Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (Sony PlayStation 2, 2005)

The original game in the series (road to hill 30?) is not too different from this sequel, so the review applies to that game as well. The core concept is the use of 1 or 2 squads (depending on the mission): a fire (support) team that's to be used to suppress an enemy, and an assault team to be used to move closer to the enemy and finish them off. It is a 1st person game, so you're free to run around and do whatever you want. This makes it a cross between "Full spectrum warrior" with suppression indicators and an enemy that hides/sometimes flanks and "Ghost Recon" in which you're directly involved in the action.
This idea is initially successful and the game enjoyable, as it gets you used to gradually improving enemy AI and the use of your squad tactics. However, the game ultimately becomes more of a logic puzzle in which you must figure out where to place a squad at each moment. And though they tend to find some cover when under fire, the sqaud members can often stand out in the open long enough to get mowed down, which means you often end up with 1 or 2 other team-mates to help you out. Sometimes it gets more intense with running and gunning, leap-frogging, etc, which adds some freshness. But mostly, it seems to become the stale logic puzzle. So it only seems to be enjoyable for short amounts of time.
As a final note, there are missions in both games in which there is nowhere to use the two squads you've been given; they just get mowed down if you try. These points drag the game down as you play them over and over trying to understand how you're supposed to go about things, without going off on your own and sniping enemies behind cover (and thus defeating the point of the game).
Overall, I enjoyed both games as rentals, but I wouldn't buy them.

Brothers in Arms Earned in Blood is as I described in the title, THE most authentic WWII game you can buy. When I first played this game I was too used to playing Call of Duty and the Medal of Honor games and tried to play it like a first person shooter. Needless to say I died, alot. After some frustrating missions I finally began to understand how to play this game and I haven't put it down since. If you want a game that puts you into WWII like no other game on the market, then this game and series is for you.

Pros
- The story is engaging and the presentation is superbly done to the point where it's like you're watching and participating in a movie
- Your squad members are smarter and will take cover and return fire when needed
- The noises of the battles are well done and enhance your WWII experience from the yelling of the Germans to the explosions of mortars and grenades
- Controls are easy to pick up and giving orders to your squad is made simple by the press of a button
- The enemy isn't dumb, as they will try to flank you if you sit behind cover too long

Cons
- Framerate while better than the previous game is still clunky when there is alot of action happening at once
- The weapon sounds leave a little to be desired. An M1 Garand should sound more powerful than in this game
- Sometimes your squad members will leave themselves exposed in a firefight and you have to reposition them to get them to cover

Brothers to Arms:Earned in Blood is a great game that challenges you as a gamer. This new Brothers to Arms is online and can play with one or two players. The game is also rated M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence and Strong Language. Unlike the first one, the german soilders will try to flank you, assult you and they will move from cover to cover to get a better shot at you. The game also has a new co-op skirmish mode. But, the game is like a copy of the original with some new guns, smart germans and the skirmish mode, but, you play as Hartsock not Baker. But, the game is one of the best WWII games I have ever played.

I like all the hand on hand combat as well as the weapon combat. It is highly motivational to want to keep your men and you alive. Language is strong,but it is a war game. I made purchase because I love the action in war games. It keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Great game. Better than Call of Duty and Medal of Honor. Control your own squads and Tanks. Story mode is a little slow but interesting. Squirmish mode is quite busy. All in all, challenging for a moderate game player.