After anxiously awaiting this game since I heard about it a year ago I wasn't disapointed. The first thing that will get you about the game is the incredible graphics. While not quite up to the description of playing a first person shooter from a rts perspective, they have definitely raised the bar on what gamers are going to expect. The only drawback is it requires a hefty rig to get the best performance from this game. Equally impressive is the sound. Sure all the gunfire and artillery booms nicely out of my speakers, but what really stands out is the battlefield chatter. Grunts will call out for grenades or satchel charges for structures, complain about having to reinforce fighting positions and warn you of incoming enemy attacks. Heck, I've played a lot of shooters with less talkative AI. Game play is dead on for what most RTS lovers want. The constant tug of war for supply points makes for some intense battles. One minute you're fortifying your forward base, only seconds later to have an enemy take a position to your rear cutting your supply line and making your now fortified position nothing more then your own Alamo. Unfortunately, as great as the gameplay is there are a few areas that could use a little more polish. Its nice to be able to point a squad to a wall or rubble to take cover, but it kind of defeats the purpose when they line up on the side of the incoming enemy fire. It's also way to easy for your troops to get distracted. Too often I'd sit a tank between two structures for concealment, only to come back to it moments later to find it took off across an open field chasing some soldiers that passed by. This game is in sore need of some basic commands, like defend area or do not attack. For a game that tries to be so cutting edge it needs to pay attention to what other rts games have already proven is the best solution. Despite these complaints, this is still a great game. Building massive amounts of cheap units and zerging the enemy will only get you a lot of dead units here, and a good defense if as important as the offense. The physics engine can make for some interesting gameplay if you're not careful. You think mining a bridge and barricading the near side with an MG nest sounds like a good defense. Then just wait till the first jeep tries to cross and hits a mine, careens to the side and slides into the nest in a huge explosion taking out the fortifications as well as your engineers to the rear. It's these type of non-scripted events that make this game truly shine. The one thing I'd point out is this is not what I'd call a true tactics game. If you're looking for that experience I'd go back to Hearts of Iron 2 or someother such game. While I haven't played enough multi-player to accurately rate it yet, the game gives you a lot of diversity in playing style despite only having two sides. For instance infantry units must return to HQ to reinforce their units, whereas airborne companys can resupply squads by dropping troops in directly on the battlefield. Each side allows you to pick one technology tree, or company type to command. Once you pick it you are locked into the line for the duration of the battle, so that it is imperative that your partner choose a different technology tree to support each other. My final word, even if you're burnt out on the whole WWII genre, you're going to want to give this game a try. If you're an RTS fanatic, just go buy the game right now.
Company of Hero’s is the breakthrough RTS game we have all been waiting for. If the extremely high reviews (PC Gamer 96%, IGN 9.4 Gamespot 90 and so on) do not impress you than take my word for it. This is the best game ... Read Full Review
The best RTS game I have played so far! It's addicting, fun, and it's just an amazing twist to this type of genre. Gameplay: fun and fast with lots of thinking involved (well it's RTS however). Th e missions are diffe... Read Full Review
