He's not heavy - he's my Brothers in Arms

The war has only just begun as Ubisoft takes us deep behind enemy lines once more with Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway.

Squad-based World War II shooters everywhere should duck and cover as the genre is about to take some heavy fire... although this is nothing but good news for fans. Third in the acclaimed series, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway aims to add a large clip of next generation presentation to its already respected magazine of authentic and historically viable gameplay.

"This is my rifle. There are many like it..."

Dropping you into the mud flecked, sweat drenched boots of soldiers taking part in Operation Market Garden, it's your job to lead Sergeant Matt Baker and the Allied 101st Airborne Division through the sortie and secure valuable territory against the Nazis. Given the game is based around the historical event of the same code name, developer Gearbox Software is keen to keep accuracy steady within its sights. As expected, certain vehicles, weapons and other elements are replicated faithfully to their source, although this isn't at the expense of gameplay.

"Some of the compromises we make are to keep things more interesting or better for the gamer," explains Randy Pitchford, President and Director of Gearbox Software. "But if you memorise the maps in the game, the streets and areas you go through, you could go to this place in Holland and get a job as tour guide or something [laughs]. There is a line, but we care a lot about accuracy."

Gearbox's Military & Historical Director, Colonel John Antal, agrees. "In the real world you have the limitation of resources so you can only go so far in any historical research. What we're providing is the proper historical context so you really feel like you're in this world. We [also] have to take in mind that most of our players will want to shoot everything in sight. If we were overly realistic, if you shot a prisoner and I arrest you, you'd be court-martialled. So then the game would have to change to a court martial [laughs]. So we don't let you shoot prisoners, for example."

History, her-story, your-story

With that said, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway still desires to give you a taste of what it's like to live as a soldier through its potent brand of historical fiction, paring down some of the more typical game stylistics to offer a decidedly filmic experience. When using the dynamic new cover system the viewpoint switches to third-person as your characters pause for breath, offering a better vantage point for the player. Clues sometimes replace on-screen objective markers, and there's less emphasis on energy bars - instead your character's viewpoint starts to blur and turn red the longer you expose yourself to risky (and eventually fatal) positions.

Story also plays a large part in the game to emphasise this movie-driven slant. As a continuation of the previous Brothers in Arms tales, flashbacks, narration and TV-serial style "The Story So Far..." cues are used to bring everyone up to speed on the more personal elements of the last two titles, something that Gearbox hopes will help fans and new players alike.

"This game is a fantasy about being a soldier in a squad, and part of that is about what it's like to interact with other soldiers in that life," says Pitchford. "So we have these personalities coming into play. Interaction is a great vehicle for storytelling, and by connecting with the characters you care about them; you can be concerned about them. When a soldier dies in the plot that should be a problem [for the player], rather than just not having the capability of a certain weapon."

Antal is equally passionate about the portrayal of personalised story within the game. "That's one of the reasons why videogames are overwhelming the entertainment industry and eclipsing sales of movies. Because now we're able to tell dramatic stories that you interact with and let you be in the story... play your part in history. And that's powerful."

War: what is it good for?

None of this means Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway will be without action. Given the nature of its source material war is indeed hell for its participants, even in game form. Advanced physics and dynamics mean much of the scenery can be damaged, limbs get blown off from shells and your hearing becomes impaired if you're too close to an explosion.

Rather unique to the game is its action camera, which zooms in on anything particularly exciting you've done and displays it in slow motion to give you its full effect. Sniper headshots and explosions are usually the subject of such a technique, adding that extra element of visual flair to take some of the edge off the horror of it all - as well as showing the player some appreciation of their ability.

Complementing the deep single-player campaign is a reworked multiplayer mode, although for now that's being kept under wraps. Squad-based deathmatches are promised along with headset chat for live audio across PlayStation Network. But even with Gearbox playing it cool over its multiplayer features there's already plenty to get excited about in Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, thanks to a careful blend of historical accuracy and movie style excess - all designed to envelop you into its very adult world of battles, bullets, blood and brothers.

"It offers an extraordinary experience," says Antal. "And a glimpse into a time and method of war that you won't get anywhere else."