We were worried we may never see Company of Heroes 2 after the THQ fire-sale, but fortunately it was picked up by…SEGA – did you just raise your eyebrow? I did too when I found out, but whatever, it’s great news because this latest edition of CoH was definitely worth saving from the ashes. This time round the game features the Soviet Red Army on the Eastern Front.
The first thing to note is that this game is massive. Company of Heroes 2 is incredibly detailed and captures the brutality and harshness of the environments WWII soldiers had to trudge through really well, particularly with the newly added blistering winter storm conditions that adds a further level of realism and tactics to your warfare strategy. Not only do you have to meet your objectives and avoid being shot and blown to bits, but in CoH2 you also have to make campfires and shelter to stop your troops from slowing to a halt and freezing to do death – ironically – in the heat of battle. Another great feature that series fans will already know of is that developer’s Relic Entertainment have mastered the creation of hauntingly realistic soundscapes including colourful language, battlecries, booming artillery fire and explosions that will reverberate in your ears long after you’ve switched off your PC and crawled into bed.
As far as realtime-strategy (RTS) games go, Company of Heroes 2 feels significantly more intense thanks to it’s fine pacing and environmental physics. There has also been some significant improvements being made to the multiplayer/social aspects of the game including Twitch.TV integration, improved matchmaking, and (arguably best of all) Theatre of War mode which provides battle scenarios that players can either take on solo or in co-op mode.
We won’t talk too much about the single player campaign mode because like it’s presence in the game, we’d be wasting yours and our time. The story telling is clunky – and at times preachy – with the cutscenes that look as though they’ve only just passed the first round of rendering – ok maybe that’s harsh, but it’s disappointing for a game that’s otherwise visually superb. But with all that said, if you’re new to the Company of Heroes franchise or haven’t played in a while, campaign mode will serve as a good tutorial for getting to grips with this brutal beast of a game.
VERDICT
Company of Heroes 2 is a perfect case of – if it ain’t broke; don’t fix it – because that seems to be exactly what Relic have gone for here. The game’s beloved engine remains relatively unchanged, aside from some welcome new additions, particularly in the form of the winter environmental elements which, for example, allow you to blown up frozen lakes, creating a tactical barrier or dooming your enemy’s troops to drown in it’s icy depths – it’s awesome.
Newcommers to the franchise, please don’t be put off – even if you’ve never played a RTS game before – because Company of Heroes 2 has done away with some of the more tedious elements common in strategy games, such as extensive resource management, and encourages players to think quick and get stuck in. Even the addition of Autosave during missions will relieve the frustration of newbies who will only face slight set backs if they screw up a mission rather than having to go right back to the beginning.
The original Company of Heroes was celebrated as a revolution in the RTS genre, and whilst this sequel does little to move the benchmark set by it’s kick-ass predecessor, but what it does do is build on it’s winning formula by upping the pace and intensity, and quite simply – once you get over the campaign mode, or avoid it all together – Company of Heroes 2 will provide newcomers and fans alike a crackingly rich and devastatingly explosive gaming experience.
RATING:4 out 5DDs
[youtube id=”BprB15p8Amc” width=”620″ height=”360″]
Company of Heroes is out on PC now. Go and get it!
