Product Description

BIA Double Time Wii

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1671 in Video Games
• Brand: UBI Soft
• Model: 17350
• Published on: 2008-09
• Released on: 2008-09-23
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platform: Nintendo Wii
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .50" h x 5.25" w x 7.50" l, .36 pounds

Features

• Next Generation Brothers In Arms
• Combining all 31 playable levels
• Unrivaled authenticity
• Challenging and dynamic combat
• Enhanced Control Scheme

Amazon.com

Brothers in Arms has earned its place as a leading squad-based WWII shooter on consoles and PC. The unrivaled authenticity, compelling story and intense squad-based action of the first two games has established an audience of gamers clamoring for more. And now Brothers in Arms Double Time brings the Brothers in Arms franchise to the Wii console, featuring the complete stories of the first two Brothers in Arms games, Road to Hill 30 and Earned in Blood. Play as Sergeant Matt Baker or Joe Hartsock, and lead your squad behind enemy lines through the Normandy invasion that will define history and unite you forever as brothers in arms.

WWII action on your Wii

Key Features:

• Next Generation Brothers In Arms - The award-winning WWII franchise comes to the Wii console with all of the action, story and authenticity that has critics and fans eager for more.
• Combining All 31 Playable Levels - Play as Sergeant Matt Baker or Joe Hartsock, leading your squad behind enemy lines through the Normandy invasion.
• Unrivaled Authenticity - Fight actual Airborne Infantry battles of D-Day, accurately recreated under the direction of author, historian and Airborne Ranger Col. John Antal, using thousands of official photos, maps, After-Action Reports and eyewitness accounts.
• Challenging and Dynamic combat - Featuring close-quarter urban environments and a next-generation artificial intelligence system, Brothers In Arms Double Time promises to take authentic military action to the next level on the Wii console.
• Enhanced Control Scheme - Issue orders and perform military gestures to command and lead your team using the Wii Remote.

Hit enemies from afar. View larger.

Or look them in the eye. View larger.

Double-wield small arms. View larger.

And use tanks as support. View larger.

Customer Reviews

Mad Nice Game Right Here
Brothers in Arms: Double Time for the Nintendo Wii has received very little attention in the reviewing world, either from professionals or consumers themselves. Any attention it has been given, though, has been largely negative or sub-par. And, in an effort to perhaps sway some on-the-fence potential buyers, allow me to say that this game completely exceeded my expectations.

Background:
For the uninitiated, BIA: DT is actually a direct port of both "Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30," and "Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood" originally released for the PC. Despite being released together here, the games are stand alone titles, and "Double Time" presents each on a separate disk. The stories intertwine overall, but each is a distinct entity.

Graphics:
One of the main complaints about BIA: DT is the graphics, which have gone largely unchanged from their original, 2005 style. Yes, the newest BIA game "Hell's Highway" looks tens of times better than anything in DT. The faces are all pretty expressionless, except during certain cutscenes, and many character models don't seem to have any weight, but if that's the deal-breaker in games for you, I doubt you're really the type of person who would enjoy a BIA game, anyway. Framerate complaints are also numerous, and also pretty spot on. Gearbox could have cleaned up the title a little bit, but I've played the game for hours at a time, and it hasn't frozen on me, it lags every once in a while, but again, it doesn't ruin anything about the game.

Gameplay:
BIA: DT is a first person shooter set in World War II with a heavy emphasis on team strategy over individual heroism, with very little "run-n-gun" fun to be had. To underscore this, there is no health regeneration system (the old standard of crouching behind cover will do nothing to clean up your bloodied avatar on the menu subscreen,) aiming is often sporadic (never unfair, but under enemy fire you'll find yourself unable to line up your shots perfectly.) And the more squadmates you send into enemy fire, the harder your job will be in the end. Throughout all 31 levels on both disks, many missions become similar and a bit "same-y" but they never cross into straight out repetition. Every level brings something new, and while you'll inevitably find a few missions to be your favorites, you'll most likely play through all of them several times.

Story:
One of the greatest stories of any video game, let alone a war game. Teary-eyed "Oh Say Can You See" moments are at record lows, and very little is done to over dramatize an already dramatic situation. It becomes really easy to become immersed in the story as a whole. Very well written all around, which plays more like an interactive movie than a video game.

Presentation:
Dialogue is a bit hit-or-miss. With some genuinely entertaining bits ("Don't even try to argue with me, son. I was kicking a** while you were still playing dolls with your sister") and some hammy lines every now and then, but nothing too bad. Voice-acting is the same way. Unfortunately, Sgt. Baker (your character in RTH30) is one of the more poorly voiced characters, and his narration can become cheesy. Sgt. Hartsock's narration in EIB is much more competent. In the heat of battle some soundbytes become over-used, which is a fault most action games share.

Overall:
Overall, a very good buy. Two games for $50, with a pretty high replay value. (The removal of the skirmish feature detracts from this heavily, though.) And lack of multiplayer is almost criminal. Don't believe the negative hype surrounding this game, easily the best war game to be released on the Wii so far, and if you can get past the dated graphics, you'll find an incredibly enjoyable gaming experience.

Brothers in Arms Double Time
This game is the combination of the previously released Brothers in Arms Hill to Road 30 and Earned in Blood. There seem to be no differences thus far into playing though the body and visual co-ordiantion seem to be less precise than the PC version I am used to (or maybe I need more Wii practice). The Wii zapper is definitely helpful and would recommend it. Having both Road to Hill 30 and Earned in Blood in the PC version and having played them much, I bought Double Time because I thought the zapper make the game more dynamic. I would highly recommend this game with the zapper to anyone new to the game, though I feel if you have played the game much in other formats you may be more happy moving on to their other new release.

A solid game hampered by technical problems
First of all, lets get things straight. This is a lazy port of two Playstation 2 games and, as such, graphics are much below Wii's standards. It is not that bad in terms of textures and polygons, as this was a good looking PS2, but framerate take a hit quite often. Additionally, the AI is workable at best. Your squad members and german soliders will positioning badly from time to time but it is never too bad.

That said, the gameplay is pretty solid. Unlike most first person shooters, BiA take the side of realism. No regenerating health and very unreliable aiming at distance. There is a strong emphasis in realistic small team combat tactics. You're suposed to divide your men in teams, each one with different objectives, usually suppressing fire and flanking.

The game also keeps in the side of history. Most, if not all, scenarios are based in real engagements and, despite some unavoidable repetitiveness, they work well providing challenge. Extras include real documents from the battle reports and a extensive catalogue of photographs, not only from the historical archive but also from a recent visit to the actual area during pre-production research for the game.

Voice over is much above average in videogames and do work in creating an emotional link to characters. The soundtrack is actually good, although it is blend to the background most of time. Sound effects are well done but I thought they could be better mixed into the game.

Controls are serviceable but not quite as good as Metroid Prime and other comparable first person shooters for the Wii. Grenade throwing is particullary bad and, as there are few customization options, I'll have to live with the presets.

Despite the limitations, Brothers in Arms: Double Time is a worthy game, especially considering its budget price. It does offer a different perspective from most shooters that might interest those looking for a more accurate depiction of World War II or for simulation of real squad tactics.