Company of Heroes is a real time strategy (RTS) computer game from Relic Entertainment, the makers of Homeworld and Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War games. In short, these guys know strategy games like the back of their hand. With this latest offering, players take a break from leading their people home or conquering with Imperial Forces to attacking Hitler's Fortress Europe. And my oh my does the player get to do it in style!
In short, Company of Heroes (from now on referred to as COH) is an amazing game. The detail, sound, game play, and action are outstanding, with very little to find to complain about!
The graphics arethe greatest in any RTS, ever. From both the traditional overhead view and down and close on the field of battle, these units look straight out of Band of Brothers or Call of Duty. That's how detailed and realistic the graphics are. Explosions cause buildings to fall apart and craters to form in the ground. The entire environment is destructible.
The mechanics behind the game are a more refined set of rules from the Warhammer series Relic was/is developing. The actual mechanics of this process are very smooth and fit together well. The economic aspects of the game are relatively streamlined. Rather than forcing the player to send out gatherer units, resources of three types (manpower, munitions, and fuel) are tied to pieces of territory in a given map. By capturing a sector, you automatically gain a steady income of that resource. An extra level of strategy is added because you must have your sectors connected in order to gain those resources. Be wary of enemy forces trying to cut your supply lines in half at strategic points!
Base building is kept to a bare minimum, with only a few buildings for each side-just enough to build units and create a few upgrades to help you late game. The units themselves are amazing. Infantry AI is incredibly smart. Your troops will take cover, dodge artillery and mortar rounds, and have no pathfinding issues. Tanks do have some issues, especially when trying to move groups of vehicles, as they tend to bunch up and get stuck together. This is only a minor problem, and for me makes the game more of a challenge. It makes you feel respect tanks more when you only have one or two with your infantry. All units have special upgrades that can make them more effective in a given situation. These upgrades must be purchased while the unit is inside territory you control, however. The destructible environment, as stated before, is amazing to see in action and really forces you to adapt as walls come down, hedgerows are cleared, and enemy forces start pouring in on your flank.
Each single player mission has its own unique objectives, which is a refreshing change of pace. For example, the first mission has you storming Omaha Beach. Towards the middle of the game you must knock out a V-2 launching platform, and by the end of the game you will be holding a hill from a fierce German counterattack, then planning your own counterattack. Many times in the campaign I was left breathless with so much action happening subsequently.
Multiplayer matches are even more intense than the single player missions. The Germans are fully playable and have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. There are two modes of play in multiplayer: Annihilation and Victory Point Control. Annihilation is self-explanatory. Victory points work much like flag captures in the Battlefield series. There are 3 points on the map. By capturing points and holding them, you lower the enemy's point total. The more points you control, the faster the other side's is depleted. This is a really good game format, as the battle naturally concentrates around these points and becomes extremely intense. For the full experience, I suggest playing a team game with 3 people per team. That way you will (hopefully) see all of the command trees employed in one match. And let me tell you, it is one heck of a sight to behold!
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