BIOS: Technology Means Business

Would you like to command the company that changed the face of history? Company of Heroes is a stunning WWII Real Time Strategy (RTS) game that brings to life the journey of the brave men of Able Company as they fight across Europe in the greatest war mankind has ever known. Not only is the game’s story true to life, but the graphics and sound are truly outstanding, and the level of gaming detail is top-notch. Company of Heroes should be your next gaming purchase - for sure!

From the studio that brought us market-defining titles like Homeworld, Impossible Creatures and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War comes the next revolution in action strategy. From the opening shots of the D-Day invasion of Normandy you will find yourself immersed in a rich single-player campaign, allowing you to experience the cinematic intensity of the heroes that defined a generation.

Company of Heroes (Best Current Price: £24.99) is built on Relic Entertainment’s next-generation Essence Engine and also utilises the Havok Physics engine, delivering cinematic visual detail in a world completely driven by realistic physics. Company of Heroes’ completely destructible environment means no two battles ever play out in the same way, and also adds an immensely satisfying level of eye candy - walls will crumble, hedgerows can be uprooted, and that gate keeping out your infantry won’t be a factor once a tank has rolled through it.

Inexperienced RTS gamers will find Company of Heroes a handful. Unlike most other titles in this genre, Company of Heroes thankfully doesn’t require getting more wood than the other guy, but it is micromanagement intensive in the sense that you have to use your troops according to sound tactics, pinpoint timing, and careful balance against whatever forces the enemy army is using. You take control of units in squads, rather than individual soldiers, but thankfully the AI does a sterling job of handling the finer details of cover and firing.

For instance, nearby mortars will even automatically target revealed enemies, and tanks will rotate their turrets to fire at the best target - no matter which way they were facing. Having said that, you still have to manage tactics, because this isn’t one of those games where your guys stand around waiting for your orders while someone shoots at them. And refreshingly it isn’t one of those games where you win by simply building a lot of units, drag selecting them, and sending them in one general direction - micromanagement is always integral to the action rather than being annoying busywork.

The resource model in Company of Heroes focuses on capturing territories, each of which increases your income in one of three resources: manpower (used to buy units), munitions (upgrade individual units and buy special attacks, such as artillery and air strikes), and fuel (crucial resource for building vehicles and for researching more advanced units). You can only capture territory with infantry, which means your vehicles are great for support, but useless without soldiers alongside to help them capture conquered territories.

Advanced squad AI - such as the way soldiers to interact with their changing environment, take cover, and execute advanced squad tactics - delivers impressive new realism and responsiveness, bringing soldiers to life as they interact with the environment and execute advanced squad tactics to eliminate the opposition forces, and the way you can use buildings and terrain to your advantage, or deny them to the enemy, adds a whole new level to gaming experience.

Fighting earns you command points, which you can spend in one of three doctrines. Each has special powers that tweak the game rules, add new units, and give you powerful abilities. For instance, the Allies can choose among Infantry, Airborne, or Armor doctrines, each with six unique powers that you can purchase once you’ve earned enough command points. Airborne, for example, gives the Allies paratroopers, allowing you to call in reinforcements from an air drop, while Infantry, gives Allies the Ranger units, which are effective against armour. It also lets infantry construct defences, which are normally the domain of weak engineer units who have to be carefully guarded.

Company of Heroes has again demonstrated Relic Entertainment’s solid reputation for excellence and innovation in the RTS genre. Relic’s gripping story-telling and action-oriented approach to the genre have never been more pervasive than across the battlefields of World War II Europe. The company has taken tired old World War II tropes and breathed thrilling new life into them with what is arguably one of the finest RTSs to date. And for longevity, two to eight players can compete via Lan or Internet, or you can online with friends and join in the ultimate battle of Axis versus Allies.

[9.5] - Editors’ Choice

[Best Game Pricing UK]
[Best Game Pricing US]