Company of Heroes, depsite having not a lot of different factions (only 2), and a ton of maps, it's just plain fun!
The Bad: Only two factions, stutters on high-end PC's (not even playable on low-end PC's)
Company of Heroes is a new game from the award-winning Relic. It is a WW2 RTS, that focuses on squad strategy (using cover, and taking advantage of your surroundings), and capturing territory.
Gameplay: Like my classification, I say the gameplay is solid, and balanced. There are 2 factions (Axis and Allies), and each has it's oen units, upgrades, buildings, etc. During the campaign portion of the game, the missions are based on one Ranger Companies battles from D-Day, to the end of the war. These missions are all different from each other, and along with cinematics, keep you playing and coming back for more. The campaign will keep you on your toes for sure. There are also single-player and multi-player skirmish game modes. The first mode is Victory Point, which challenges players to compete, and hold "Victory Points" on the map (there are 4) to reach a set amount of points and win. The second mode is your basic defeat the opposing army. This is not a fast-paced game, as resources and units come slow (units cost a lot too!). The game also doesn't ship with a lot of maps and only two factions! Even though you have a low pop limit, and units train slower and are more costly than most RTS's, it means that you have to pay close attention to every unit, and make sure there all well looked after. It also make you want to give your units to move to cover, and use strategy to win the day. Each faction also has special abilities, like airstrikes, paratroopers, and such. The A.I. is amazing. Units find their own cover, and take advantage of there surroudings. Overall, the gameplay is fun and addictive. The factions are balanced; for example, Axis units can upgrade vetrency of the fly, but cost resources, while Allied units gain vetrancy by fighting. Just don't expect a lot of maps, factions, etc.
Graphics:
Oh my, these graphics made me cry! They're amazing! The units up close look really great. The textures are in high-resolution, and effects and physics are phenomanal. The environment is completely destructible, like when a tank drives through a brick wall, it actually breaks. Or when someone throws a grenade at a house, the building actually breaks apart. The units act lifelike, like giving hand singnals, and using the envirnment to their advantage. The effects like, fire and smoke are done ver well, with realistic damage, and nice-looking battlefield destruction puts you in the heat of the moment.
Overall, I am really impressed by these revolutionary, new-age RTS graphics.
Sound:
The sound is a strong element i WW2 games. Gettin authentic weapon, etc sounds, and mixing it in with the right music is a hard thing to do nowadays. This game pulls the sound of great. With authentic weapon, artilley, etc. sounds are great. The music is just as good. Units also shout out commands, like "Tank to the southwest!" or, "Take cover! Panzerfaust!"
Overall:
This game utilizes gameplay, sound, and graphics, into one very good-looking, good sounding, and revolutionary good A.I., into one, little, very fun package, that delivers on everything it sayed would accomplish. I'm very impressed!