Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood

Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood is a tactical first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Xbox and PlayStation 2. It was ported to the Wii in 2008 as a part of the Brothers in Arms: Double Time compilation.

Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
Developer(s)Gearbox Software
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Director(s)Brian Martel
Producer(s)Mike Wardwell
Programmer(s)Patrick Deupree
Artist(s)Matthew Vandolen
Writer(s)Mike Neumann
Composer(s)David McGarry
SeriesBrothers in Arms
EngineUnreal Engine 2
Platform(s)
ReleaseOS X, Windows, Xbox
  • NA: October 4, 2005
  • EU: October 7, 2005
PlayStation 2
  • NA: October 27, 2005
  • EU: October 28, 2005
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Earned in Blood continues the Brothers In Arms saga as newly promoted Sergeant Joe "Red" Hartsock (Hartsock was the Corporal of Baker's Fire Team), who was part of the historic Normandy invasion in the previous game. Earned in Blood includes several new multiplayer missions, weapons, and vehicles, plus a new co-op skirmish mode. The AI of enemies has also been improved considerably in this game, while level designs are more open-ended than the original.

Story

The story is essentially told as a "reflection" on the events that took place earlier, as Army historian Colonel S.L.A. Marshall is interviewing paratroopers 15+ days after D-Day. The story is divided into three parts. The first part of the game is a recollection of Hartsock's time in Sergeant Matt Baker's squad during the initial D-Day invasion. The second part picks up when he takes command of 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon during the liberation and defense of Carentan, and the eventual link-up between 82nd and 101st Airborne Division at the town of Baupte. The final part will take place in and around Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte. Although the first part takes place under Baker's command, every mission is one not included in Road to Hill 30. The player commands Desola, Allen, and Garnett from 3rd Squad, and some soldiers from 2nd Squad at first. Then the game switches the player to command the entire 2nd Squad after the Battle of Bloody Gulch (Hill 30).

Hartsock's squad consists of the remains of the original 2nd Squad (Cpl. Franklin Paddock, Pvt. Dean "Friar" Winchell, and Pfc. James Marsh) and the remnants of 1st Squad (Cpl. Jacob Campbell, Pvt. Will Paige, and Pvt. Derrick McConnell). In addition, the player will also be in command of Corporal (later promoted to Sergeant) Seamus Doyle of the 82nd Airborne during the initial D-Day invasion in early parts of the game.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Earned in Blood is similar to Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30. The player usually assumes command of two teams of paratroopers to use the Four Fs—Find, Fix, Flank, and Finish—tactic against the enemy. The game discourages the use of solo run 'n' gun tactics by limiting the player's ability to aim, by decreasing the player's health, and by placing large numbers of enemies behind cover. To successfully complete a mission, the player has to study the layout of the battlefield, fix/suppress the enemy with overwhelming suppressive fire with one team (usually the fire team), and direct another team (usually the assault team) to flank the enemy by sneaking to the side or rear of the enemy to finish them off.

In Earned in Blood, the enemy will constantly reposition himself according to the player's action, regardless of danger. This change makes stealth and distraction important considerations when the player is attempting to flank the enemy. At the same time, new tactics such as forcing the enemy into kill zones is possible with the new AI system. The new enemy AI allows the player to be attacked more frequently than in Road to Hill 30. Also, it is not possible to destroy a tank with a grenade unless the hatch soldier is killed.

Development

The games uses the same graphics engine as Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, which is based on the Unreal Engine 2.0

Reception
Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PCPS2Xbox
Edge8/10[1]N/A8/10[1]
EGMN/A8.33/10[2]8.33/10[2]
Eurogamer8/10[3]N/AN/A
Game InformerN/AN/A8/10[4]
GameProN/A[5]N/A
GameRevolutionB+[6]N/AB+[6]
GameSpot8.7/10[7]6.8/10[8]8.7/10[9]
GameSpy[10][11][12]
GameTrailers8.9/10[13]8.9/10[13]8.9/10[13]
GameZoneN/AN/A8.9/10[14]
IGN8.8/10[15]5/10[16]8.2/10[17]
OPM (US)N/A[18]N/A
OXM (US)N/AN/A9.6/10[19]
PC Gamer (US)87%[20]N/AN/A
The Sydney Morning Herald[21][21][21]
The Times[22][22][22]
Aggregate score
Metacritic84/100[23]71/100[24]85/100[25]

Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood received "generally favorable" for PC and Xbox, and "mixed or average" for PS2 reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[23][24][25]

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References
  1. Edge staff (December 2005). "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (Xbox, PC)". Edge (156): 103.
  2. EGM staff (December 2005). "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (PS2, Xbox)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (198).
  3. Clare, Oliver (October 7, 2005). "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (PC)". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  4. Kato, Matthew (November 2005). "Brothers in Arms: Earned In Blood (Xbox)". Game Informer (151): 166. Archived from the original on 2007-05-28. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  5. Bones (October 28, 2005). "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on January 15, 2006. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  6. Gee, Brian (October 18, 2005). "Brothers In Arms: Earned In Blood Review (Xbox, PC)". Game Revolution. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  7. Colayco, Bob (October 6, 2005). "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood Review". GameSpot. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  8. Colayco, Bob (November 2, 2005). "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  9. Colayco, Bob (October 6, 2005). "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood Review". GameSpot. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  10. Abner, William (December 8, 2005). "GameSpy: Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (PC)". GameSpy. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  11. Tuttle, Will (November 3, 2005). "GameSpy: Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (PS2)". GameSpy. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  12. Tuttle, Will (October 4, 2005). "GameSpy: Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (Xbox)". GameSpy. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  13. "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood, Review". GameTrailers. October 7, 2005. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  14. Lafferty, Michael (October 6, 2005). "Brothers In Arms Earned In Blood - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  15. Butts, Steve (October 4, 2005). "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (PC)". IGN. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  16. Roper, Chris (October 27, 2005). "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (PS2)". IGN. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  17. Onyett, Charles (October 5, 2005). "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (Xbox)". IGN. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  18. "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. January 2006.
  19. "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood". Official Xbox Magazine: 113. December 2005.
  20. "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood". PC Gamer: 56. December 25, 2005.
  21. Fish, Eliot (October 29, 2005). "Goooooooal!". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  22. "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood". The Times. October 8, 2005. Retrieved November 10, 2014.(subscription required)
  23. "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  24. "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  25. "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
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