Video Game Vintage Title: Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway

Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is a 2008 tactical shooter video game. It is the third entry in the Brothers in Arms series of video games, which follows the men of the 101st Airborne Division (502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment). This game once again puts players in the role of Staff Sergeant Matt Baker during Operation Market Garden in the later stages of World War II.

PLOT
Matt Baker, the protagonist from Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, has been promoted to Staff Sergeant. Baker is increasingly haunted by the events of the previous game, especially the unexplained deaths of Garnett and Allen, and Leggett's supposed involvement in those deaths. Baker's best friend, Staff Sergeant Joe Hartsock, commands the 2nd squad of Baker's unit as they prepare for Operation Market Garden, a high risk Airborne operation intended to "Win the War by Christmas." Baker's unit receives a few replacements, including fresh arrival Private Frankie LaRoche, and transferred replacement PFC Dawson, an Englishman. Dawson is intrigued by the stories of Baker's so called "cursed pistol". Corporal Sam Corrion is frustrated that he has been passed over for promotion three times, believing he can be as good a squad leader as Baker and Hartsock. As a test, LaRoche is put under his command.

Baker's unit safely arrives in the Netherlands by gliders and meets up with a member of the Dutch resistance, a shoemaker named Nicholas, who provides early recon information. Baker meets up with 1st Sgt. Mac Hassey, and after assisting some crashed gliders, links with the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne, commanded by Col. Sink (voiced by Capt. Dale Dye, who also played Sink in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers). Baker's unit fights to take the Son bridge, but it is demolished by the German Army, which sets the whole operation back. Baker's unit is then assigned to take the town of Eindhoven, during which Baker, assisted by Cpl. Paddock, take out a German sniper and artillery in the town's outskirts. Nicholas tells Baker that his son, Pieter, has gone missing with his gun, apparently intending to attack the Germans. Baker's unit clears a path for British tanks to take Eindhoven, and Baker finds Pieter after the boy had killed several Germans. During a celebration by the Dutch citizens of Eindhoven, Baker reunites Nicholas with his son, while LaRoche fraternizes with a Dutch girl and starts to fall in love.

That night, as the unit rests just outside of Eindhoven, Dawson visits Baker and mentions that he met someone who knows the secret Baker is hiding. Before more is revealed, the German Luftwaffe bombs Eindhoven. Baker's unit fights into the burning rubble and meets with Hartsock's squad. Meanwhile, LaRoche leaves to find his Dutch girlfriend, despite Corrion's attempts to stop him. They find PFC Marsh killed by a sniper, which heavily traumatizes Cpl. Campbell. Paddock then shows up with the body of Pieter, who was killed alongside his father when a building collapsed. Baker, despite being disturbed by Pieter's death, leads the unit through the ruins as several German squads attempt to secure the town. They run into LaRoche leading the Dutch girl to apparent safety through a burning building. Baker runs inside, but gets disoriented by the flames and ends up jumping through a window into a river. When he comes to, Baker is near an abandoned hospital. He spots the Dutch girl being killed in cold blood and fights his way into the hospital, armed with just his pistol. He goes inside and finds LaRoche, who has been shot. LaRoche asks Baker if the girl escaped, to which Baker tries to say yes; LaRoche, with his last words, calls Baker a liar. Hartsock finds them and leads a now visibly distraught Baker back through the crumbling hospital. Immediately after Baker enters a lecture hall, a bomb falls through the skylight but is caught by the skylight's iron frame and does not go off. Baker then sees three Germans standing above him preparing to shoot, and he raises his pistol and shoots in response. Hartsock sees the whole incident and realizes that Baker was imagining the Germans and they were not actually there.

The unit leaves Eindhoven and meets with Hassey in Oedenrode. There, Hartsock admits to Hassey that he is worried about Baker's emotional stability. The rest of the unit is losing faith in Baker, especially with Operation Market Garden failing. The unit goes to Veghel, which they defend with help from British tanks. Hartsock tries to get Baker to admit his problems when they meet in a cafe, but the cafe is suddenly hit by a mortar. Baker escapes with the left side of his face severely cut, while Campbell gets wounded in the throat. Hartsock is initially assumed dead, but Corrion revives him. Col. Sink meets with Baker and asks Baker to name a replacement for Hartsock to lead the 2nd squad of the unit. Even though Corrion is hopeful, Baker instead chooses Paddock for the promotion. Corrion finally confronts Baker, who blames Corrion for LaRoche's death.

The unit then travels down the infamous Hell's Highway, where they are ambushed by Germans. Corrion is shot in the chest during the fight and must be taken to an aid station. Dawson finds Baker again and tells him that he had met Leggett in Carentan, and that Leggett told Dawson the secret about the deaths of Allen and Garnett. Dawson tells Baker to reveal the truth or Dawson himself will. During the drive back to Veghel, Paddock is shown to be troubled, admitting that back in England, he had unknowingly predicted that "Marsh and Friar were going to bite it," which has bothered him since. This causes Baker to finally tell the rest of the unit the truth about what happened to Allen and Garnett.

In a flashback, Leggett gets into a heated argument with Allen, leading to Leggett viciously assaulting Allen. Suddenly, Garnett is shot by a German, which causes Allen to kill the German in response. Another German fatally shoots Allen, but he manages to get back to his rifle and retaliate before dying himself, all while Leggett watches it happen.

Baker's unit then clears out German artillery in one last assault to clear an exit for the Allied soldiers. It is here that they finally learn that Market Garden has been a huge failure, causing over 17,000 Allied casualties. Baker goes to find out what happened to Hartsock and runs into a recovered Corrion, who has already heard the true story about Leggett and has completely lost trust in Baker, telling him, "We are never fighting together again." Baker then goes to the unit's medic, who tells Baker that Hartsock was paralyzed in the mortar hit. Baker breaks the news to Hartsock, saying that Hartsock is now able to go home to his wife and the infant daughter he has never met. Baker promises he will meet up with Hartsock again after the war is over.

Now on the verge of emotional breakdown, Baker is approached by Leggett (though, when seen from Dawson's point of view, Baker is only imagining it), who first taunts Baker for failing to protect his fellow soldiers and then hints at what will come ahead for Baker and his unit, asking him "You've made it through Hell. How do you feel about...snow?", hinting at the upcoming Battle of the Bulge. Baker pulls himself together and, with new determination, makes a passionate speech to his unit, saying that he will continue to lead them until the end comes. He also finally has enough of the rumors of his "cursed pistol" and throws it into the nearby woods, saying that it is just a gun.

While the rest of the unit rally to Baker, Corrion walks away as Baker watches as the event coming up of the conflict inside the enemy territory. Whenever, he will rejoin the group or not.