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Best PC Game of 2006: Company of Heroes
| Best PC Game of 2006: Company of Heroes |
| Description: |
Company of Heroes (abbr. CoH or CofH) is a RTS game for the PC, first announced on April 25, 2005. Developed by Canadian based RTS veteran, Relic Entertainment, it is published by THQ.
Story
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Company of Heroes is set during World War II where the player follows a military unit, known as Able Company, as they fight their way through some of the greatest and bloodiest battles, including the D-Day landings at Normandy.
The developers took quite a lot of "creative liberties" with level design so that missions would fit comfortably with the gameplay. For example, Able Company landed at Omaha with the 29th Infantry Division, yet was inexplicably transferred to the Advance from Utah Beach, with the 90th Infantry Division.
Also, the members of Fox Company (another company in the game) and Able Company referred to the other companies as though they were the only Fox and Able Companies in the US Army - in fact, "Able" and "Fox" Companies were present in every US Regiment in Normandy - as "Able" and "Fox" were US Military Phonetic Code for "A" and "F".
Single Player Campaign
The first level is Omaha Beach or D-Day then followed by Vierville (Vierville actually happened before Omaha Beach, when Fox Company dropped early D-Day morning). The following level is Carentan again played with Fox Company and then Carentan Counterattack is where Fox Company is reinforced by Able Company. Montebourg is the next level it is also known as the "Red Ball Express" where Able Company saves Dog Company from Axis forces. Following Montebourg is Cherbourg where Able Company is supported by the 4th Cavalry and the USS Texas. In Cherbourg Able Company found documents from a Axis bunker which shows a V2 Rocket launch site near Sottevast. In that level, Fox Company attempts to destroy the launch site and is later reinforced by Able Company. Next is the level of St. Fromond at town north of St. Lo. St. Fromond is followed by Hill 192 where Charlie Company is destroyed and Able Company takes out the German forces. Then comes St. Lo where Able Company has to take the Axis HQ, the level following St. Lo is Hébécrevon where Able Company is told to take out what is left of the Panzer Lehr Division, which is 7 Panther tanks. Mortain is the following level where Able Company defends Hill 317. The following level is Mortain Counterattack where Able Company has to defend Hill 317 while taking out 88s. Next comes the level of Autry, in this level Able Company takes out the Tiger Ace and avenges Captain MacKay. Chambois is the final level in the Single Player Campaign. In this level Able Company closes the Falaise Pocket and repels Axis attacks.
Distinguished Characters
Captain MacKay The commander of Able Company. He appears to be an Army Ranger by his character model, although he commands a regular infantry company. He is killed by Captain Shultz after the battle of St. Lo.
Sergeant (later Lieutenant) Conti At the start of the game, the First Sergeant of Able Company. He was with Captain MacKay at boot camp, and is revealed to be the game's narrator. He is almost killed alongside Captain (Mug) MacKay. Afterwards, he is promoted to Lieutenant, and commands Able Company for the rest of the game.
Captain Schultz A German Tiger 'Ace' captain. He serves as the personal antagonist of Able company. He commands the Tigergruppen that attacks the Red Ball Express, after which he watches Captain MacKay from afar. He commands forces in St. Lo, assisting in their breakout. He kills Captain MacKay, and Able later conducts their revenge on Schultz while his unit retreats.
Gameplay
The game allows for multiplayer matches of 2 - 8 players via LAN or the Internet.
For Company of Heroes, Relic will be using a new online gaming system called Relic Online. Previous Relic games used GameSpy Arcade or WON services. This new system includes many features that the previous systems did not have, including a built in automatch and ranking system.
Graphics
Company of Heroes is the first game to make use of Relic's next generation engine, known as the "Essence Engine". This engine was designed and coded from scratch by Relic in order to make use of all next-generation graphical effects, including High Dynamic Range lighting, dynamic lighting & shadows, advanced shader effects and normal mapping. As producer John Johnson puts it "We will have every advanced graphical effect you'd expect from a game like Half-Life 2, and more."
Using the Essence Engine allows CoH to be rendered in complete 3D with intricate detailings on the infantry, vehicles and structures whilst retaining a solid frame-rate without the need for a high-end gaming rig. There are said to be nearly 2,000 different animations for a basic infantry unit alone.
Company of Heroes also utilizes the Havok 3 Physics Engine, giving CoH a more realistic physics system than any previous RTS. Parts of buildings can be destroyed by grenades, satchel or mortars, and tanks can drive through sections of walls or other barriers. Smoke created from explosions behaves realistically and is influenced by wind. Debris is realistically influenced by explosions; a blast can send barrels flying and shower troops in dirt, whilst leaving behind a large crater. When infantry are bombarded by artillery, body parts detach and are flung in all directions. Bridges and buildings can be destroyed by engineer using demolitions.
Awards:
As of 12/6/2006, all critic reviews were positive . Currently, it is one of the highest rated RTS games in video game history.
PC Gamer UK awarded Company of Heroes 94%, the highest they have given an RTS, they also gave it a 'Must Buy' tag. PC Gamer US gave CoH a 96% as well as an Editors Choice Award.
PC Zone in the UK awarded Company of Heroes 93% in Issue 173 meaning it was awarded with a Classic award
Edge, a UK publication, awarded Company of Heroes a score of 9 (out of 10) in Issue 167.
Metacritic Review average of 93, Gaining Universal Acclaim
Online, Company of Heroes has received a score of 9.0 from GameSpot (original score was an 8.9, revised because 1.2 Patch fixed SLI problem), a 9.4 from IGN, 5 out of 5 stars from GameSpy, 10/10 from Eurogamer, a 10 out of 10 from 1UP.com[6] and a 9.2 from GamerNode.
Gamespot also named it the 2006 Best Strategy Game and Best PC Game
source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_of_Heroes |
| Keywords: |
game, wallpaper |
| Date: |
03.02.2007 21:48 |
| Hits: |
2673 |
| Downloads: |
77 |
| Rating: |
5.00 (3 Vote(s)) |
| File size: |
158.6 KB |
| Added by: |
Kyomaster |
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