company of heroes review
Company Of HeroesRelic Entertainment masters its subject. Since its creation, the Canadian studio has multiplied the hits in the field of strategy games: Homeworld, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and today Company of Heroes. Admittedly, the context of World War II which was chosen can seem rather risky in view of the number of already substantial titles which deal with this period, but when the story is catchy, that the realization follows and that the gameplay is well regulated, so it's muddy. This is the case for Company of Heroes which, let us say at the outset, poses in reference to the genre.
The least we can say is that the campaign begins on the wheel. The introductory kinematics indeed shows us the fragile landing ships attacking the Normandy coast. They are tirelessly pounded by the German coastal defenses. The tone is set. Spectacular, superbly carried out and intense, the campaign promises and it does not disappoint thanks to varied situations and interesting missions which alternate the defense of strategic points, timed objectives or the attack on enemy bases. Everything takes place in the weeks following the landing and we must therefore lead the Allied troops in their liberation from Normandy. It is also one of the little regrets that we can have vis-à-vis Company of Heroes which offers only one single campaign of 15 missions. We would have liked to be able to live several adventures, why not by leading the Axis or by participating in other battles in other places (Eastern Front, Africa or even the Pacific for example). Content that developers probably keep warm for a future add-on or suite.
In terms of gameplay, the title is somewhat reminiscent of the previous Relic production, the very good Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. As in the latter, most of the units are organized in the form of squads and it is these squads (of 6 soldiers most of the time) that are moved. Second, the resource collection system is quite similar. It is indeed necessary to capture strategic points on the map to see its counter of ammunition, fuel or manpower climb automatically. For example, the more fuel warehouses you have, the faster your fuel gauge will fill up. This therefore obliges us to adopt an expansionist strategy in order to be able to seize these points and thus garner enough resources to be able to build buildings and enlarge our army. In addition to saving resources, these checkpoints have another use. Once one of them is conquered, the surrounding area will be yours, allowing you to build buildings there.
To take advantage of the bonus provided by such and such a checkpoint, it is imperative that it is connected to your headquarters. Clearly, grabbing a strategic point at the other end of the map will not bring you any more because to benefit from it, you will have to conquer all the zones between your base and the strategic point in question. This specific aspect of the gameplay can be used to your advantage in multiplayer. In fact, by seizing a central zone, you will cut your opponent's HQ from the control points he has, thus depriving him of his supplies of resources. Hence the importance of properly protecting all areas that we have for example by laying mines. It is necessary to watch not only the front line and its base, but also all the points which one conquered under penalty of being made steal them by the adversary. The pace of the games is greatly accelerated and there is a succession of attacks not only on HQ, but also for the possession of checkpoints, strategic elements of importance in Company of Heroes.
In addition to conquering as many areas as possible, victory requires great logic on the part of the player in the placement of his units. A frontal attack is unlikely to succeed and care must be taken to use the scenery to its advantage. It is possible to enter buildings and to avoid being exposed, it is also necessary to use low walls, trees and our engineers can even create artificial cover points by placing sandbags. To illustrate the level of protection of the troops, a small shield-shaped icon appears above each squad and it changes color to tell us whether or not our troops are properly protected. Convenient ! It is essential to master this aspect if you want to progress in the single player campaign because from the normal difficulty level, artificial intelligence is extremely effective and will be ruthless for your valiant soldiers. In multiplayer, it is even more important because we can minimize losses during a battle, and it must be said that it is better to keep our units as long as possible because they become more efficient over the battles.
The experience gain system is completely transparent to the player. Squads progress to the next higher rank automatically, winning victories, and neither will you have to choose skills like role-playing. By being promoted, a squad will improve its overall performance on its own and will be more effective than just starting soldiers. You will still have an influence on the general orientation of your army thanks to the command points that you gain. These points can be spent on three command trees. For the allies, one can choose to improve the vehicles, the airborne troops or the infantry. As for the Germans (playable in skirmish and multiplayer), they have access to their own trees and are therefore played quite differently. We regret all the more that there is not a campaign dedicated to them.
In terms of skirmish and multiplayer modes, there are two possibilities. First there is the classic death match where you will have to destroy the opposing camp, and the mode in which you must try to conquer and keep as long as possible the control points which are indicated on the map. Playable by eight, these modes are unfortunately limited to clashes between two teams: allies against Germans. It is thus impossible to play eight in each for oneself or even to confront two German teams. A bit of a shame. As for the French version, the narration of the solo campaign and the voices of the Allied soldiers have been entirely localized in the language of Michel Drucker. As for the Nazi troops, they converse in German and we therefore do not have to undergo the traditional dubbing in VF with actors who try to speak with the accent of our friends from across the Rhine. Thanks to THQ for sparing us this torment. In the end, and despite some minor shortcomings in terms of content, Company of Heroes turns out to be particularly tasty. Spectacular, intense, one can only fall in love with this title.
The notes
Graphics 17/20
The units have received the greatest care from the developers: detailed and well animated, they are really successful. Explosions and other light effects are also very well done. The decor remains a little below because of textures that could have been more detailed and the variety of landscapes not really there.
Gameplay 18/20
Excellent. Tactical and rhythmic, the gameplay succeeds in achieving the feat of suiting both casual players and hardcore gamers thanks to its side that is both intuitive and deep. The AI is also incredibly effective from the normal difficulty mode.
Lifespan 17/20
This is the only point on which we can have some regrets. A single campaign (but what a campaign!) And a multiplayer not very customizable and which must obligatorily confront two teams: the Axis against the Allies. However, the gameplay is so huge that the replayability is great. You will always want to collect all the campaign medals and perfect your tactics for multiplayer.
Soundtrack 17/20
For little, it almost feels like the heart of the fighting! The bullets whistle, the explosions make a huge noise, the voices are credible in short, from the first mission (the landing on the Normandy beaches), we are plunged into the hell of war.
Scenario 16/20
Failing to be truly original, the campaign (of about fifteen missions) manages to glue us in front of our screen thanks to a flawless narration consisting of very well staged cinematics.
It's very simple, Company of Heroes is the new benchmark in strategy games set during the Second World War. Well done, with the catchy single player campaign, perfectly tuned gameplay and exciting multiplayer, the title of Relic Entertainment redefines new quality standards. Only regret, the content that could have been more consistent. We would have appreciated a multiplayer mode richer in options and the presence of a second campaign in which we would have controlled the Axis troops. However, we take so much pleasure in playing this title that we can only greet it with an 18/20.
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