Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway in August

I'm growing pretty tired of World War II. I mean how many times can you play through Normandy, Market Garden and all of that before you get the urge to shoot your comrades and do a quick Alt F4 to get the hell out of there? It seems that game developers believe that our World War II thresholds are pretty high, because the Brothers in Arms series is aiming to bring us a new game this summer.

The original game was interesting in the way it approached the bloody business of war. There was less attention given to the individual soldier and more importance placed on the squad and tactics. You needed to pin heavy enemy positions in order to get another squad to flank and deliver a killing blow. This tactical focus made the game enjoyable even if it meant that you needed to again get acquainted with the various small French villages you already visited a few times before in games like Call of Duty or Medal of Honor.

The Hell's Highway sequel will again test your war skills as a foot soldier in Operation Market Garden, the biggest airborne assault of the war, which was aimed at securing a way into Germany through Holland. The operation is famous for the battle for the bridge at Arnhem, that the Allies needed to secure in order to drive into Germany. Ubisoft has not said whether the player will have a chance to fight that battle or not.

The game is getting a "totally redesigned online component", as Ubisoft puts it, to justify the delay to August. Earlier the producer promised matches with up to 20 players, featuring destructible environments and complete tactical control of various squads. Now Ubisoft is claiming that the new redesigned multiplayer component will support more players in matches and will combine "all the intensity and accessibility of deathmatch with the squad-based gameplay that helped make Brothers In Arms famous".

In August, the game will ship for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. I've heard it's best played while listening to "Highway to Hell" by AC DC.