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A real-time strategy game set in World War II, Company
of Heroes brings to life, in full cinematic detail, the
greatest war mankind has ever known. The game is built on
Relic's next-generation Essence Engine and also uses the Havok
Physics engine, delivering cinematic visual detail in a world
completely driven by realistic physics. Take control of the
fate of the brave men of Able Company in a deep single-player
campaign that begins with the invasion of Normandy through
their fight across Europe, all set against dynamic battlefields.
Company of Heroes' completely destructible environment
means no two battles ever play out in the same way. Advanced
squad AI delivers startling new realism and responsiveness,
bringing soldiers to life as they interact with the environment
and execute advanced squad tactics to eliminate the opposition
forces...
Company
of Heroes is the latest WWII Real Time Strategy (RTS)
game. But before you write this off as yet another variation
on a popular theme, it's worth digging a little deeper. Firstly
the game is based on the successful platform that brought
us Warhammer
40,000: Dawn of War. But, before you start
thinking that all they've done is change the graphics and
updated it a bit, let me assure you that this is a very different
game. Don't believe me? Well THQ have kindly offered you the
chance to check this out for yourself - as every copy of Company
of Heroes comes with a free copy of Warhammer 40,000:
Dawn of War.
One
of the major plus points for me was the AI of your troops.
How many times have you played a war RTS game only to come
under fire while your men stand there like lemons waiting
for your order? In Company of Heroes the second there
is a threat all your men dive for cover and, unless they are
seriously pinned down, will return fire. This makes the game
all that more believable and fun. I've lost count of the number
of games I've played where your men will stand out in the
open while the enemy open fire on them - picking them off
one by one while they wait for you to tell them to move their
backsides.
Your
tanks will also target the nearest enemy and open fire without
waiting for you to tell them too. But don't think that this
means that the way to win is to collect a huge army of men
and machines and then plow towards your target leaving the
computer's AI to do the actual job of fighting for you.
Everything
you see on the battlefield can be destroyed - and realistically
too. Buildings crumble and get bullet holes peppered into
them; and telephone cables spark as they are cut down.
From the opening shots of the D-Day invasion of Normandy you
find yourself immersed in a rich single player campaign. In
fact, for the first time, I actually felt that the game developers
had managed to capture something of what it must have been
like to actually try to storm the beach on Normandy. As you
arrive on the beach, and watch soldiers getting picked off
all around you, there's something almost like an out of body
experience going on.
For
those of you who have become a little jaded with all the World
War II games on the market, I suggest you take a look at Company
of Heroes. An almost faultless example of how to do something
new with an old format.
Nick
Smithson
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£24.99
(Amazon.co.uk)
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£24.98
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£26.97
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All prices correct at time of going to press.
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