Brothers In Arms 2: Global Front

First person shooters sure are a popular genre, so it’s no surprise that they’re available on nearly every conceivable gaming platform. This is in spite of their often complicated control requirements, whether a combination of a mouse and keyboard or using every available button on a console controller. So what happens when one of the more popular FPS franchises around lands on a device with no buttons at all?

Well, much the same thing as happens to every other shooter on that device, as you can see with Nova. Brothers in Arms 2 for the iPad is playable, but not exactly ideal. The more telling comparison, however, is how it stacks up against its fellow first person shooters on the platform — and here BIA 2 comes up a bit short.

Let’s start with the controls. While everything is nearly identical to games like Nova, the game felt less smooth to play. I’ve been trying to put my finger on why this might be exactly, but I can only really convey my general impressions. Running through trenches or around buildings, lining up behind cover, and popping out to take down enemies felt cumbersome, failing to capture that essential fluidity found on other platforms. Nova worked better in this regard, perhaps because its arcade-like style put less of an emphasis on accuracy and complex movement.

Of course, what Brothers in Arms 2 has going for it is its World War II setting. I can’t believe I just typed that, but it’s still a very popular sub genre, and this game tries to include all the expected features and scenarios. Storming trenches, shooting a lot of Japanese and German soldiers, trudging through jungles, manning machine guns, riding on/in vehicles, blowing stuff up with bazookas: it’s all here. But it’s all very by-the-numbers and if you’re already slightly sick of the trappings of this genre, you may want to hold out for something a bit more original. For those who still get a kick from beach landings, however, you’ll be well satisfied by the single player content on offer. Just don’t expect it to be overly polished — I would have preferred fewer cutscenes and in-game animations if it meant I didn’t have to watch NPCs jerk around the place like low-res teleporting puppets.

Multiplayer is also available, as you’d expect from a shooter. Unfortunately, the controls rear their not-quite-ideal head here even more — it’s hard to have a satisfying match when you’re finding it hard to move around, let alone shoot anyone. Seriously, if you’re a shooter fan, get your fix on a home console or PC.

The graphics are largely scaled up from the smaller iPhone version, and you can certainly tell in places. I’d love to see what a first person shooter can look like when built from the ground up for the iPad, but I suppose we’ll have to wait a bit longer for that. At least the action moves fast, with nary a frame drop in sight.

At $6.49, Brothers in Arms 2 is actually reasonably priced. In fact, I’m surprised it’s not any more expensive than the iPhone version, which is pretty common for anything with an ‘HD’ tag next to it. There’s a lot to sink your teeth into here, and the bigger screen does mean it’s easier to control than its smaller brother. However, just keep in mind that it’s fairly rough in places, and plays things very much by the book. If you’re really craving a shooter, stick to your console or computer. But if you need one that’s semi-portable, and you don’t like the space setting of something like Nova, then Brothers in Arms 2 is an okay way to go.