WWII shooters are a dime a dozen these days, so to truly impress me, a game has to bring something seriously new to the table. In case of gearbox software and Ubisoft's Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, this game not only provides a gritty and wildly intense battle experience, but it also gives its genre a much-needed kick in the pants. If you're on the fence about this one, stand up and take note. It's #$%#^%# good.

In Brothers in Arms you play as Sgt Matt Baker, a member of the 101st Airborne Division that was dropped into Normandy and scattered about the countryside. Taking control of four other soldiers (all of whom actually exist(ed)), you battle the Nazi war machine over several diverse missions that cover a wide range of objectives including blowing up poles so gliders can land and wrestling a city from the enemy. On paper it's pretty standard stuff, but in practice it's not about what you have to do but how you intend to do it, because Brothers in Arms is anything but a run-and-gun first person shooter. Because you can only absorb a few hits you need to approach each and every situation seriously and with caution, not only because you need to watch your back but also the backs of your squad mates. The game does a marvelous job filling in their back stories, and when combined with their constant chatter they become very lifelike, so much so that when I absentmindedly got one killed I was actually a little upset.

It's in your best interest to keep your squad mates alive for a couple of very important reasons. First is the reason I just mentioned. Gearbox did a very nice job with the character development. The second reason is Brothers in Arms is at times ridiculously hard, the type of mind-numbing difficulty that results in smashed controllers, but not because of horrible game design. Rather, the AI is so sophisticated and accurate that it'll paste your sorry butt in a hurry, so it's all about ducking behind something, taking peeks to observe your surroundings, and devising the best strategy to reach your goal, which may be just crossing the street. Also, while your fellow soldiers will always follow you by default, it's best to instruct them where to go, whether you want them to flank the enemy, take cover, or hit them with everything they've got. Controlling them is a breeze, and they really get your back, so while dashing across an open field may at first seem like a stupid idea, having them distract Nazis gives you perfect opportunities to do some crazy things, and sometimes going on suicide runs are necessary, because as you'll hopefully see, once the AI has dug in behind something, it refuses to move.

The single-player campaign is amazing, but the Xbox Live experience is equally engaging. Thinking outside the box, the developers elected to make even death matching squad-based, so it'll be your squad against up to three other opponents', and just like in the main game, you'll need to employ the same strategies, except playing against people is, as you may have already assumed, a lot more challenging.

The riveting gameplay is complemented by a flash bang presentation that is second to none. The opening theme music is classic WWII, the lack of music during gameplay gives Brothers in Arms a more realistic edge, and the sound effects, oh my! Gun shots as well as explosions sound like they were all ripped from Saving Private Ryan. Seriously, you need to play this game with the sound jacked up. Best audio ever in a console first person shooter.

Road to Hill 30 also features some slick-looking graphics that paint a very brutal picture of the war. When you're shot, little specks of blood spatter the screen as well as dirt when you nearly miss getting dismembered by an explosion. There's also an awesome down-the-sight-of-your-gun perspective that's highlighted by a superb depth-of-field effect. As for the rest of the game, both character models and the environments are extremely realistic. Gearbox actually recreated the various locales using old photographs and eye witness testimony, and both enemies and American soldiers are highlighted by a nice bloom effect. I'm a little disappointed that there isn't a lot of blood and gore in the game, but that's a minor gripe.

While Brothers in Arms is a wonderful achievement it's by no means perfect, but like my complaint about the blood, none of what I'm going to say is that big a deal. For starters, while there's a lot of chatter in the game, hearing the same phrases over and over again is a little annoying, especially the guy who always screams, "He's down" every time someone's killed. I'm also not too impressed with the level design, which is your typical "Why can't I go this way or jump over this tiny hill" kind of stuff that plagues most 3D games.

The command system is also a bit awkward. You can only instruct your soldiers to move to places you can already see, so it's impossible to tell them to wait on the opposite side of a house for example. Also, just like in other first person shooters, there are times when I really had to work hard to clear out a machine gun nest, and when I finally reached it the game didn't throw anyone into my path to kill! If you're going to put these really cool guns into your game, you should allow players to actually test them out on live targets.

Lastly, I elected to forget about the game's Situational Awareness View, an option that lets you to get an aerial shot of the battlefield that can be manipulated. I understand that actual WWII soldiers studied France so they knew their way around, but the application of this view in the game I feel gives us all an unfair advantage. I'd much rather keep things chaotic and use my brain to figure out how to get out of the mess I'm in than check a map that includes known enemy positions for escape routes.

While we're still a little ways away from playing games that truly plunge us into Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers experiences, know that Brothers in Arms is pretty damn close. It's a marvelous RTS-like shooter that's a great contrast to the mindless frag fests we're all used to. Pound for pound, it's the best WWII-based game on any console.