German Elite
There are literally dozens if not hundreds of WWII games out there. So when I say that there is another on the Second World War real-time strategy game, you can be turned off instantly. But Company of Heroes is certainly not typical WWII RTS. Taking place in Normandy shortly after D-Day, Company of Heroes puts you in control of Able Company in the fight against Germany. Coupled with an expansion, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, you can also take control of the British 2nd Army or German Panzer Elite. The Gold Edition grabs you two for one price. The game combines constant action, beautiful graphics, and incredible historical accuracy that makes it one of the best in its category.
If you liked the movie Saving Private Ryan, and thought Call of Duty was a great companion shooter in first person, so imagine the idea was transformed into the strategy genre in real time. Enter Company of Heroes: Gold. You take charge of a company of troops, tanks, and locations in order to defeat your enemy. Gathering resources (Manpower, ammunition and fuel) is to capture strategic points around the battlefield. Each faction is very unique and offers three different options for the company commander to increase diversity. Each company commander allows you to "search for" improvements to your troops and specialized units and artillery and air support. From a seat, which produce building units, You can create several different structures (or, in the case of Colombia, Trucks various Command), which open up new technologies and production units. Each unit is displayed extremely realistic, with Army weapons and weapon upgrades specific. Infantry squads are controlled as one unit, and are very intelligent AI-wise. They use cover to avoid fire, and no lid is removed and pinned by heavy fire. Engineers allow construction of field fortifications, such as sandbags, barbed wire, trenches and machine guns. The Tanks are armored behemoths, infantry, which dominates with massive firepower, but with armor depicted realistically, are vulnerable to attack back. Soon you will be unconsciously accompanying enemy machine gun positions with anti-tank infantry and armor to get a better shot.
With a robust computer game, the visuals are beautiful. Bullets kick up dirt, shells can bounce off towers enemy with their frontal armor, and artillery looks terribly devastating. By zooming on the unit, you can easily make small arms and marks on vehicles. In addition, the card is fully destructible. If you order artillery on enemy infantry hiding in houses, each shell that hit will knock off the part of the building it hit, possibly upgrade the structure. Tanks to light city streets occasionally bring down the corners of buildings nearby, and the walls are no obstacle. With each explosion leaves a distinct mark on the landscape, it seems really that the war was fought.
Company of Heroes: Gold Edition offers three separate campaigns, each with a very respectable length. You can lead Able Company, The U.S. Army from D-Day until the close of the Falaise pocket. The choice of the British 2nd Army gives you the command British forces very different in the drive on Caen. Finally, the Panzer Elite campaign places you in command of German forces trying to stop the operation Market Garden airborne invasion. When you're done with the campaigns (which will have many hours to complete), there are dozens of action flash cards to choose from. If you choose to play online, there is an active community. Another faction, the regular German army, is available in instant action and multiplayer games, with its own units and the drive shafts of the company. My only personal grief has problems Connection multiplayer, which are not isolated, but not common either.
Company of Heroes is probably the best WWII Real-Time Strategy Game available. Between building your base, capturing points, and make decisions in combat (tactical decisions are very important, unlike most RTS) players, even vet will have his hands full. With such gorgeous graphics and realistic gameplay, it can be hard to stop play. Such diversity, with four armies and three company commanders each with numerous maps and various missions, to Company of Heroes: Gold Edition a excellent addition to the genre, and proves that all WWII games are not created equal.
Scott is a student and avid strategy gamer. Please support him by visiting his blog http://greatstrategygames.blogspot.com/ for more reviews, info, and screenshots.
