Company of Heroes: Up close and personal

By Relly Carpio, hackenslash Contributor INQUIRER.net I SAW my men writhing on the ground, dying, bleeding from wounds given to them by the machine gunners hidden behind a small pile of rubble I commanded them to take out. The ground around them gave out little puffs of dust as gunfire once again erupted around them. The medics couldn't get to them as they too were pinned by the chattering barrage. I saw one of them reach an arm up at me, begging for help as the rest tried to crawl to what little cover they could find. I urged the Sherman Tank I sent to provide covering fire for the ranger team to hurry. No use, by the time it got there, four men were dead. I called for a retreat. The Sherman arrived just as the two remaining rangers rounded a corner of a shattered building to safety. The Sherman's first salvo ripped directly into the gunner team killing one. The other was torn to shreds as the mounted 50-caliber machine gun gave them a taste of their own medicine. The third ran but a second salvo threw him into the air. He landed like a rag doll hurled by an angry child a few feet from my men. The medics ran in and began checking my wounded. One was still okay and was carried to the field clinic. I told the Sherman to hold the area and wait for the next ranger team to secure this point, I warned him of the Tiger tank spotted in the area before heading back to the base to replace the lost men. Three for three. This is going to be a long day. It isn't everyday that a real-time strategy game gives you this much detail. True, other games have been more historically accurate (but c'mon, we all knew who won) while others have also allowed you to get this close and personal. But I have to be honest here -- this was more like directing a film than actually playing a game. During those little rare moments that I could actually zoom-in during battle it was fantastic! It was like watching "Band of Brothers" or "Saving Private Ryan." But these were your airborne troops, these were your rangers. But yes, those were still Hitler's Germans and yes it's your fault everyone is dying. But you have the comfort of knowing that it's a game, though at times you tend to forget. It's that detailed. It was pretty confusing at first, looking at the minimum specs of the new game from THQ (famous for the daunting Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War series) and Relic Entertainment (of Homeworld fame). I had to double check that yes, it needed a system that would give Half-Life 2 a run for its money. I even thought that it was a first-person shooter from the stringent requirements! When I got into the game I understood why it was so. Not all real-time strategy games demand this much from a computer. I said that this game better be worth it or I will nuke the disks and send them back to the developers in a show of disgust. But just as when I first encountered Homeworld long ago, Company of Heroes brought me where no real-time strategy game has ever had. This same 3D environment is the reason the game eats so much performance and which makes Company of Heroes an incredible game. True 3D terrain and buildings and real-world physics make this real-time strategy game a must for any RTS fanatic. How real is it? When a landmine takes out a vehicle, the vehicle swerves the right way. When it blows up, parts of it fly in the direction as the blast dictates. Same thing with the detail of the debris, the buildings, the people. The time that was dedicated to making out the details can be seen when one zooms in to look at the stubble on a soldier. Or the dents and dings of battle damage on the vehicles -- even the mud tracks made by the tanks as they churn towards the enemy bunkers. Details that are usually seen in simulations, not real-time strategy games. The missions are straight out of the history books, and are the basis of much of the amount of work you put out in the missions. The equipment available also is authentic and the way they are used in the game is interesting to watch. Though the men and equipment available is simple due to the era of the setting, it's pretty complicated when you need to think of strategy missions, and situations can either be tackled using small arms skirmish or armored onslaught, or a mix of the two. The rub lies in the lack of tactical control. You tell the men and the tanks and the artillery where to go, but the combat is all their own. They're the ones who duck and choose where to find cover once the firefight begins. The tanks don't maneuver enough unless you tell them to and artillery tends to go askew, killing you instead of them. Which, though it brings the realism of Murphy's Law into the game, does make it annoying at times. Best laid plans and all that. Specific units would ease the overcoming challenges. Airborne units are better at demolitions, but Rangers are better versus armor. Jeeps can handle snipers better, anti-tank trumps tanks, etc. But it's no simple rock-paper-scissors game. Because of the 3D environment, the biggest problem in any encounter is the specific terrain on which it occurs. Higher ground advantage is a must! And cover, that ever elusive cover, is such a big factor. All in all, Company of Heroes truly has pushed the envelope. Kudos to Relic Entertainment once more for coming out with a fantastic game. Editor's note: hackenslash Contributor Relly Carpio is a freelance journalist who covers the information technology industry and writes game reviews. Company of Heroes Genre: Real-Time Strategy Developer: Relic Entertainment Publisher: THQ ESRB Rating: Mature (M)