Is this the best in the series?
For me my first problem (that i was able to overcome quite easily) was installing, probibly the weirdest instalation i have seen in a game. For a good bit i felt that it was pointless to buy a hard copy of the game. To use steam was a fairly stupid idea.
1st possible problem was if you didn't have the internet, for me that wasnt a issue, however even if you did, having a poor internet connection would mean a good long wait to get into the game.
2nd is that i wasnt given the option (when i first put it in the comp) to install from the disk. I had to turn off steam in order to get that function (and yet i still needed to use steam for this function...) so to install the game using a internet base source could be problems to fans if they had no internet.
So putting that aside, i had a issue in getting the game started. Now i got this issue in the demo, so i blamed the demo being at fault, But when i got the full game, i got the same fault.
That fault is something i cant name, suppose loading issues i guess. But the information screen that first comes up, remains on screen for a fair bit of time. Even a poor computer would have no graphical issue with that page.
Second fault (all this before the game has technically started) is poor sound during the videos, it goes all jutty and pauses and it ruins the videos (and its the same with all videos) I dunno what is at fault here, the game or the comp, but its still annoying.
Now my score isn't based off these faults, as this is unfair if its my comp that is at fault. But i shall name all the issues, in hope to get my message across.
Gameplay, new era, new technologies. But is this new tech really something that is fun? Now that most of you units have "guns" combat seems really slow. we all know that guns in those days were nothing like todays, and it was pretty revolutionary back then, but its that poor quality of weaponary, that makes poor quality gameplay. Firing guns takes a long process, fire, place the gun powder, bash that powder in, then you can fire again. With this slow process taken place with all your units, a fight can last a while. Indeed, there is melee, i havent forgoten that, but unless you tell your troops to do this process, they will not do it on thier own, (unless possible they run out of ammo, to which they might they might go melee, tho i have never been in that situation, as i have gotten so bored at shooting i throw them into melee). This isn't helped by the game's AI, to which hasnt seemed to be improved tho i have never had much problems with the previous games AI. The AI will not change to melee if the unit is a gun carrier, this will help slow the process of fighting down as it relise on you to go melee, if you don't that process of firing will continue until you/the AI have picked off all the troops. Which gives you a slight disadvantage, as you will probibly be the one to swap to melee, and now your units need to cover that gap between you units and theirs, allowing your enemy that chance to get a few ready rounds into units bodies.
Adding (or keeping) cavarly in the game hasn't helped speed up the combat experience. All this plus the realistic inaccuracy, makes land combat tediusly slow.
Naval combat I have no real problems about, It has the realsitic factor of the slowness of the boats (which i feel is a good implacation), the types of shots you can do, and setting the sails etc, make naval combat the most indepth fighting in the series so far. So naval combat gets a good thumbs up from me.
My computer is pretty "old" but i can handel this game to a acceptable standard, but i could handel the other series game much better, and its that reason i prefere the grpahics in that of medieval. Now i am not saying the graphics are bad, i know they are great (best in the series) but that is a fault in itself. Most people might not be able to handle the new graphics, which will ruin the experience.
I played the old games for thier "grand campaign", i loved that aspect (very much like risk :) ), and i had a good feeling with the new added era that dominating the world would be a even better experience. But to me its scaled down... yes i said scaled down.
The map is now that of 3 main sub sections (Europe, American and India) with a further 3 mini subsection to connect to each. Now to section map is the main feature that gave the game a scaled down impression. But again the realistic detail of the world is something im impressed with. To travel between each sector takes its merry time. You will be given parts on the map that is a bridge to another sector, the few turns you use to get you navel unit to these spots, is extended by another turn to complete the bridge journey. In which time you will loose acess to your fleet, until that turn is over and you ships make it to your desired sector. I will add i am pleased that they made it one turn to get your destination directly from the point you entered, expect going through each indevidual sector, to which will make the movement more combersome and slow.
Generally in terms if cities it's very much like its predesessors, but they have altered them a bit too much in terms of using them. You cannot build what you "want" (so to speak) as you can only upgrade what is given to you, and extra plots of land can only build things that the game gives you. (e.g one plot will only offer you to build a wall, or a college etc, but you will have no choice in which building to place). This does make it easier to manage cities (which is obviusly their intention), but i prefered the "chaotic" use of cities in Rome or Medieval, sort of like organised chaos. And it made youre cities seem vast as you see that you have 20 buildings in producion ( :) ), whiddled down to about 7, which you over lap a previous building with that of a better version. I will bear this as it does make city management easier, but it will never be as good as its predocessors.
Apparently there is sound issues, however i haven't clocked onto any (bar the video problems), these issues mainly being inregularites (such as a man being able to scream over a cannon blast etc), but i shall not add/deduct that to my score as like i said... i havent came across any, havent really being listening out for them.
so summeries (marks out of 10)
Gameplay:
-Land:4-5/10
-Sea-9/10
Graphics: 7 (due to the fact they are the best in the series, but I would only give them really a 5, as for a game like this, its a bit too demanding to want realistic and great grpahics, there is simply too much objects to graphic)
Grand Campaign:
-city control: 5 (aka management)
-improving cities: 3 (simply to simple)
-map movement: 6 (getting across the map etc)
-map (itself): 8 (considering its devided, its realism and feel make it one of the best maps in the series, tho would be better if not divided)
Road to Independance Campaign
Now i'm not going to touch on this, (reason why it isnt in the main review) as i havent "played" it, i want to be able to listen and watch the videos, so until i can do that, i'm not playing it.
But in saying that i'm going to give it a 7, mainly due to the idea, giving the game a bit more story based to the game.
This is my first indepth review, i have done other reviews, but i have gone a bit more indepth with this. I'm not going to check spelling as it is midnight lol so please bear with it. I don't truely hate the game, i play it, but i dont get the same feeling as i do with its brothers, Its different but i will still recoment it to some1 who likes stratagies and people who like the period style games.
But any day i would choose Company of Heroes, over any stratagy game, as it has everything, I will put a review on it soon.
Theres my review of Empire Total War, be as harsh or as agreeable as you see fit, but an opinion is a opinion and regardless of what you think, mine isn't as wrong or as right as yours.
P_R_E_Y
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