For a time it must have seemed to members of the PS2 generation that the saturation bombing of their consoles with World War II games was never going to end. Then, almost overnight, everything went silent. The new, modern systems everyone was buying for their homes had a new breed of modern shooters to go with them, and not many people seemed to see any future in the past anymore. Not many people apart from Gearbox Software that is, but Brothers in Arms always was different.

Considering the natural drama of its events, it's something of a surprise that Hell's Highway is the first time a videogame has focused completely on Operation Market Garden; perhaps other developers prefer a pick and mix of victorious moments rather than one of the largest failures of the war. In September of 1944, the Allied forces launched the largest airborne invasion in the history of the world, dropping 35,000 men into Holland to help drive a corridor through the country straight to Germany. Instead of the second rate German forces they expected to encounter however, they were met by some of the Nazi's top units and suddenly found themselves cold, wet, tired, scared and a long way from home.

Once again, Gearbox has done its homework. The design of levels using aerial photographs of actual battlefields, the focus on realistic squad-based tactics rather than becoming a superhuman, one man army, and the in-depth research and interviews with veterans all points to a genuine desire to tell a story whose emotion is drawn from its authenticity. Reprising the role of the fictional Sergeant Matt Baker, your recon squad are the first on the ground in the area and, during the ultimately fruitless attempts to taking control of tactically important bridges, the individual losses Baker and his men suffer are just as large as the collective one.

All of this may sound like too much baggage for a mere videogame, but Gearbox is confident that if the correct playable elements can be interwoven with a compelling story then the results could not only be special but, amazingly for a WWII game, original as well. It may only be a small group of men that Baker commands, but Hell's Highway's mission is to give you the chance to lead. Not by being back at base pushing pieces around on a map or in a "follow me over the top, lads" way, but by assessing situations on the ground and making decisions. Crucial to all this it seems will be positioning. First you'll need to move Baker to the best vantage points, then use the information you've gathered to issue appropriate orders to your various teams - machine gun, bazooka and the like - via simple squad controls, organising them into an effective fighting force, not forgetting to join in yourself for what is often a decisive contribution. The new destructible cover system means that wooden fences, sandbags, walls and other physical features will only help or hinder your progress for so long.

This all leads to almost perpetual motion for Baker as you move him and his squad around, splitting them up, bringing them back together again, zig-zagging from one temporary sanctuary to the next, attempting to exploit a natural flank or manufacture an artificial one. In a nice touch of realism, when you do manage to put enemy soldiers on the horns of a dilemma, they will often flee rather than fight to the death - but the risks you take need to be calculated precisely because in Hell's Highway bullets will kill, and quickly too. To emphasise this, and help minimise the heads-up information on screen, rather than having a health bar, the screen glows red to show which directions you're vulnerable from at any given moment.

Visually, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is hoping to be just as impressive as any of its modern counterparts. As such you can expect dramatically directed cut scenes, flashbacks, levels through the cramped ruins of bombed out building and expanses of open countryside. Light and dark, fire and water will all play their part in giving a real sense of place and time to the action and, when combined with the Rainbow Six/Ghost Recon style squad features, it's likely that Hell's Highway will be one case of the past not only learning from the future, but improving on it as well.

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is scheduled for release in the UK on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on 26 September 2008 and in the U.S. on 23 September 2008.

Previewed by James Hamblin for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).