Yes, even to all of you Starcraft fanboys out there, CoH is indeed the best RTS game ever to hit the market. Not only are the graphics unlike anything ever seen in the RTS genre, but it is an incredibly polished title.
Company of Heroes has a campaign that will take you about 12 hours to beat on the standard difficulty setting. The campaign takes you through D-Day, all the way through to the breaking of the German war machines back at the end of the war. All in all it is a fun, tactical, and progressive single player experience. It has Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulties for you to complete it on, as well as a uniqe "medal" for every mission to increase replay value.
However, where the game really shines is online. This games multiplayer is fantastic. The game is 2 - 8 players, and is playable for free over Relic's very own CoH servers. You are able to play as either the Americans or Wehrmacht, and if you purchase the games expansion (Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts), you can additionally play as the British and Panzer Elite (SS) factions. Due to the games amazing tactical depth and innovative gameplay mechanics, the multiplayer offers limitless hours of fun.
But what makes this game truly above all others in the genre, is simply the technical standpoint of it. The sound is AMAZING. Simply the best of any RTS game, let alone war game, I have ever heard. MG 42 rounds ripping through the air, tank engines, soldiers shouting orders, and explosions that light up the screen. Which brings me to my next point, the graphics. They really immerse you into the game. On "Ultra" settings and a high resolution, it truly makes you feel like you are back on the battlefield during WWII. These two things, along with the amazing AI and cover system, really proves to thrilling and addicting. This is all a result of Relic's amazing Esscence engine.
Simply put, Company of Heroes is a game that everyone should at least try, and if you are a RTS player, it should be on your shelf right now...RIGHT NOW!
