DuRiN
10-13-2006, 05:23 AM
IGN Review (http://pc.ign.com/articles/732/732059p1.html)
Presentation: 9.5/10
Graphics: 9.5/10
Sound: 9.0/10
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Lasting Appeal: 9.0/10
Overall: 9.4/10
Impression: Outstanding
Multiplayer is a natural team game that should develop into a hardcore competitive experience for those willing to put the time into mastering every detail. One on one can be a harrying experience right from the beginning, but Company of Heroes is built brilliantly as a team based experience. Three different command pathways on both the Axis and Allied sides allow organized teams to really begin considering all of the options available for attack, defense, and build order. Devoting players to different combinations of Command Trees can make a huge impact on gameplay.
GameSpot Review (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/companyofheroes/review.html)
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Tilt: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
Impression: Superb
GameSpot's editor choice
The gameplay in Company of Heroes is all about frontline combat, and forces you to quickly explore the map. You typically start out with a headquarters and a squad of engineers, who can build structures and setup defenses. Maps are divided up into territories that all have a resource point in them, and the resources you'll need are manpower, munitions, and fuel. Infantry may capture neutral or enemy resource points, causing them to indefinitely contribute a flow of the given resource to your military efforts while also increasing the total number of units you can have in your army. However, all your territories must be connected for the resource flow to continue unabated; if an enemy takes a key territory, this may cut off your supply lines.
GameSpy Review (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/company-of-heroes/732881p1.html)
Overall: 5/5 stars
Impression: Outstanding
Multiplayer Factor: Great
In fact, the cutscenes are just one element of just how impressive Company of Heroes' graphics are. In general terms, of course, they look amazing. Soldier animations as they run, duck and dive on the battlefield are fluid, and a real physics engine creates some amazing scenes as bodies are thrown through the air by artillery fire. Everything on the battlefield is also destroyable and is animated in extraordinary detail. Buildings realistically crumble in pieces and get holes blown in them as they're hit by shells. Telephone wires snap and spark as they're cut. Fire teams that garrison a house actually take up positions within the building and brace their weapons on windowsills to cover the street. Destroyable maps also enhance the gameplay by finally removing the dreaded "puzzle map" once and for all.
GamePro (http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/80729.shtml)
Graphics: 4.75
Sound: 4.50
Control: 4.75
Overall: 4.75
GamePro's editor choice
Graphically, Company of Heroes manages to capture the action in a visual tour de force, due to an entirely new engine. The level of detail shown during the game is simply astounding. Rubble strewn cities show significant damage from combat, and can be further destroyed as the fighting rages. Using the detailed Havoc physics engine the game world is entirely dynamic. Heavy weapons, such as tanks, do appropriate levels of destruction in the game environment, opening fresh holes in buildings, tearing down walls and the roof around your enemy's ears. Infantry units benefit enormously from these dynamic interactions as new sources of cover are continually created over the course of battle.
Yahoo Games Review (http://videogames.yahoo.com/gamereview?cid=1991777871&tab=reviews&page=0&eid=481878)
Graphics: 5/5 stars
Sound: 5/5 stars
Gameplay: 5/5 stars
Story: 3/5 stars
Interface: 4/5 stars
Multiplayer: 4/5 stars
Overall: 5/5 stars
But neither is this one of those games you'll win by simply building a lot of units, drag selecting them, and sending them in one general direction. This is a game about guiding your men with all the care and attention of a lieutenant in the field, and sometimes even a sergeant. At times, when it comes to firing an anti-tank weapon or positioning the arc of fire of a machine gun, you're down at a corporal's level. This is often a matter of making tough choices about resources (an anti-tank shot will cost resources you might want to save up for something else) or anticipating how the game will progress (you might want to align the machine gun down a particular street to cover your flank). So the micromanagement is always integral to the action rather than being annoying busywork.
1up Review (http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3153681)
Overall: 10/10
Impression: Genius
If you want to be impressed straightaway, load up a skirmish game against the CPU, but wear extra padding, because you're gonna get spanked...hard (and we mean hard on "normal"). Aggressive and sharp as a tack, Relic's skirmish A.I. isn't immune to exploitation, but if you engage it head-on in a war of attrition, good luck winning two out of three or even five out of 10 times. Multiplayer works the same online as solo skirmishing, except you can play ranked or unranked matches, and if you're short players you can assign the A.I. to fill roles in any of the larger maps. Best of all, you don't need the CD to play, and (believe it or not) multiple-install LAN games work with only one CD key.
Armchair Empire Review (http://www.armchairempire.com/Reviews/PC%20Games/company-heroes.htm)
Overall: 10/10
Make no mistakes, Company of Heroes is a game made to entertain. The fact that it does so and still manages to teach something deeper about the nature of war, to present an unflinching glimpse of the ugliness and beauty that Tim O’Brien mentions, is admirable. It’s not just the ballyhooed graphics and physics (zoom in and count all the buttons and rivets you please), the excellent sound (try to keep your lower jaw securely in place the first time you hear an artillery barrage), the excellent AI, the fully destructible battlefield or the superb in-engine cut scenes. It’s some surplus value created by how well all these features and qualities combine. More than any game in memory, COH provides moments – of awe, dread, surprise, horror, confusion, exhilaration.
GamesRadar Review (http://www.gamesradar.com/us/pc/game/reviews/article.jsp?articleId=20060919154059812037)
Overall: 10/10
The Axis and Allied armies are superbly balanced, with the Americans relying on speed and numbers and the Germans specializing in heavy armor. Victory often depends on using the terrain to your advantage - units will automatically take cover behind nearby walls and rubble, a sniper nested in a tower can drop entire squads of infantry before they know what hit them, and a machine gun team can be taken down in a heartbeat if outflanked. Of course, none of them stand a chance against armor without anti-tank weapons or mines.
Game Zone review (http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r26651.htm)
Gameplay: 9.3/10
Graphics: 9.1/10
Sound: 9.3/10
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Concept: 9/10
Multiplayer: 8.5/10
Overall: 9.3/10
Game Zone's editor choice
The voice acting is top notch and is accompanied by great dialogue. I am proud of Relic that they didn’t put forth corny dialogue or cheesy characters. This is an ultra-real WWII video game, no jokes about it. The dialogue is strong in strategy and will help the players advance if they are stuck on the next step in the mission. Outside of the voice acting, Relic rounded out the audio with superb sound effects for all the vehicles and action you could ever want.
Worthplaying Review (http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=37385&mode=thread&order=0)
Overall: 9.5/10
Worthplaying's editor choice
Company of Heroes supports three different modes of play: Campaign, Skirmish and On-Line. The campaign is a single-player game in which you are given charge of the riflemen and tankers of Able Company, a fictitious company that fights its way across the Cotentin Peninsula in 15 lengthy missions that begin with the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach. Skirmish mode allows you to play as either the US or German sides against the AI on various multiplayer maps, while On-Line play allows up to eight players to fight as teams over a Local Area Network or through the Company of Heroes multiplayer lobby. Each mode provides its own set of challenges and is equally enjoyable.
Computer and Video Games Review (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=146896)
Overall: 9.3/10
And then there's the tactics. There's nothing particularly inspired here; you have to make use of cover or your troops will be ripped to ribbons, and if you hold the enemy with one unit and then flank him with another, you'll probably wipe him out with ease. Tanks blow up quicker if you get round the back, where their armour isn't as thick. It's basic stuff, true - but it's rare to see it properly implemented in a mainstream RTS.
There are a lot more reviews for Company of Heroes, but this is a collection of known sites :).
Presentation: 9.5/10
Graphics: 9.5/10
Sound: 9.0/10
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Lasting Appeal: 9.0/10
Overall: 9.4/10
Impression: Outstanding
Multiplayer is a natural team game that should develop into a hardcore competitive experience for those willing to put the time into mastering every detail. One on one can be a harrying experience right from the beginning, but Company of Heroes is built brilliantly as a team based experience. Three different command pathways on both the Axis and Allied sides allow organized teams to really begin considering all of the options available for attack, defense, and build order. Devoting players to different combinations of Command Trees can make a huge impact on gameplay.
GameSpot Review (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/companyofheroes/review.html)
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Tilt: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
Impression: Superb
GameSpot's editor choice
The gameplay in Company of Heroes is all about frontline combat, and forces you to quickly explore the map. You typically start out with a headquarters and a squad of engineers, who can build structures and setup defenses. Maps are divided up into territories that all have a resource point in them, and the resources you'll need are manpower, munitions, and fuel. Infantry may capture neutral or enemy resource points, causing them to indefinitely contribute a flow of the given resource to your military efforts while also increasing the total number of units you can have in your army. However, all your territories must be connected for the resource flow to continue unabated; if an enemy takes a key territory, this may cut off your supply lines.
GameSpy Review (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/company-of-heroes/732881p1.html)
Overall: 5/5 stars
Impression: Outstanding
Multiplayer Factor: Great
In fact, the cutscenes are just one element of just how impressive Company of Heroes' graphics are. In general terms, of course, they look amazing. Soldier animations as they run, duck and dive on the battlefield are fluid, and a real physics engine creates some amazing scenes as bodies are thrown through the air by artillery fire. Everything on the battlefield is also destroyable and is animated in extraordinary detail. Buildings realistically crumble in pieces and get holes blown in them as they're hit by shells. Telephone wires snap and spark as they're cut. Fire teams that garrison a house actually take up positions within the building and brace their weapons on windowsills to cover the street. Destroyable maps also enhance the gameplay by finally removing the dreaded "puzzle map" once and for all.
GamePro (http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/80729.shtml)
Graphics: 4.75
Sound: 4.50
Control: 4.75
Overall: 4.75
GamePro's editor choice
Graphically, Company of Heroes manages to capture the action in a visual tour de force, due to an entirely new engine. The level of detail shown during the game is simply astounding. Rubble strewn cities show significant damage from combat, and can be further destroyed as the fighting rages. Using the detailed Havoc physics engine the game world is entirely dynamic. Heavy weapons, such as tanks, do appropriate levels of destruction in the game environment, opening fresh holes in buildings, tearing down walls and the roof around your enemy's ears. Infantry units benefit enormously from these dynamic interactions as new sources of cover are continually created over the course of battle.
Yahoo Games Review (http://videogames.yahoo.com/gamereview?cid=1991777871&tab=reviews&page=0&eid=481878)
Graphics: 5/5 stars
Sound: 5/5 stars
Gameplay: 5/5 stars
Story: 3/5 stars
Interface: 4/5 stars
Multiplayer: 4/5 stars
Overall: 5/5 stars
But neither is this one of those games you'll win by simply building a lot of units, drag selecting them, and sending them in one general direction. This is a game about guiding your men with all the care and attention of a lieutenant in the field, and sometimes even a sergeant. At times, when it comes to firing an anti-tank weapon or positioning the arc of fire of a machine gun, you're down at a corporal's level. This is often a matter of making tough choices about resources (an anti-tank shot will cost resources you might want to save up for something else) or anticipating how the game will progress (you might want to align the machine gun down a particular street to cover your flank). So the micromanagement is always integral to the action rather than being annoying busywork.
1up Review (http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3153681)
Overall: 10/10
Impression: Genius
If you want to be impressed straightaway, load up a skirmish game against the CPU, but wear extra padding, because you're gonna get spanked...hard (and we mean hard on "normal"). Aggressive and sharp as a tack, Relic's skirmish A.I. isn't immune to exploitation, but if you engage it head-on in a war of attrition, good luck winning two out of three or even five out of 10 times. Multiplayer works the same online as solo skirmishing, except you can play ranked or unranked matches, and if you're short players you can assign the A.I. to fill roles in any of the larger maps. Best of all, you don't need the CD to play, and (believe it or not) multiple-install LAN games work with only one CD key.
Armchair Empire Review (http://www.armchairempire.com/Reviews/PC%20Games/company-heroes.htm)
Overall: 10/10
Make no mistakes, Company of Heroes is a game made to entertain. The fact that it does so and still manages to teach something deeper about the nature of war, to present an unflinching glimpse of the ugliness and beauty that Tim O’Brien mentions, is admirable. It’s not just the ballyhooed graphics and physics (zoom in and count all the buttons and rivets you please), the excellent sound (try to keep your lower jaw securely in place the first time you hear an artillery barrage), the excellent AI, the fully destructible battlefield or the superb in-engine cut scenes. It’s some surplus value created by how well all these features and qualities combine. More than any game in memory, COH provides moments – of awe, dread, surprise, horror, confusion, exhilaration.
GamesRadar Review (http://www.gamesradar.com/us/pc/game/reviews/article.jsp?articleId=20060919154059812037)
Overall: 10/10
The Axis and Allied armies are superbly balanced, with the Americans relying on speed and numbers and the Germans specializing in heavy armor. Victory often depends on using the terrain to your advantage - units will automatically take cover behind nearby walls and rubble, a sniper nested in a tower can drop entire squads of infantry before they know what hit them, and a machine gun team can be taken down in a heartbeat if outflanked. Of course, none of them stand a chance against armor without anti-tank weapons or mines.
Game Zone review (http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r26651.htm)
Gameplay: 9.3/10
Graphics: 9.1/10
Sound: 9.3/10
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Concept: 9/10
Multiplayer: 8.5/10
Overall: 9.3/10
Game Zone's editor choice
The voice acting is top notch and is accompanied by great dialogue. I am proud of Relic that they didn’t put forth corny dialogue or cheesy characters. This is an ultra-real WWII video game, no jokes about it. The dialogue is strong in strategy and will help the players advance if they are stuck on the next step in the mission. Outside of the voice acting, Relic rounded out the audio with superb sound effects for all the vehicles and action you could ever want.
Worthplaying Review (http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=37385&mode=thread&order=0)
Overall: 9.5/10
Worthplaying's editor choice
Company of Heroes supports three different modes of play: Campaign, Skirmish and On-Line. The campaign is a single-player game in which you are given charge of the riflemen and tankers of Able Company, a fictitious company that fights its way across the Cotentin Peninsula in 15 lengthy missions that begin with the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach. Skirmish mode allows you to play as either the US or German sides against the AI on various multiplayer maps, while On-Line play allows up to eight players to fight as teams over a Local Area Network or through the Company of Heroes multiplayer lobby. Each mode provides its own set of challenges and is equally enjoyable.
Computer and Video Games Review (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=146896)
Overall: 9.3/10
And then there's the tactics. There's nothing particularly inspired here; you have to make use of cover or your troops will be ripped to ribbons, and if you hold the enemy with one unit and then flank him with another, you'll probably wipe him out with ease. Tanks blow up quicker if you get round the back, where their armour isn't as thick. It's basic stuff, true - but it's rare to see it properly implemented in a mainstream RTS.
There are a lot more reviews for Company of Heroes, but this is a collection of known sites :).