Company of Heroes Review
Overall Value: Priceless
Gameplay 0, 0.75, 1
Length/Cost 1
Controls 1
Stability 1
Video 0,1
Story/Development 1
Unique 0.75, 1
Evolving Gameplay 1
Audio 0,1
Next Gen 0.75
OVERALL 6.25-9.75
Length/Cost 1
Controls 1
Stability 1
Video 0,1
Story/Development 1
Unique 0.75, 1
Evolving Gameplay 1
Audio 0,1
Next Gen 0.75
OVERALL 6.25-9.75
Gameplay: 0, 0.75, 1
Don’t Like RTS/Gore/Swearing: 0/1
This is a real-time-strategy game. You will be managing to some extent economy, base building, and combat. Because of this, (in varying degrees depending on the RTS) and the underlying theme of “you can’t pause this” that comes with the RTS sticker, if you don’t like it this game will be no different. Once again, if you don’t like the genre you obviously will not like this. The game is also violent and has very strong language, so if that is a turn off then this game should be avoided as well as you will not enjoy gameplay.
Like RTS + Hate America/War Glorification: 0.75/1
This game is based around true events surrounding WWII and as such will glorify the fallen and the victorious triumphs over evil that took place during that war. If you disagree with that sentiment but love RTS games, this game is done well enough that it will allow you to overlook a lot but still sour your mouth.
Love RTS + Don’t Mind America/War Glorification: 1/1
This game is the greatest to date RTS game surrounding the events of WWII and might even be the greatest RTS game of all time. They introduced many things into the genre that hadn’t been seen before and honestly haven’t really been seen since as the genre seems to be dying out. Instead of having to manage hundreds of villagers telling them to get wood/stone etc (building an economy), you build structures that produce units and capture and hold key points on the map that give you resources to build said units. Some features such as having all your units visible on a side bar plus all of your groups you have created clearly labeled on the same side bar (as group 1, 2, etc) is absolutely priceless. You will never lose track of any of your units ever again. Also the ‘retreat’ option; oh… my… word… THANK YOU! SO often in these games you just want to have your people FLEEEEE! You can in this, and they will run (faster than normal) straight back to your base (not really firing in the process BUT taking less damage). These features are huge improvements to such a stale genre.
Another huge factor that plays into this game play is that THIS IS NOT A 20 MINUTE RUSH GAME! As far as Starcraft and AoE’s are played most games are over in 15 minutes with a rush; this game is all tactics. Someone rushes something there are huge counter measures where certain troops do terrible vs others so you cannot just rush a single unit and go; huge tactics in this game. The majority of the game play involves fighting over key points and ‘bleeding’ the enemy out of resources as you chip away at his defenses. Snipers, MG teams, rifle squads, etc make up the bulk of what you build; most of the units are in ‘squad’s or ‘groups’ vs just being alone and you have to bunch them up. Cover (in buildings and in the world) is important and has huge effects on who will win the battle. All in all an extremely well-polished RTS with well-polished RTS mechanics.
Length/Cost: 1
Everyone: 1/1
My only gripe would be that I didn’t want the campaign to end; but since the game is a RTS and allows you to play skirmishes over and over and over again (with literally hundreds of maps you can download or create your own) you could sink 100+ hours into this game without even blinking- you will sink 20+ hours into this game just on campaign alone and a single map plays from 30-60 minutes. That means you play some 50-150 games in your lifetime and you will be over the 100+ hour mark easily. This game gives you so much bang for your buck and is a MUST BUY for RTS fans, and for anyone who hasn’t played RTS this would be the FIRST game I would suggest as it is the most user friendly RTS I have seen.
Controls: 1
Everyone: 1/1
This is a RTS game, which means bird view mouse and keyboard is pretty much the only way to go. As far as RTS go though, the implementation of the side bar which allows you to keep track of every single unit and group you have made is priceless. You can easily click on the box on the bottom right and build units on the fly as well, with waypoints and groupings. Needless to say the easiest controls and most user friendly RTS I have played to date.
Stability: 1
Everyone: 1/1
Can’t say how the game played when it was first released, but I can say now (and with the New Steam Version) that you will not have a problem. I run a top end system and run game maxed out settings and the game barely takes anything and delivers a lot. If you have even a half decent system you should have no problems playing this game on default settings or even low graphic settings.
Video: 0, 1
Don’t Like Violence: 0/1
You will see violence, I won’t go into details that should be self-evident in a game based around WWII. If this is a turn off then you will not like seeing it.
Everyone Else: 1/1
Amazing graphics that you can scroll into the very bunker your soldiers are in and see them pointing guns out- so cool. Nothing looks bad, everything is in top notch condition. Graphics do their job and don’t pull you away from the game.
Story/Development: 0, 1
Don’t Like America/War Glorification: 0/1
This game is based around true events surrounding WWII and as such will glorify the fallen and the victorious triumphs over evil that took place during that war. If you disagree with that sentiment but love RTS games, this game is done well enough that it will allow you to overlook a lot but still sour your mouth.
Everyone Else: 1/1
Based off of true events, the campaign is one of the best I have ever had the chance to play in a RTS game. Amazed after playing this game that I have never heard of it before. All the events and story of the game are based around WWII and center around both American/British and German forces. Not much else to say here, kind of hard to give spoilers on real events but at the same time you want to experience this game for yourself.
Unique: 0.75, 1
You Play Every RTS Period: 0.75/1
If you play every RTS that has ever been made and that is all you play then this won’t be all fireworks and Mountain Dew, but it will not be bad either. You might find yourself getting tired with the genre, there are still a lot of things typical to the genre that have been recycled and you will recognize them when they come up- “OMG for some reason we didn’t build any defenses and we have all been standing around with our thumbs up our butts and now we only had exactly 15 minutes, maybe we shouldn’t have waited so long until we decided to tell someone about it! You have 15 minutes to …. Now GO GO GO!” The game is done well enough that these things can be overlooked, but at the same time, if you are familiar with the genre and do enjoy good storylines the makers of RTS games really need to stop making these missions…Everyone hated FRANTIC!#! missions over a decade ago and we still do.
Everyone Else: 1/1
There are very few (other than FPS games) that even attempt to bring you honest WWII games, even fewer that are based around true events (unlike super soldier 3000 in the CoD games). There is nothing like it on the market and there is nothing in the RTS genre period. This game is currently one of a kind.
Evolving Gameplay: 1
Everyone: 1/1
To date, the best attempt at evolving gameplay in a RTS to date. Much like my beloved Dragon Force where you have units with extreme strengths and weaknesses, the units in the game are set up the same way. Someone builds only one type of unit (even if that unit is King Tiger tanks) they will find themselves getting destroyed by their counter (Anti-Tank Guns in this case) and they will be forced to change/mix up their tactics; this goes on from start until finish. The game is not complicated in its attempt though, each unit grouping will in its details section (when you train them) let you know what they do well against. You have to adapt and move around, evolve as the game goes on or you will fall behind and lose; this game is the very definition of evolving gameplay.
Audio: 0, 1
Don’t Like Swearing: 0/1
They use ‘military language’ in this game, a lot. You don’t like that, or at least cope with that than you will have to play with the sound off as I am unaware of a language turn off.
Everyone Else: 1/1
Easily some of the best voice acting in an RTS period. Do some of your berserkers all of the sudden sound like they are from Jamaica; totally killing immersion? Nope, the voice acting is amazing, and they have dozens of different things they say that also change based on their condition (ie. in combat) time of day, etc… Amazing and very fun.
Next Gen: 0.75
Everyone: 0.75/1
They pushed things in this game, as stated above, this game changed the genre of RTS and how people played it. They did this however while still keeping some of the old, more worn out aspects of RTS that most want to see done away with entirely. If I were to give a ratio of how much they pushed the genre forward and how much depth they added to said genre vs how much they recycled I would put it around a 3 to 1, or 0.75/1.
Don’t Like RTS/Gore/Swearing: 0/1
This is a real-time-strategy game. You will be managing to some extent economy, base building, and combat. Because of this, (in varying degrees depending on the RTS) and the underlying theme of “you can’t pause this” that comes with the RTS sticker, if you don’t like it this game will be no different. Once again, if you don’t like the genre you obviously will not like this. The game is also violent and has very strong language, so if that is a turn off then this game should be avoided as well as you will not enjoy gameplay.
Like RTS + Hate America/War Glorification: 0.75/1
This game is based around true events surrounding WWII and as such will glorify the fallen and the victorious triumphs over evil that took place during that war. If you disagree with that sentiment but love RTS games, this game is done well enough that it will allow you to overlook a lot but still sour your mouth.
Love RTS + Don’t Mind America/War Glorification: 1/1
This game is the greatest to date RTS game surrounding the events of WWII and might even be the greatest RTS game of all time. They introduced many things into the genre that hadn’t been seen before and honestly haven’t really been seen since as the genre seems to be dying out. Instead of having to manage hundreds of villagers telling them to get wood/stone etc (building an economy), you build structures that produce units and capture and hold key points on the map that give you resources to build said units. Some features such as having all your units visible on a side bar plus all of your groups you have created clearly labeled on the same side bar (as group 1, 2, etc) is absolutely priceless. You will never lose track of any of your units ever again. Also the ‘retreat’ option; oh… my… word… THANK YOU! SO often in these games you just want to have your people FLEEEEE! You can in this, and they will run (faster than normal) straight back to your base (not really firing in the process BUT taking less damage). These features are huge improvements to such a stale genre.
Another huge factor that plays into this game play is that THIS IS NOT A 20 MINUTE RUSH GAME! As far as Starcraft and AoE’s are played most games are over in 15 minutes with a rush; this game is all tactics. Someone rushes something there are huge counter measures where certain troops do terrible vs others so you cannot just rush a single unit and go; huge tactics in this game. The majority of the game play involves fighting over key points and ‘bleeding’ the enemy out of resources as you chip away at his defenses. Snipers, MG teams, rifle squads, etc make up the bulk of what you build; most of the units are in ‘squad’s or ‘groups’ vs just being alone and you have to bunch them up. Cover (in buildings and in the world) is important and has huge effects on who will win the battle. All in all an extremely well-polished RTS with well-polished RTS mechanics.
Length/Cost: 1
Everyone: 1/1
My only gripe would be that I didn’t want the campaign to end; but since the game is a RTS and allows you to play skirmishes over and over and over again (with literally hundreds of maps you can download or create your own) you could sink 100+ hours into this game without even blinking- you will sink 20+ hours into this game just on campaign alone and a single map plays from 30-60 minutes. That means you play some 50-150 games in your lifetime and you will be over the 100+ hour mark easily. This game gives you so much bang for your buck and is a MUST BUY for RTS fans, and for anyone who hasn’t played RTS this would be the FIRST game I would suggest as it is the most user friendly RTS I have seen.
Controls: 1
Everyone: 1/1
This is a RTS game, which means bird view mouse and keyboard is pretty much the only way to go. As far as RTS go though, the implementation of the side bar which allows you to keep track of every single unit and group you have made is priceless. You can easily click on the box on the bottom right and build units on the fly as well, with waypoints and groupings. Needless to say the easiest controls and most user friendly RTS I have played to date.
Stability: 1
Everyone: 1/1
Can’t say how the game played when it was first released, but I can say now (and with the New Steam Version) that you will not have a problem. I run a top end system and run game maxed out settings and the game barely takes anything and delivers a lot. If you have even a half decent system you should have no problems playing this game on default settings or even low graphic settings.
Video: 0, 1
Don’t Like Violence: 0/1
You will see violence, I won’t go into details that should be self-evident in a game based around WWII. If this is a turn off then you will not like seeing it.
Everyone Else: 1/1
Amazing graphics that you can scroll into the very bunker your soldiers are in and see them pointing guns out- so cool. Nothing looks bad, everything is in top notch condition. Graphics do their job and don’t pull you away from the game.
Story/Development: 0, 1
Don’t Like America/War Glorification: 0/1
This game is based around true events surrounding WWII and as such will glorify the fallen and the victorious triumphs over evil that took place during that war. If you disagree with that sentiment but love RTS games, this game is done well enough that it will allow you to overlook a lot but still sour your mouth.
Everyone Else: 1/1
Based off of true events, the campaign is one of the best I have ever had the chance to play in a RTS game. Amazed after playing this game that I have never heard of it before. All the events and story of the game are based around WWII and center around both American/British and German forces. Not much else to say here, kind of hard to give spoilers on real events but at the same time you want to experience this game for yourself.
Unique: 0.75, 1
You Play Every RTS Period: 0.75/1
If you play every RTS that has ever been made and that is all you play then this won’t be all fireworks and Mountain Dew, but it will not be bad either. You might find yourself getting tired with the genre, there are still a lot of things typical to the genre that have been recycled and you will recognize them when they come up- “OMG for some reason we didn’t build any defenses and we have all been standing around with our thumbs up our butts and now we only had exactly 15 minutes, maybe we shouldn’t have waited so long until we decided to tell someone about it! You have 15 minutes to …. Now GO GO GO!” The game is done well enough that these things can be overlooked, but at the same time, if you are familiar with the genre and do enjoy good storylines the makers of RTS games really need to stop making these missions…Everyone hated FRANTIC!#! missions over a decade ago and we still do.
Everyone Else: 1/1
There are very few (other than FPS games) that even attempt to bring you honest WWII games, even fewer that are based around true events (unlike super soldier 3000 in the CoD games). There is nothing like it on the market and there is nothing in the RTS genre period. This game is currently one of a kind.
Evolving Gameplay: 1
Everyone: 1/1
To date, the best attempt at evolving gameplay in a RTS to date. Much like my beloved Dragon Force where you have units with extreme strengths and weaknesses, the units in the game are set up the same way. Someone builds only one type of unit (even if that unit is King Tiger tanks) they will find themselves getting destroyed by their counter (Anti-Tank Guns in this case) and they will be forced to change/mix up their tactics; this goes on from start until finish. The game is not complicated in its attempt though, each unit grouping will in its details section (when you train them) let you know what they do well against. You have to adapt and move around, evolve as the game goes on or you will fall behind and lose; this game is the very definition of evolving gameplay.
Audio: 0, 1
Don’t Like Swearing: 0/1
They use ‘military language’ in this game, a lot. You don’t like that, or at least cope with that than you will have to play with the sound off as I am unaware of a language turn off.
Everyone Else: 1/1
Easily some of the best voice acting in an RTS period. Do some of your berserkers all of the sudden sound like they are from Jamaica; totally killing immersion? Nope, the voice acting is amazing, and they have dozens of different things they say that also change based on their condition (ie. in combat) time of day, etc… Amazing and very fun.
Next Gen: 0.75
Everyone: 0.75/1
They pushed things in this game, as stated above, this game changed the genre of RTS and how people played it. They did this however while still keeping some of the old, more worn out aspects of RTS that most want to see done away with entirely. If I were to give a ratio of how much they pushed the genre forward and how much depth they added to said genre vs how much they recycled I would put it around a 3 to 1, or 0.75/1.