A true masterpiece in the RTS genre.
Company of Heroes 2 is hands down the best RTS I have ever played. I’ll normally wait till the end of a review to recommend a game, but this game is so good that you should close out your internet browser and go try it now. Then after you try it, please come back and read my review.
This Real Time Strategy game is set in the World War II era. It plays a lot like Command and Conquer games. Age of Empires and Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds are also fine comparisons to this game, but the Company of Heroes franchise is a more polished and fast paced experience.
Amazing graphics and an incredible cover system sets Company of Heroes 2 apart.
Let’s cover the graphics first. Company of Heroes 2 has some of the best RTS graphics out there. The ability to zoom in and see individual bullets zoom about is pretty cool. But even when you are zoomed out to a regular view, the game is still really pretty. There are a handful of graphical settings that will come in handy for fine tuning your experience, because not all computers are created equal.
Just like the first Company of Heroes, this game features a unique cover system, which allows players to direct troops to hide behind trees, benches, houses, cars and just about anything you can see. Cover positions come in 2 colors (green and yellow). Green cover is better for defense but worse for offensive damage. Yellow cover is slightly worse for defense and slightly better for offense. You can of course instruct your armies to fight without cover too.
Fight as the Allied or Axis powers.
Company of Heroes 2 allows you to command a base of Americans, Russians, British or 2 variations of German. If you only own the base game, you can only play as Russian, which kind of sucks. So be sure to buy the expansion packs as a bundle. Or if you don’t want to jump right into a big purchase, you can buy the original Company of Heroes on Steam for about $10. The original Company of Heroes allows you to play as the Americans right out the gate.
All of the teams are fun to play, and they all have unique units. The game also features “commanders” which function as ability or tech tree. Players can choose to focus on tanks, troops or artillery upgrades. The Russians have to build a base from scratch, but the other teams get pre-built bases to work with. Different buildings can produce different units. Players can also build defensive positions, tank traps and things like sand bags to better fortify positions.
A balanced experience all around.
Company of Heroes 2 feels more realistic than other RTS games. Troops basically have zero hope of taking down a tank, unless you supply them with bazookas or explosives. Tanks can also run over fences and sand bags. Troops can hide inside of buildings and pick up abandoned weapons. Some troops can even hop in and out of vehicles.
The game is extremely well made. The only complaint that I have is the difficulty options. Increasing the difficulty really just means giving the enemies cheat codes. Other than that though, the game is well balanced. It’s very fun to play, especially with friends. I recommend this game for any RTS fans, especially anyone who enjoyed the first Company of Heroes.
Release Date: June 25th, 2013
Platforms: PC and OS X
Price: $19.99 on Steam (plus expansion packs)
Rated: M
Genre: RTS (Real Time Strategy)
Time Period: WWII (World War 2)
HFR Rating:
