I was going to review Knights of the Old Republic 2 for this week, but frankly its so damn deep that I am not anywhere near the best parts yet. So how about a preview?

Another WW2 shooter…dead horse and beating implement not included.

The ‘Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood’ demo was released today and I gotta say it looks like Ubisoft is getting things right once again. If you didn’t bother with the first BIA installment- shame on you mister - well, you’ll just have to take my word that the second one looks ever better.

First off - as far as demos go I would like to say that this one gives you the perfect amount of content to A) keep you replaying it, until…. B) you want to buy the full game when it comes out. You get a sampling of the early chapters as well as a taste of the new “Skirmish Mode” that lets you play through custom tactical scenarios of your choosing.

For the game itself - there have been some welcome additions like co-operative play in campaign mode (as well as the aforementioned skirmish mode), all of which greatly increase replayability. Enemy AI in the demo version appears even crisper than the previous release….with enemies engaging in better timed counter-attacks and flanking maneuvers that would make you proud (were they not trying to kill you).

Better AI means that , even on the run, the Jerries will give you a run for your money. Here a squad that was flushed from a house regroups to pour fire at their pursuers as they exit the house…

The fighting this time around has a different flavor, with central emphasis on the close quarters street fighting that took place in France as the Allies moved village to village. The more urban setting gives a nice change of pace that increases the need for proper use of suppression & flanking tactics to avoid slaughter of your teams. The “battle overview” option returns - allowing you to pauses the fighting to get a general’s eye view of the battle (in this mode the camera can be rotated, zoomed and change focus onto both friendly & enemy units) to evaluate your options carefully.

Bad Idea : Dear Diary, today our rifleman ‘Red’ tried to take cover behind a glass window. I will miss Red. Too bad the Germans didn’t.

The story again touches on real life accounts of the Airborne immediately following D-Day, this time recounting the story of a soldier who criss-crosses paths with the individuals from the first episode. The story is of the same quality - benefiting from solid voice acting, writing and music. Graphics look virtually unchanged, not a bad thing and not surprising given the fact these two installments are slated for release within less than 12 months of each other.

Pausing the action to plan your attack on a fortified post = less casualties. Use it!

I am very excited about this latest installment of a game that’s giving Call of Duty 2 (forthcoming) a run for its money. Download the demo and give it a shot today…you can even play it online with your friends!

——-

PS - For some mindless fun, try the Serious Sam 2 demo. Its short, but it’s a blast. No thinking, just “twitching”!