was quite the change-up from Hill 30. Switching the perspective to Hartsock made for an interesting change of story scenery: this was a man who always wanted to be Sergeant and was jealous when Baker got it instead. Since the game takes place before and after that happens, it was about exploring what it actually means to become the leader. Earned in Blood was a very literal title in that the victory at the end of the game was a major sacrifice for all involved, a sacrifice that Hartsock has to believe in and deal with as time moves on.”

The characters may be fictional, but the battles aren’t, as Wardwell observes: “We set out to capture the real drama and hardship of war. When a World War II veteran sees our game and gives us the thumbs-up, it reminds us that we’re honoring them and celebrating an important part of our history.”

If you liked this game, check out:

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Close Combat: First to Fight
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
• Prey
• Return to Castle Wolfenstein