Company of Heroes

To The Victor Go The Spoils

Graphically, Company of Heroes manages to capture the action in a visual tour de force, due to an entirely new engine. The level of detail shown during the game is simply astounding. Rubble strewn cities show significant damage from combat, and can be further destroyed as the fighting rages. Using the detailed Havoc physics engine the game world is entirely dynamic. Heavy weapons, such as tanks, do appropriate levels of destruction in the game environment, opening fresh holes in buildings, tearing down walls and the roof around your enemy's ears. Infantry units benefit enormously from these dynamic interactions as new sources of cover are continually created over the course of battle.

The audio is also spot on as are the controls: the standard RTS scheme is firmly entrenched here--though genre vets will have to learn some new hot keys--but it has a sense of polish and refinement that no doubt owes a debt to the many other titles that have come and gone before it. We were left wishing for a speed slider as the action can get a little intense and novice gamers might want to slow things down; however, the default game speed is usually manageable and didn't detract from the experience in a major way.

Put simply, Company of Heroes is a masterpiece. Its dedication to realistic battle concepts and tactical warfare is enough to make it a high watermark for the RTS genre but its excellent graphics and physics, along with an intensely enjoyable single-player campaign and multiplayer options, help make this an instant classic.

Comments [0]

post a comment

Post a Comment