INTRODUCTION
The game i am posting about today is called Company of Heroes. Company of Heroes is a real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment. It was released on September 12, 2006, Upon its release the game received wide critical acclaim,n June 2011 the game was ranked #51 on IGNs Top 100 Modern Games .
The chaos of war is clearly relayed through the sound, you can hear guns firing and bullets hitting the environment, you can really tell the difference between heavy weaponry and light without having to look. the explosions and bomb drops are loud and realistic which adds great effect to the game, the background music that is played helps add to the atmosphere. a nice feature is when you click on a squad and the leader says something, it lets you know you're controlling that squad and somethings they say can be quite humorous.
Missions
The single-player campaign puts the player in some of the major American operations during the Battle of Normandy. it is your job to fulfill the objectives that are set, for instance in the first mission "D Day"Able Company must first breach the Atlantic Wall, then take out German bunkers overlooking the beach, and finally disable three 88 mm Flak 36 guns shelling the beach. The game also introduces two of the game's major characters: Captain MacKay and Sergeant Conti. Company of Heroes has a strong emphasis on the use of cover and flanking and the main points of game play are taking and holding points and gaining resources through out.
Difficulty ( ease to pick up or learn the game )
if you haven't played RTS(Real times strategy) games then perhaps it will be a little confusing at first but the game includes a fine tutorial that explains all of the gameplay features of the game so most players be it first timers or veterans should have no problems picking up the controls which are relatively simple anyway, additionally difficulty can be set to different levels so you are sure to find a difficulty level that suits you.
Computer AI
depending on the difficulty level you set the AI can either be very difficult to play against and seem overpowered or completely useless but one you've found your level they will provide a significant challenge to you. you will find it tactically challenging to play against. one problem that i have noticed whilst playing the game is the responsiveness and movement of vehicles especially tanks, moving two or more vehicles at the same time to a new location usually creates one hell of a traffic jam. Vehicles don't seem to have the AI routines that allow them to go one after the other, they all just seem to drive in to the same spot and get stuck, then it takes a few seconds for them to start moving in the direction you want, which as you can imagine in a combat situation dosent work out very well but other than that minor annoyance the AI all seems up to scratch and works well.
Enviroments ( textures, sounds, and models )
there is a large range of maps to play on from towns to battlefields, you can tell they were all created with care and attention, the quality of the textures are decent for a game from this time as are the models which look very good, particularly the tanks
Game UI ( user interface )
Computer AI
depending on the difficulty level you set the AI can either be very difficult to play against and seem overpowered or completely useless but one you've found your level they will provide a significant challenge to you. you will find it tactically challenging to play against. one problem that i have noticed whilst playing the game is the responsiveness and movement of vehicles especially tanks, moving two or more vehicles at the same time to a new location usually creates one hell of a traffic jam. Vehicles don't seem to have the AI routines that allow them to go one after the other, they all just seem to drive in to the same spot and get stuck, then it takes a few seconds for them to start moving in the direction you want, which as you can imagine in a combat situation dosent work out very well but other than that minor annoyance the AI all seems up to scratch and works well.
Enviroments ( textures, sounds, and models )
there is a large range of maps to play on from towns to battlefields, you can tell they were all created with care and attention, the quality of the textures are decent for a game from this time as are the models which look very good, particularly the tanks
Game UI ( user interface )
The user interface in company of heroes is pretty typical for a strategy game, Company of Heroes does take the best aspects of other RTS(Real times strategy) games and combines them into an effective presentation. for me a really useful part of it is that all of your units are listed in a small, collapsible list on the right of the screen; this makes finding and controlling your units more straightforward, the interface also includes a tactical map makes coordination and scouting the enemy a lot easier
MULTIPLAYER 8/10
MULTIPLAYER 8/10
Victory Point Control: These games focus on controlling several victory points around the map. These victory points can be captured the same way as strategic points. When one side has more victory points under their control than the other, the other side's points start to decrease slowly. When one side runs out of points, they lose. the other way to win is simply destroy all enemy structures to win the game. Before the start of the game, the host has to choose between 250, 500, or 1000 points. these games can be extremely long.
Annihilation: The objective of this game is simple, To win, the player needs to destroy all enemy buildings excluding observation posts on points. the only complaint i can have about this mode is that whoever plays as the Germans is at a massive advantage because they a better equipt and their tanks are overpowered, their company commanders also give you better attacks. your best bet as the Americans is to set up defenses and spam soldiers. game length varies depending on the skill and experience of the person you are playing.
Ease of entering a Multiplayer game
entering a multiplayer game is smooth and easy, you just click on multiplayer and pick a server, i personally have never experienced a problem entering a game, everything is in sync and loads fine, gameplay is smooth and rarely ever times out. overall no complaints on this.
Customization of units/characters/weapons
Customization of units/characters/weapons
There is limited customisation of squads and vehicles in game, you can upgrade weapons for certain squads and vehicles as well as gain veteran status which makes a squad more deadly and more difficult to kill, there are 3 levels of it, this is easier to do if you play as the Germans as you can purchase the veteran upgrades rather than having to earn them when you play as the Americans, upgrades can include sticky bombs, grenades, machine guns, armor etc .
expansions
There are two expansion packs for company of heroes. the first one is called "Opposing Fronts"and was released on September 24, 2007, this pack contains two new factions to play as, the British and the German Panzer Elite. this adds more variety to multiplayer as you can play with different tactics and all new weapons. the second pack is called "Tales of Valor" and was released April 8, 2009. this pack includes more new units to play as, additional maps and multiplayer modes to experience, such as 'Stonewall', where the player commands a small number of troops against waves of increasingly difficult enemies, and a feature called "direct-fire", where the player Points and shoots. these two packs have definitely added a few more hours of enjoyment and playing time as you discover ever more ways to play and win as well as some fun new modes to play.
overall impression
the key strength of this game is its multiplayer mode, it is fun and engaging to play and will consume hours if not days of your life, a slight weakness is the limited choice of teams, if you don't have add ons all you can play as are the Americans or Germans which can become very repetitive after a while, i feel this game is definitely worth the money you pay for it as it provides hours upon hours of competitive fun 
