Once again it’s time to take yourself back to an era when smoking was good for you and battles where won by the size of a generals moustache. The first Company Of Heroes remains one of the best entries in the RTS genre. It added realism the likes of which we had never really seen in an RTS. A light machine gun crew could now hold down an area against huge waves of infantry, but couldn’t even touch a tank. The cover system brought both a much better looking game (over most RTS’s) as well as added layers of strategy.
Getting stuck straight into CoH2 shows that the initial philosophy’s and ideas that made CoH so great are still alive and kicking. There are quite a few changes playing as the Soviets but the fundamentals remain the same. Machine gun crews can hold an area down. Mortars can harass infantry from afar. Conscript infantry are cheap but very useful given some decent cover. One the main differences we where promised is that tanks are now a formidable element on the battlefield.
I have to admit my CoH capabilities aren’t exactly tournament level but I am no stranger to strategic RTS’s like CoH and Total War. Playing as the Soviets on a quick AI skirmish very quickly reveals a certain superiority possessed by the German’s armoured divisions. As a Panzer V rolls towards me my hordes of infantry, conscript or otherwise, suddenly seem very inferior. Quickly I run them back to cover just enough so that they hold the tank off (USSR style) while my AT cannons can get a good few shots in. I was glad to see that Relic have stuck to their guns rendering infantry largely useless against an armoured target.
Unfortunately the AI has a tendency to charge at your AT guns rendering them useless which can very quickly get a little tedious. Placing them a good range behind your now human shields is a must. As the AT guns open up those glorious sound effects soon engulf the battlefield in a cacophony of pounding booms. The audio is still as impressive as they where on the first game making every encounter seem all the more exciting. The effects become distant and echoed from across the map lending a good sense of realism to the field.
During all this I soon began to notice that, as promised, tanks are now a real threat. The AT grenades my infantry through are almost useless against a Panzer IV or V. No more running around as only airborne infantry, ruling the battlefield! Unfortunately my AT guns are pretty useless too. This surprised me a little as they were my obvious early-game go to unit to defend against armour. Never mind I’ll try some anti tank vehicles or some T-34’s and we’ll see if the tank on tank action is up to much.
After losing my AT guns to a tank I quickly built some smaller anti tank vehicles. They weren’t fully fledged tank destroyers but it was all I could requisition at the time. No luck. Both where quickly defeated dealing little to no damage to the Panzer. Four T-34’s. That’ll do it. The Panzer has more armour and a bigger gun but it’s OK we’re Russian, we’ll just build more. I was sure my four shiny new tanks would win this with ease. The Panzer sat there taking huge chunks of my T-34’s health off as they fired almost totally ineffective shells towards their aggressor. Eventually it was defeated but took 3 of my tanks with it. On another occasion I even took a heavy tank destroyer to a Panzer and it was quickly defeated.
It seems they really are encouraging you to use the soviets numbers as your advantage. In fact it’s the only one you have! This isn’t to say that soviet tanks are particularly cheap or easy to build but numbers are the key. Of course strategy helps too. Unfortunately outmanoeuvring an enemy tank can be very tedious at times. On occasion tank battles can be a clumsy dance of rusty metal that will see you screaming at vehicles as they ineffectively spin around not firing a single round taking shells square to the rear or sides. The AI has this tendency to drive at you in such a way that seems to totally confuse your units, turning the action into a complete farce. Some of these problems are inherent with RTS’s but become prominent due to Company Of Heroes’s relative realism.
The AI is, however, still its wonderfully aggressive self. You never get the feeling that the AI is juts sitting there waiting for you to get enough units to steamroll them into the dirt. The AI in the campaign takes on a much more scripted approach so campaign missions are much less unpredictable and allow you to get a good feel for all the units’ strengths and weaknesses. The struggle the Soviets had repelling operation Barbarossa and the German advance is represented well. The early campaign is spent minimising the German advance at any cost, showing the brutality of the Soviets’ approach to WWII.
Another factor promised to be the biggest threat in CoH2 is the snow. Even the infamous Russian winter can claim the lives of your troops. Spending too long out in the open eventually sees troops dying one by one. Taking shelter in a building, a vehicle or huddling by a fire will warm the unit up and leave them ready to move out again. Also periodic blizzards will occur, reducing sight range massively. It’s a nice effect and it does add a new dimension to playing a map in the winter. The winter was such a key part of the combat between the Soviets and the Germans and it’s great to see Relic have included it.
Technically speaking there is a lot to be said for Company of Heroes 2. The physics are still absolutely incredible to a level unseen in the RTS genre. Sound effects still fully immerse you. Explosions and fire look detailed and realistic. The whole game looks and sounds great. The snow is also a huge technical feat and makes it’s presence known without intruding too much into the gameplay.
I’m conflicted with CoH2. The problem with CoH2 is that they already made the first CoH. The new Soviet units are detailed, well designed and unique. The snow is an interesting new addition and tanks are now truly something to fear. But other than that it is almost the same game as the first CoH. Snow added to certain maps and a new faction sounds a lot like DLC to me. Albeit truly great DLC, CoH2 doesn’t feel like a full sequel that took a good 6 or 7 years to develop.
On the other hand the first game is one of my favourites and I still play it to this day. CoH2 is a good RTS but it does very little to push the franchise forwards. It’s basically more of the same plus some nice new unit skins and maps. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing! The new additions are very well done, but there may not be enough change to entertain fans of CoH. If you’re new to Company Of Heroes it’s worth considering the first game as you can pick it up cheap now (£6.99 on Steam!). If you’re a returning fan you’ll probably enjoy CoH2 but at some point you might just wonder whether you bought the same game twice.
Company Of Heroes 2 will be available from 25th June 2013 on Windows PC.
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