Highway to Hell

Lore & Background

The game is set during Operation Market Garden, a high-risk Airborne operation intended to 'Win the War by Christmas.' Recently promoted Staff Sergeant Matt Baker is constantly haunted by events in Normandy that led to the deaths of Privates Garnett and Allen, and deceased Private Leggett's involvement. Baker's best friend, Staff Sergeant Joe Hartsock, commands the 2nd squad of Baker's unit as they prepare for the operation. Baker's unit receives replacements, including fresh arrival Private Franky LaRoche and transferred English replacement PFC Dawson. Corporal Sam Corrion is frustrated that he has constantly been passed over for promotion. The story follows Baker's unit as they fight through the Netherlands, from the glider landings to the battle for Eindhoven, the defense of Veghel, and the final assault on Hell's Highway. The operation ultimately fails, causing over 17,000 Allied casualties. Baker, on the verge of emotional breakdown, hallucinates a conversation with Leggett hinting at the upcoming Battle of the Bulge, but pulls himself together and makes a passionate speech to his unit.

In Their Own Story

Baker's unit safely arrives in the Netherlands on gliders and meets up with Dutch resistance member Nicolaas. They fight to take the Son bridge, but it is demolished by German forces. The unit then takes the town of Eindhoven, eliminating a German sniper and artillery emplacements. That night, the Luftwaffe bombs Eindhoven. Baker's unit fights through the burning rubble, and LaRoche leaves to rescue a Dutch girl despite Corrion's attempts to stop him. They find Pieter, Nicolaas' son, dead alongside his father in a collapsing building. Baker follows LaRoche into a burning building, gets disoriented, and jumps through a window into a river. He witnesses the Dutch girl executed by Germans and finds a dying LaRoche. Hartsock leads a distraught Baker back through the hospital, where Baker hallucinates and shoots at Germans. The unit moves to Veghel, which they defend with British tanks. Hartsock is grievously wounded by a mortar. Baker chooses Paddock over Corrion to lead 2nd squad, leading to a confrontation. After being deployed to Hell's Highway, Corrion is shot and evacuated. Dawson confronts Baker, threatening to reveal the truth about Leggett. Baker finally confesses that Allen and Garnett were ambushed as Leggett idly watched. Baker's unit clears German artillery emplacements in a final assault, but learns Market Garden has failed. At a triage station, Baker learns Hartsock is paralyzed and is ostracized by Corrion.

Reader's Guide

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is a World War II-themed tactical shooter played from both first-person and third-person perspectives. The object is to guide Staff Sgt. Matthew Baker and the squads under his command as they complete objectives during Operation Market Garden. In campaign mode, players must complete a series of levels. The player can select from three levels of difficulty: Casual, Veteran, and Authentic. Completing the campaign grants access to Authentic difficulty, which increases enemy accuracy and disables the HUD and crosshairs. Combat is squad-based. The player has direct control of Baker while squad members are controlled by AI. A maximum of three squads may accompany the player. Three squad variations are available: fire teams are proficient in suppressing the enemy, while assault teams are preferred for flanking maneuvers. The player may issue commands such as sending squads to take cover or focus fire. A red circle above enemies shows when they are a threat; when the player issues an order for suppressive fire, the circle turns grey, indicating an opportunity to move to a flanking position. The game features a cover system that alternates to an over-the-shoulder perspective. A destructible cover system allows objects like wooden fences and sandbags to be destroyed. A regenerating health system is present, justified as representing exposure to 'threat': when exposed to enemy fire, the screen turns red and blurry; if he remains under fire, he will be hit and killed. Remaining safe quickly removes 'threat'. The 'action camera' sometimes slows down time when a player kills an enemy with a headshot or grenade.

Did You Know?

• The game was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 23, 2008 in North America, and for Microsoft Windows on October 7, 2008.
• A limited-edition version included a 6-inch Sergeant Matt Baker figure with 13 accessories, a 32-page comic book, and a full-color map of Operation Market Garden.
• The game's regenerating health system is justified as representing a character's exposure to 'threat' rather than resilience to damage.
• The game features an 'action camera' that sometimes slows down time when a player kills an enemy with a headshot or grenade.
• A companion novel was published by Presidio Press, written by the game's historical director, Colonel John Antal.