Despite having the word highway in the title this game doesn't flash before your eyes like a lot of the other FPS's out there. I've never played any of the other BIA games (say what you will) so I can't make a comparison there, but so far I have really enjoyed this game. Although, I do hear that if you have played the other games, you'll have a better understanding of the events of this game.So let's start with the good: The graphics are just amazing. Each level is full of vibrant colors with a high attention to detail and for the most part the cut scenes fall in line with this. Even when the action gets intense with movement on the screen the scenery holds up nicely. One aspect that shows this nicely is the action camera. Whenever you get a perfect shot, perfect grenade placement or rocket launch, the camera zooms in and goes slow motion on your enemies while limbs are flying everywhere or blood is busting out of their heads. The graphics in these triggered cut scenes hold up nice and really show off the finer points of death. The campaign is of decent length and the higher difficulty settings will provide even veterans of this series some challenge. I like the idea of the cover system and it mostly works well although it is at times frustrating (see the bad section below). The sound effects are also top notch. The guns are crisp sounding, squad mates voices are clear, and bullets whiz by with such ferocity you might think that there has just been a drive by at your house.
Now for the bad: Ok, Back to the cover system for my biggest gripe. It is a great idea, but it is hard to get out of cover sometimes. It almost seems like you have to hold the control stick the exact opposite direction from where you are dug in and for a certain amount of time. With some practice you can start to get better at it but every once in a while you'll yell out a big WTF. Not sure if I can call this bad, but I've tried to play the multiplayer and haven't been able to find a match. It does get a bit repetitive and I imagine especially for tactical FPS veterans. Basically each level you will have an assault squad. You have the assault squad provide suppression fire while you flank and attack. Or you'll have a bazooka squad that will need to blow up sandbags, vehicles, or weapons emplacements to allow you to get at the enemies when you flank. You would think the enemies would know that you were going to flank each time but I guess they never learn. Sometimes they just stand there and let you take a few free shots, other times they dig in and don't let you move without almost annihilating you. You advance, they move back, you advance, they move back, but once you push them back as far as they can go you could put your controller down, make some breakfast, take a dump, shower and come back and you would still be alive with the enemies still in their same spots. Once you get to a point the AI doesn't try to push you back or send in more troops etc.
I would defiantly say that the pluses outweigh the minuses for sure. The game has been a lot of fun and I think I will try it on authentic difficulty. On authentic difficulty all of the info icons are gone and this really lets the visuals shine. To sum it up I would say that this game is what you make of it. You could do the same thing over and over and get bored, or try something else with a slow and deliberate pace and see what happens. You can search the levels for Killroy's, which are a drawing soldiers would graffiti before they would die...I think (I wasn't paying attention to that cut scene). You can also look for recon points which will give you a glimpse of the battlefield and give you all the information you need to make a tactical assault. Do yourself a favor and rent this one before buying since it is kinda a niche game. It will be worth your $8 or whatever ridiculously high price game rentals are going for these days.
8.5 out of 10
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