I'm a little busy here!

Company of Heroes is a World War II real-time strategy game developed by Relic Entertainment for Microsoft. There are two main gameplay modes to choose from as the player can either choose to follow the 'campaign mode' - following scripted and sequential battles roughly corresponding to the historical course of World War II, or 'multiplayer mode' - where skirmishes against the AI or online battles against friends and total strangers are options.

There are several aspects of the game which put it streets ahead of both other World War II based games and the RTS genre in general. The graphics are a major strong point, with extremely detailed troops and armoured units which you can zoom in and out from at leisure with the help of your mouse wheel. The terrain in CoH is also extremely detailed and utilising the cover opportunities that old stone walls and abandoned tractors can give you is essential for success. The level of detail and realism isn't just thrown in to look nice, the environment is dynamic and all the while your troops can find cover in newly created craters from artillery strikes, or behind the ruins of a recently destroyed tank. This means your tactics also change to suit the terrain. The dependence on cover in the game enhances the realism no end as you find yourself trying to outflank garrisoned buildings and artillery guns instead of assaulting them head on as you would in other RTS games. The audio soundbytes of each unit are also worthy of mention. The troops say some legendary things, and can often let you know what problems they are facing when under attack (even if you are not looking at them on the map).

The resource system is maintained, but has one benefit in that all resources are infinite. It's up to you and your army to go out and secure strategic points on the map which generate one of three main expendables: fuel, manpower and ammunition. This feature forces players to think aggressively and seek to expand their territory rather than turtling up units in their base. Another benefit of this game is the population cap you have on your army, preventing massed units of tanks that steamroll everything in their path. You are forced to build a well rounded army and look after every one of your troops. The population cap expands gradually as more resource points are ascertained, though it never reaches a massive amount, leaving room for strategy over cataclysmic assaults.

The campaign mode follows the American army as it invades Normandy and beyond. Interspliced between and during missions are short cut scenes which introduce us to protagonists of the story. These scenes are often filled with some generic war time clichés, but they never detract from the fun and are, more often than not, ultra violent. By the time you complete the campaign mode, you may feel just about ready enough to take on the online multiplayer world. Although there are only two armies at your command, each has a very unique set of units, upgrades and unit type, which takes time to master.

The only negative aspect of my playing experience came from the ridiculous Relic-online registry system, whereby I had to download approximately 2GB worth of patches before I could even start the normal game campaign. The anti-piracy software is extremely over the top and even makes me thankful that Steam (which this game is now available on) isn't as infuriating as this. Other than that, I instantly fell in love with the game, which can provide moments of extreme hilarity and heroism. Having fun with a dozen Sherman Calliopes or spawning in twenty or so V2 rocket hits ends in unrivalled carnage.

But don't cheat until you've completed it!

9/10

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Added by Grand Assault 1 year ago on 10 July 2008 02:24