Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heros - Stunning first-person shooter for iPhone and iPod touch

Gameloft’s first-person shooter, Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes could be the game that establishes the iPhone and iPod touch as a true gaming platform. Critics may disagree, but it’s not fair to compare this to similar games on consoles, or even mobile game platforms like the DS or PSP. Yes, sacrifices have to be made to get a an FPS to work well on the iPhone. And yes, the iPhone platform won’t be a threat to the DS or PSP anytime soon. Still, this game is visually stunning and sets a new bar for 3D iPhone game apps by showcasing the potential of the iPhone and iPod touch as gaming platforms.

Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heros may be more aptly named “Hours of Heros” because this game will deliver hours and hours of thrilling gameplay. The game features 13 missions across 3 campaigns all set in the infamous European theater of war during the big one, WWII. You play the game as a soldier of the 101st Airborne. History buffs will know that this division saw the first combat at the invasion of Normany. These were the guys who parachuted in the dark behind the enemy lines to take out positions west of Utah Beach before the infantry landed on the beach. This setting sets up the intense, white-knuckle gameplay as you and your brothers in arms fight your way through Normandy, then on to Ardennes and Tunisia.

The 3D graphics in Hours of Heros are better than any we’ve seen so far on an iPhone app. The game’s superior sound effects and sweeping musical score lends even more depth to the story line making it seem more like a Hollywood movie than a video game. Be sure to watch the video below of actual gameplay on the iPhone to get a sense of what this game is like to play.

Not surprisingly, the controls take a little getting used to because the developers had to figure out a way to use touch controls in place of buttons. However, it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it, and once you do, you’ll be bearing down on the enemy on foot, or by commanding vehicles like Sherman tanks or 4×4’s. Other weapons at your disposal include pistols, sniper rifles, machine guns, grenades, and bazookas. If you like to make things go boom, stick to the tanks and bazookas and go all agro in the game’s destructible environments.

Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes gets a well-deserved, four-out-of-five star rating in the App Store by players. The only major flaw the game has is not something it does wrong, but rather what it’s missing. A multiplayer mode would have shot this game to the top with unlimited re-playability.

Note that some users are reporting a black screen when trying to play this game. In most cases, simply restarting your iPhone or iPod touch before playing this game for the first time will fix that problem.

Despite this game’s quirky controls and occasional camera issues, it’s a real must-have for any fan of the first-person shooter genre. It’s an especially great gaming experience if you’re already a fan of the Brothers in Arms games on other platforms. For $9.99, you can take one of the best WWII shooters with you on your iPhone or iPod touch.

• Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes - $9.99 [app store]

 

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