One of the best RTS of 2006, beautifully structured gameplay! And awesome graphics.

Great graphics and sound. But too-close camera views and hyper-paced battles mean you really just win battles by mobbing the enemy with excessive force. Very little actual strategy involved. Definitely over-hyped.

I agree 100% with Raffaele. The "AI" is particularly frustrating - AT units will happily take a beating from their flanks and do nothing except complain about it. Actually swinging around and engaging the aggressor seems beyond their abilities. Tanks, as well as AT units, will often drive right into their targets and engage them at point blank range rather than at a safe(r) distance. Graphics are very good and the sound effects are amazing, but the unit AI is an exercise in frustration, especially in singleplayer skirmish mode (I don't care about online play). I don't understand how anyone can give this game a rating above 4, sorry. I'm uninstalling it while typing this.… Expand

F*CK YOU RELIC!!! I CANT STOP PLAYING THIS GAME!!!!!
This game is from 2006 yet i dont know a RTS with better graphics.
Yet i dont know a game with more strategy.
Yet i dont know a game with more mods.
Yet i dont know a game with better dynamic combat.
This is a underrated masterpiece!!

good game

This is the one of the best RTS games I have ever played. From the destructible environments, to the stellar audio, this game is technically superior to anything else on the store shelves. While your infantry is getting taken out by a garrisoned Axis unit, call in a Howitzer strike. Watch as the spray of earth sprays in the air and listen to the little pieces as they rain back down to the ground. Game play is excellent, however do not expect to build up a massive army and sweep through the map. Turtle your units in this game and you're dead. ("Won't win this war by standin' around!") I rarely, and I mean rarely, play online, but gave this one a spin last night. I actually had fun, it was easy to get connected and there was no lag even though half the group was showing poor performance, (6 Players). Our side had our asses handed to us, but it was a good time. The only minor quibbles that I have are the long load times and the lack of a quick save feature. I gave it a 10 only because the game deserves more that a 9, and I don… Expand

One of the best games i've ever played. I'll keep this short. While there's bugs, mentioned by others, such as infantry specifically moving AWAY from the sandbags you've stationed them to use as cover, and other small annoying bugs like this, it's still and AMAZING game. You really can't miss out on this. You can zoom in and alternate your view to get a great look at the gorgeous visuals, you have full controll over everything on the battlefield, it's just so fantastic. Multiplayer lobbies can be a real bish though...… Expand

The gameplay is incredible. For all you people that complained on here previously about not being able to play as the axis...umm there's multiplayer. With custom mods out there that are good overall and fantastic custom maps, the online gameplay will give you and your friends hours and hours of entertainment.

Very solid production from Relic. This is one of the best strategy games ever. Not a perfect 10, but still way better than 9.Winning in this game actually takes planning and instead of just building huge massses of cannon fodder. One of the few complaints i have, there is only Allied campaign, which is over too soon, but all in all definitely worth of buying. And I choose carefully which games I buy.… Expand

This is an amazing experience. They have turned the old tired rts base building concept and made it new again. INstead of feeling like "the tanks arrived becuase I built a tent". I feel like the tanks are here so a support tent has been errected. Maybe that is just me. The pause button is your friend - use it. You are able to use real tactics in this game - a small force can take out a superior force if you use sound tactics.… Expand

Absolutely stunning. By far the best RTS I've played in years. Believe the hype, this game delivers. Well balanced, immersive gameplay, interesting new tactical and strategic elements, and it even lives up to the often aspired to but seldom achieved goal of making the action the focus, and not the resource gathering/base building. Do NOT believe the absurd negative reviews (a 1?! Seriously, are you on drugs, or merely bitter?) that some have given. Or at the very least, read them for content. Some thought they were buying yet another WWII first person shooter (as if the world needed another), and others are curmudgeony tabletop gamers who are cranky that the developers took game mechanics and balance into consideration first, and trivial details like the horizontal movment limits of an M-4 Sherman's main gun were secondary. If you need to learn about history, you obviously don't go to an RTS for it (unless you're some sort of idiot). Read a book, or at the very least tune in to a documentary. If you're coming to CoH looking for an outstanding and genre defining real time strategy game...then you've come to the right place!… Expand

Although it is very similar to Dawn of War, it has some pretty major problems. Not only are the loading times awful, but the camera doesn't scroll properly without jittering unless you turn everythiing onto very low. Also, with 3 resources, why should one be HUGELY bigger than all the others? The game does NOT let you build a big army and field it properly - the armies are small and difficult to control properly. Very unrealistic compared to a real war, I imagine. The tanks keep crashing into each other when you ask them to go forwards. In summary, it is simple. The game is a mish-mash of Dawn of War and the Red Alert series. The action is slower paced than Red Alert and there is a very poor variety of units to use - don't expect any control over any proper aircraft. It is less exciting than Red Alert and the 'base building' aspect of it is VERY poor - slow and few.… Expand

Nothing new, just the same build the base, at the moment in the beta, the allies have all the artillery, para etc, and best infantry. They can use any troops or tanks to spot for artillery barrages. Germans have great tanks, good Anti tank guns, esp the 88s, can get artillery but its late in the game. The germans have poor infantry, but can get mgs faster, ostwind is good, but thats about it.Overall at the moment game is unblanced to hell. Good graphics, etc, nice explosions, good buldings and able to manning them. Yet again no trenches.

Over all nice game but its just the same concept nothing new here, really just the same as command and conquer and that is nearly 10 years old.… Expand

ATI owners BEWARE....I own a 9600XT and all shadows in the game are pure dark blocks that look like they are at 640x480 (though I'm running at 800 x 600 and 1024 X 768). The boards have also shown many issues with the higher end X1900 series of cards and Crossfire is also bugged. It seems that with this new engine, Relic "took the money and ran" .. to Nvidia that is Serving only about 50-60% of pc owners (Nvidia) and ignoring the rest (ATI) is not the way to make a million selling game. Maybe they will patch it, but most likely not as it appears that they only coded shadows in the Nvidia format. Again, ATI users --- TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK. Sad thing is that the game looks amazing.… Expand

I really liked warhammer 40k so I wanted to try this one out. My computer is only 2yrs old nvidia 5200 card, and I have to turn the thing down to the lowest setting before it's playable so I'm probably missing out on all the pretty graphics everyone else is talking about. There's a memory leak in the game, if you play it a few games the loading times get longer and longer. Don't know why people are talking about the destructable environment, the only things I could destroy on the map are fences/sandbags and buildings. There's way too much micro management: You get 8+ units to control and each unit complete their task in a few seconds, unless you're superhuman quick most of your units will be idle. The stupid anti-tank guns don't shoot when there's an enemy right in front of it you have to manually move it into the direction of the enemy, annoying! The shooting from behind/hiding behind objects manoeuvres are nice ideas but unfortunately it only adds to this micro management nightmare. It's not noticeable in the mission game but in skirmish vs. normal computer it's unplayable unless you keep on pressing the pause button every few seconds to do these micro management bits, all the guys giving this game a 10 should try skirmish mode. However I do like the offensive nature of the game, alot of rts reward you for sitting on your arse defending till you've got an over the top invincible army.… Collapse

It has some pretty awesome units and weapons, but it also took a few steps back from where RTS has advanced. For instance, some units just get lost, and it's hard to locate them camoflauged into the scenary. That type of thing just frustrates be, and creates dumb mistakes that just make levels take longer for good reason. Still, I played through a few of the levels until I decided it wasn't worth my time.… Expand

My goodness! Everybody is talking about this game being so great and stuff. But for me its not.I Think its overrated. Sure its got some of the best graphics to date, but thats about it. This game cannot beat Starcraft, Warcraft , Warhammer etc... First and foremost, a lot of people is saying that the game is balanced, well of course its balanced! its only got 2 factions for cry'n out loud. Its not going to be hard to balance it out. And they'd get laughed upon if they cant even balance 2 opposing sides. Second, its got no air units which is really disappoining. WW2 involves lots of air battles, and COH doesnt have them? Third, you can only play the Allied campaign, another serious drawback. Fourth, there is only 2 factions, where are the British,Soviets and the Italians? Didnt they play major roles in WW2? Not so realistic as some people say it is. Fifth is that it is very repetetive, I got tired playing it after 2 weeks since you can only play Allies and Axis. And people should be true to them selves and not copy the reviews of others. Some people give the game a high score just because some people have given the the same. Maybe it does deserve a high score but not past 8.3. But I gave it a flat 5 because of the 5 reasons that I've posted here. Actually its 4 + 1 because it does have great sounds. I do love Relics games especially warhammer. But I'm really disappointed at CoH, really... And this is my review of the game.… Expand

I used to love the old close combat series and strategy-wise this game falls short, just another pretty resource management RTS. I watched a Tiger get blown up by frontal hits from an allied anti-tank weapon, I'm sorry but that is not realistic. I loved the chess-match aspect of close combat, you needed to have a tactical strategy to play that game, not micromanaging all this resource nonsense and building units. I want a prettier close combat series to come along.… Expand

The graphics and gameplay in this game are terrific, apart from some small problems with AI that others have mentioned. But I take issue with the oppressive front-end, which has to be the worst on the market. Even if you only want to play single-player, you are forced to create an online account and log in. Even worse, the first time you run the game you have to download and install large patches. You have no choice. It works like this: you start the game, wait for it to load, and are told you must install a 75 MB patch. The game exits, the patch downloader starts, and it downloads the patch (patches ranges in size from about 10 to over 100 MB). The patch to installs. You must repeat this process seven times before you are allowed to play!… Expand

Reasonable enough, but isn't vastly different from what we've seen before. Don't let the hype around it fool you, this is just dawn of war with a WW2 setting. The action happens at such a pace where it's just a case of getting as many men/vehicles across the battlefield at one point, and tactics go out of the window. It doesn't 'force' intelligent play.

For a game that has this much hype - it should play better. Good: Single player campaign is possibly the best for any RTS. Graphics are amazing (altho not sure about DX10 making that much difference) Bad: Overall game balance. It's too easy to simpily win via numbers by flooding the enemy with cheap troops. This and a dosen other cheap tactics which work on balance issues/flaws have ruined online play. You may think this is not due to the game, but the players. This is not so. Relic are horrifically bad at spotting these, and fixing the bugs/balance issues that is the basis for the rubbish online play experience. This is widely acknowledged in the multiplayer lobbies.… Expand

Great graphics in all but it lackes alot of gamplay how long would it take to kill a 6 man squad behind a small wall of sandbags with some of the units in the open? it would take 5 seconds or a bit more. according to this game it takes a minute. i was behind sandbags online with 10 riflemen and grenadiers came towards me and threw a greande and killed most of them and in that time i only killed 2 of 8 grenadiers and they were running at me in the open and they killed 8 riflemen. ffs i mean cmon in real life they wouldnt even do that for starters it would be suicide and if they did they wouldnt even get close. you hit the units but there's no death they just keep running and running they dont even go on the floor ffs. this is very disappointing. i got to level 8 american and level 7 where. wake up people look at the GAMEPLAY.… Expand

This is probably one of the fewest games that defines real-time strategy. This would have been called the Call of Duty RTS game of the century. Excellent graphics, content, story and cinematics make this unique game far better than all the others. Slow gameplay, less FPS usage, less missions, numerous balance issues and big patches are the drawbacks.

This is the best RTS I've ever played, and yeah that's counting Starcraft. I've played over 300 of this game with my friends alone. About another 150 hours on my own, if you want a great RTS this is the game to get especially since it's $10 on steam without specials. Personally not a big fan of the expansions though, which are basically required for multiplayer other than with friends.

Unit AI, works just fine for those who complain about it are just clicking and forgetting to much. Sure it's not perfect but to give this game a 4 because of it is down right stupid.

I've also noticed this game has a major historical inaccuracy that greatly effects gameplay. (I assume for balance reasons) Historically during WWII the only tanks that could turn in place was the Panther and Tiger tanks (and a few related versions of those tanks), while no other tanks could do this, but in CoH all tanks can do that. Once again I'll assume it's for balance reasons because the allies would lose a lot more often than necessary.… Expand

This game is highly overrated. Yes, it's a good game, quite different from regular RTS games out there, but you get tired of the innovative stuff after 5 missions. It's the same old song and dance in all missions (make tanks and go through the map cleaning the path), you have very little choice of units (< 10), even less of buildings. To be worse, all the battle can be summarized as tank fights. Infantry units are almost useless.

This game starts very promising, but gets off the trail very bad. It's a shame. I couldn't make it to the end, got really boring.… Expand

best strategy game ever. really good and cant stop playing it. tanks are wonderful and taking enemy machine guns and vehicles are so fantastic. i gave it 10 since its best for me

Best RTS game ever. It's really realistic with lots of actions. Controlling tanks and spuads of troops to destroy the enemies. Campaign has good varieties of missions, like defending or attack with paratroopers. Skirmish and multiplayer can give you endless actions. I especially like 4 vs 4, because it requires teamwork and you can rely on your ally to help you. This is a really amazing game.

I haven't played multiplayer yet and my review is restricted to the gameplay and singleplayer only. Company of Heroes is one of the best RTS games I've ever played - possibly the best. The graphics look good even today, and the sound is pretty good as well. The game is almost a perfect ten - but it has drawbacks. The biggest complaint I have is the AI. It **** sucks. Infantry is almost completely useless (it can stand 4 meters away from an enemy unit and still require 1000 shots to kill it). If you meet an enemy that's inside a house, you might as well just turn back until you get a tank to come along. This brings me to another point - the tanks. Not only do they suffer from poor AI as well (sometimes they'll mindlessly drive into what you want to attack, which might end up in it getting flanked and shot to bits, instead of attacking from a safe distance. And it's not enough with tanks having poor AI, they are practically necessary to complete anything. If you want to attack an objective, you NEED tanks to clear out the enemy's defence. If not, your infantry will be eaten alive. Basically how the missions play out is that you defend your base until you've gotten a few tanks - then you can launch your offensive. The only thing you need infantry for is to capture objectives.

There isn't a whole lot of strategy involved either. No need for tactics - getting creative is not necessary at all. Just get a few tanks and steamroll through the level.

That said, I still love the game and like it very much. It's fun to play, even with the issues it has. I'm looking forward to the sequel - which'll hopefully fix these issues. I definitely recommend this game to anyone who like RTS's or would like to start playing them - you'll have a great time even though it can get a little boring. It's cheap on Steam at the moment, and very much worth the money.… Expand

One of the WORST!!! Games i have ever played... just a bad camera position, far too close to get a good overview, especially because you have to micro your soldiers all the time!! all of your units... they get nothing done and often do things first after the 3rd or 4th direction. They are unable to find the shortest way and some times just run in with enemy fire instead of attacking, very unuseful for a mortar for example. The online don't run anyway and there is no support... i am scared of THQ giving their name for such a crap. If you want do something good, don't buy this!… Expand

You know what? This is one of those few non-crappy RTSs I ever played. The gameplay is addicting, i barely see any flaws. THQ you did a really good job.

Never has the RTS genre seen anything like this. Company of Heroes is rightfully, the highest rated game of its kind. And to this day, no other game in the likes holds a candle to its gameplay and tactical immersion. Every battle is something new and exciting, this is one of those games that never gets old.

I've played the multiplayer beta, and the demo. Aside from the minor bugs that are always present in betas and demos, the game is excellent, definitely my favorite RTS, and probably my favorite game ever. And it hasn't even been released yet! Yet, there are 3 problems that I have seen so far, 1 of which should be fixed by it's release date: 1: It has the worst title ever. 2: It travels on the path of WW2, which is not only a very beaten path, but has been walked on so much, that it is an entirely flat and featureless path. 3: The game is pretty imbalanced in favor of the Allies. Seriously, try getting a howitzer sometime.... Yet, in spite of these (somewhat minor) problems, it continues to be an awesome game. In interest of not creating a massive wall of text filled with praise for this game, this review will spontaneously end now.… Expand

Lets get the bad stuff outta the way first - some loong load times, and the camera control could be easier (is there ANYONE ever got camera control and angles right?) - now forgot all that and let the pace and beauty take over. Try this - unpack the game, load up and hit the start button; miss out basic training and go straight to the first skirmish mission; orient yourself a little, work out how to build some units, scout about a bit etc. kick back and take in the pretty scenery... Har har - you're in for a shock greensleeves - frantic, frenetic, fearsome... buy it now, even if you hate RTS.… Expand

I don't like giving games 10 - and this is the first game I remember giving 10 to on Meta...but it's worth it. I still ove the backdrop (WWII) and the sense of actually affecting the run of battle in a real way, your actions aren't just "tank rush" or "mass defense"..they will not work in this game, thoughtful combining of firepower in attack and carefully chosen positions in defense are vital - as is the requirment to continually adapt - 'cause the AI is among the best ever. For squad level - this one reigns supreme. Well done Relic (So what the hell was "The Outfit" all about then ??) Clarker… Expand

Repetetive, no axis campaing, unrealistic in so many aspects, few unit choices, poorly executed A.I, physics..where are they?, sound effects is the only good thing along with graphics but that not much since the rest of the game is no good.

Beautiful gameplay, graphics to be amazing even by warperiod.

Faces of war is vastly superior. This is just dawn of war with WWII skins, right down to only having one campaign.

Uber RTS! High quality gaming, SFX and GFX.. Go get it right now! And I'll cya online;-).

Ok,i like it,but there are some isssues that need addressing. the game campaign only have 16 maps,and sadly no more,can you make more campaign maps,also skirmish maps as well more 1v1 and 2v2 maps,other then that i am happy what i have, in regards of making building ect that part of defence ect....its a stra game not a get in there and kill it all asap @jon.d

This game is very complex, and if you want to move into the online gaming grounds you'll have to prepare yourself to lose a few times without even making a dent. Many people have come to expect to play the game, and it to be a point a click. Unfortunately for them, it's not. Every unit has a purpose, and IF USED CORRECTLY is a formidable foe throughout the entire game, rather than these "Get most tech, win" games. The only thing that holds it back are online connectivity issues, which have mostly been resolved. The majority of people you'll be hearing complaints from are those that didn't bother to read the game's minimum specifications, and those that expect it to be like any other "move squad, attack squad" RTS. It's not, you have to constantly think as the game is more a battle of intelligence than anything else. And in that respect the game is so far unique.… Expand

Purely, one of the single best games to ever be created. From the gorgeous, stunning scapes and graphics to the realistic FX, to the clever and brilliant music that you will be dying to hear again and again. The way this game captures the look and feel of driving a semi-truck makes me all giddy inside. Hands down, better than the Ocarina of Time, better than Halo, better than Super Mario 64 this wins Game of all Eternity.… Expand

All the positives that everyone else said are true. The only thing keeping it from being perfect is length (too short, at 15 missions), and weak AI. Only on a couple of the defensive missions did I feel like I was really under attack.

Amazing game, incredible grahics and unveleivable gameplay. The best part is the use of tactical moves such as flanking.

As put by many magazines, COH is simply the pinnacle of RTS gaming. If you have a good computer it's worth the visuals alone; howitzers throw troops 40 meters into the air (or at least parts of them), tanks have chunks of armor blown off sometimes rendering them immobile and of course my favourite part of COH's visual style: all cover is dynamic meaning if one of your squads is hiding behind some barrels and an mg opens up on them, well the barrels splinter and collapse leaving that squad venerable. Amazing things like that compliment the gameplay all too well. Speaking of the gameplay at first it feels a little akward controlling large amounts of troops, but after a couple games it only gets better (get those hotkeys down). speaking of gameplay COHs biggest strength is the majority of online battles rely on combat and very little base management (at least 85%), meaning the key to victory is map control. Lastly I have this to say about the sound FX, amazing, again the best ever done for any RTS (if not onscreen artillery echoes in the backround, mg's sound incredible as they chew up the ground and the allies). Well thats it, now go buy it if you are a fan of RTS's. And I should also point out that it runs well on less powerful machines as well, and the visual sacrafice is really not that much.… Expand

I cannot stress enough how excellent this game is. The visuals, audio and gameplay all excel over others in the genre. In many ways, it's a combination of the best elements of Act of War, Dawn of War and COD. The control and squad systems are well-designed, making controlling your army a simple task. The AI is unusually smart and adaptive, capable of easily flanking your forces and defenses, using cover and heavy support weapons effectively. The use of a full physics engine really makes this a unique experience. Fighting through european cities with AT guns, tanks and motars results in destroyed buildings and caters. Destroyed vehicle parts and building rubble provide cover, whilst holes blown into the sides of buildings become places from which your infantry can fire. The only problems of note are the high system requirements needed to drive the fantastic visuals and physics, and the rather low limits placed on the number of units you can have. This is not like C&C - you cannot put hundreds of tanks onto the field and hope to win. At any one time, you may have as many as 6 or 7 tanks and several infantry units. However, this limit does enforce more reliance on strategy rather than spam, and it makes the limited use of the larger (and very tough) Tiger tanks much more enjoyable.… Expand

Awesome game.

Is Ron H reviewing the same game that everybody else is,

Sure we can all run about shooting nazis in a on the rails of a great FPS, but if you want to be able to control whole platoons of Rangers,Engineers Machine gunners,mortor teams, sherman tanks roket launchers airstrikes, recon units then i would play what i consider the best WWII stratagy game available, the lv of detail that is available when you zoom right in with a great redraw distance makes the game such a joy to watch and play.… Expand

After one day of Beta testing all I can say is wow! This game is a logical step in the right direction for the developers who brought us the wonderful Warhammer Dawn of War games. The best way I can describe it is throw into a melting pot all the past WW2 RTS games and blend them all together into what a WW2 RTS should be and you will have Company of Heroes.
The variety of units and details of the graphics will keep this game interesting for a long time to come.… Expand

Company of Heroes, without a doubt is THE definition of an RTS.It combines the excellent sound,visceral,nerve wracking gameplay of Call of Duty 2 with the overhead view of an RTS. The only problem ive had with it is that the system settings a bit too high for those with a low computer. I have a 1.7 Ghz,512 Dual RAM and 64 ATi Radeon Mobile 9200 and COH bogs down alot.But the gameplay is soooo good that the graphical problems are ALL forgotten. Company of Heroes,you dont own it...it owns YOU!… Expand

This is a best that I even heard anytime in my life thanks with regard.

Drivel. Absolutely horrid, bog standard RTS clickfest replete with the hackneyed RTS conventions such as little green health bars, resource gathering in the middle of a battlefield, tanks magically growing dozer blades or machineguns before your very eyes, machineguns with a max range of 100 feet... The list of idiotic, "gamey" features is endless. It's Warhammer 40K, Dawn of War redone with WWII skins. Garbage. Pure garbage.… Expand

Not your bog standard RTS or WW2 game. At first as a avid RTS gamer, I found it hard to get into with the slightly higher pace of gameplay than normal RTS but once you get the hang of it the game is just a enjoyment to play. Good sound along with oustanding graphics for a RTS puts this head and sholders above any other real time stratagy game out there.

I hate it when idiots say "not innovative" about RTS games... why don't we hear is about FPS games where every single game is to find someone and kill them? Grow up and stop being so critical... "it's not realistic enough wah wah wah" you know why? Because all realistic RTS games SINK like a rock because they AREN'T fun. Do yourselves a favor and play this game, I've played about 300 hours worth of this treat since open beta and am not tired yet.… Expand

The camera could be a little further from the action and it takes a while to get used to the frantic pace. After you get your microing sorted out, it really comes to life. The graphics are amazing and there are a lot of tactical options. I didn't care too much for the campaign mode but it's a good tutorial for the game and the needed micro skills. The implementation of the Full Spectrum Warrior-esque features (surpression, pinning, flanking) is a lot of fun during the early game while the late benefits from weaker units still being able to destroy the most powerful tanks when micro'ed properly. I'd rather have a Rome Total War setup without buildings but it doesn't dominate the game too much. And I don't even like RTS normally.… Expand

Excellent game. Evenly balanced. Actually has physics. I can't think of anything in this game that isn't good!

I think it's a spectacular game. Graphics, tough AI, intensity of the combat and everything getting blown apart is awesome.

One of (if not) the best RTS game out to date. Great graphics, sound, presentation, but most of all, GAMEPLAY! Only having two armys may be a problem to some people but it also promotes using both armys equaly online. When the expansion, CoH: Oposing Fronts is released this game will become aonther classic like SC, TA, WC, ect. 4 armys it will be more competitive than ever. Pick this up if you don't have it!… Expand

One of the best game I played in ages! And I am not even a fan of the RTS genre. So well done and requires thinking instead of massing units. It encourages usage of your brain instead.

The best part about CoH is the attention to detail. Having troops realistically seeking cover, rolling on the ground, having chunks of earth being blown off of the map, it just makes you feel really there.

Amazing graphics, and hours of fun playing time!

The only strategy game I have every played that actually required thinking over just farming units and blobbing around the map. I have tried many strategy games, but this one is the best. While some people have trouble with the game and rate it poorly, it is because they didn't know how to play the game. This is a game that requires a lot of skill and knowledge before you get good at it. For example, many people get frustrated when they don't know the controls to drive a vehicles backwards. Also, you can drive a vehicle into a wall to make a place for a machine gun. Buildings and cover can be destroyed completely. The game is the best balance of realism and fun I have ever played in a game.… Expand

I actually installed Windows again (I'm a crazy Linux nut) just for this game. It is quite simply the best "RTS" game I've ever played.

Company of heroes is one of the most enjoyable game I have ever played, and that's without its expansion. The AI is astounding in my opinion, making combat decisions to better keep themselves alive. The cover system is very flexible and interesting, and lastly, the accuracy and presentation of the units in the game is near god-like. I highly recommend purchasing this game!

CoH is a good game all in all. I think alot of people just get frustrated with the game because it is so demanding, intense and requires attention to detail. But I think thats the point of a game. It has reallly good graphics and sound. Can people also stop talking about there being no planes because there is if you pick an air commando and its suppposed to be an infantry based game anyway, hence the micromanagment.… Expand

One of the best RTS games of all time. A testament to the quality products that Relic is capable of developing.

CoH pretty much set the standard for RTS games post 2006. At its conception, its mix of intuitive and deep unit cover, intelligent unit AI, a great interface and outstanding graphics blew away previous entries into the genre. CoH was as a big step forward for the genre as Command and Conquer or Dune. It was the perfect mix of gameplay, history and balance. With patches, the game's AI is now absolutely outstanding, and still features a strong online community. Plenty of variety in maps, built in mission editor, the game simply features everything you could want in an RTS, complete with the expected attention to quality relic can provide.… Expand

great game i Recommend every RTS players to buy it. the reason i gave it a 9 is that the system requirments... it recommends: 3.0 ghz intel P4. 1GB ram. Nvidia geforce 6800 256mb or better. I have 2,2 ghz amd athlon 64x2 2GB ram nvidia 7200gs 256mb. so i throught i could run it maxed out. but i have to run it on low settings....the system requirments is really a big lie...

An excellent revision of the squad-based RTS genre, and a fitting blend of realism and gameplay conceits to maximize fun. The ability to use and upgrade civilian buildings into forward bases and make use of cover is brilliant. The power to call on allied forces from off-map is true-to-life and genre appropriate. The sheer flexibility of the infantryman as the backbone of the Army is in full display, a welcome change from the crippling overspecialization rampant in many titles. The use of a territory control model for resourcing is excellent, as it ties economic and defensive strategy together as a package. I do have to say that buying it on Steam is a good way around the torrent of patches and updates at install, but it does mean waiting for the full download to play.… Expand

There's a lot to like in CoH and the game has a huge following. I'll come right out with it though.. This game is for kids. If two tanks circling each other and firing at point-blank is your idea of a 10/10 game, so be it. Also if you buy this game it will take you about 4 hours at least to download and install all the patches. Just figuring out which patches you need to get is a challenge. What CoH succeeds at is delivering the experience with a simple/solid user interface. However the gameplay in CoH isn't very hardcore. Another RTS I find more detailed and rewarding to play: Men of War. It isn't nearly so arcade-ish as CoH and has a far better ballistics model. Well, CoH doesn't really have much of a ballistics model. When you tire of CoH, get Men of War.… Expand

While i did enjoy the whole squad based combat and the fully discructable environments i never really liked the stratiegic point capturing objective. It gets frustrating during a single or multiplayer game because while im capturing one of the enemys points he is usually captuering one of mine and i just hate that. But overall it was a pretty good game and the campaign was good so i will give it a 7.… Expand

Pretty good game. Reminds me of Dawn of War. The only drawback is that it runs horribly on lower end PCs like mine.

Best RTS ever played. Inovative gameplay, great graphics and sound. Totally destructible environment ... never seen before. This game is really intense.

Pure and simple, if you like gaming, add this to your shelf. I would like to point out that WHAM! gaming officially sucks a fat one for this last critique. I mean cmon, way to F### up guys. Who rags on a game with a rating of 75, when 20 or more bigger critics give the game a 90 - 100 (there were like ten 100's!!!). 20+!!!!!!!!!! Dude, you guys are the laughing stock of the gaming world; I should have your jobs u SOB's.... Game revolution, i didn't expect that kind of idiocy from you. to tha point::::::::: This game has a few classic RTS flaws, but simply dominates every single game of its genre. In my book, this is the 4th best RTS WW2 game ever created (thus far).… Expand

I think its safe to say that WHAM! gaming critics officially suck a fat fucking dick. Seriously, when 20 or more critics rate a game at 90 and above, and you gave it a 75.... wow, way to fuck up eh?

to tha point, this game has classic RTS flaws, but flat out dominates competition. This is a must buy. Seriously, who the fuck ever heard of Wham! gaming, i hate you faggots.

Game Sucks, maybe I was looking for that rush I got from COD2. Immersed intantly in action, I played this for a half hour and never got to use a weapon I guess I thought it was a FPS, if your into strategy I guess you might give it a shot but if you want the kind of action like COD2 Do not buy it, another wasted 50 bucks any one want this game before I chuck it.

Not so real rts but really funny. If you like this play it but i recommend game FACES OF WAR. In COH tanks can be destroyed only by other tanks, soldiers can't even hurt them with their weak grenades. so good so bad....

Visceral and quite possibly one of the most intense and exciting RTS i'd ever played. This is very different from all other rts in the market right now, and emphasizes alot more on tactics and how you fully utilize the strengths of your units. Its not about turtling and massing your troops and over-running your opponents in a single swoop (aka C&C). to A B: DO NOT compare this with Red Alert.it is in no way like any of the C&C games, in fact, it would be an insult to CoH. You're not supposed to mass anything, which forces you to utilize your resources and units more effectively. And also, the emphasis is on tactical and strategic combat, NOT base building and harvesting of resources. I think this game is just not for you A B. I would have rated this a 9 but the tank pathfinding bugs are way too glaring to be ignored. Online matching and ranking systems are still bugged as well.… Expand

The very definition of strategy gaming! I have never played an RTS game where I felt so much for my little toy men. Buy it! You will never regret it.

It may just be the last WW2 RTS game you ever need to play. Any other WW2 game that will come out after this will be undoubtedly compared to COH and fail.

Amazing Graphics, and Novel play do not a good game make. While this has an incredible amount of finely tuned behaviors that provide an illusion of realism, it's still very fictional and poorly abstracted. Great for the RTS fan, but not so great for the historical fan. VS AI play, to get burried in a mountain of armor is completely unfun, all the Armor and Anti Armor is ludicrously represented: Case in point PAK 40s (And allied guns too) don't kill or even stop allied tanks, even a basic tank can simply drive out of its arc of fire (while taking 2 or so direct hits) and kill it from the side as the crew try to manually rotate it, Crocodile Shermans are ridiculously obscure (There were only 4 in the war) but are prominent in the game. They CAN'T fire their 75mm gun, only using the flamethrower, and can't hurt armor at all, not even open topped ostwinds at short range in Urban maps. Infantry cant hurt tanks and light vehicles, in a meaningful way, they cant even assault the open top ones... Grenades and sticky bombs are upgrades... Retreating infantry units suddenly turn nearly invincible... The only recourse to destroying tanks is really other tanks. A silly game about tanks, and the Germans get a blitzkrieg special power,... More tanks. Retreating infantry units suddenly turn nearly invincible... No Air Power... Engineers cant clear German tank traps... German tanks drive over allied tank traps (that look like German Welded Dday beach obstacles)... Infantry cant even cross a simple fence or jump a low wall... Some maps include innaccesible objectives... Cumbersome, frustrating, unhistorical and not intuitive. Ignorant RTS fans will love it, historical players look elsewhere!… Expand

Best game I've ever played. Very fast paced, especially for an RTS.

Insane Graphics. One of the best games I have ever played. I've had a little trouble with multiplayer and the campaign was a little too short for my liking, but the great level designs and replay value due to the medals earned by completing secondary objectives and the abundant skirmish maps that can be replayed over and over with different outcomes make up for that completely

Certainly most of the innovate RTS games hitting the shelves this year.

Uh, this game is the best RTS in years. period.

Well, it's certianly NOT as realistic as the Close Combat games (buy the upcoming Theatre of War if you want that...I will be!), but it's far and away the best RTS game out there to date.

Simply the best RTS/WW2 game. If you liked the Close Combat series, then you must get CoH. Get attached to your troops as you fight your way thru Europe's battles in WW2. Every unit has a strenght and a weakness, so its a fine balance in every fight. Using the map resources, you use them to create new units and also to upgrade your current ones, such as a flame thrower or throw a grenade. Graphics are super, as details like wheelmarks, tracers and smoke are amazing. Overall, a well done and a must have for RTS and WW2 fans alike.… Expand

Best RTS since Close Combat and Total Annihilation. It should tell you something when you realize it's the best RTS since 1999... The game is nearly flawless. Resource management is a natural part of aggressive tactics and requires zero micro management. Territorial control and supply lines are great additions. The fact that Infantry units aren't mere cannon fodder is a testament to the level of detail given to this game. Throw in quality cinematics to go with a great campaign mode that presents all sorts of variations... yea... go buy it or else you'll be wasting your $50 on something else. Too bad it's yet ANOTHER WWII game...… Expand

If you have played Warhammer Dawn of War then you will find that company of heros playes almost excatly the same with the exception of better graphics better atmosfear and better maps.

Best strategy game in many years, I have lately been looking for a good strategy game and this game is that game. It caught me by surprise, it's a real gem. I just finished the first mission and liked the chaotic and realistic feal of the game.

Indeed, this is good RTS. Many talk about Close Combat being realistic.. I think Combat Mission series is THE most realistic WWII game to date (granted that it's turn based, but when you press go it moves all players at once, so its kinda mixed RTS and turn based). It says something about Combat Mission, when even antitank weapon damage is calculated from the angle it was shot. Troops have wery realistic morale and efficiency based on how close leaders are. And the tactics play far more important role than in any game i have seen.… Expand

This is a Game that made me play it for near 2 days straight. "Company Of Heroes" sounded like just another ww2 shootemup. I'm glad the offered a demo, once you pick it up, you won't put it down. Rember how cool Red Alert was when it Came out? Well this is cooler. I have never enjoyed a Real Time Strategy game as much as this before, and the pace is so frenetic it can be nerve wracking! Chaotic and cool!… Expand

By no means a bad game it still feels like dawn of war: winter assault with WW2 units and awesome graphics. Owners of less powerful rigs and people seeking realism beware.

Simply amazing. So far, the only truly great strategy games have been not set in WWII, and this game changes that. I've avoided WWII RTS games for a while because the idea of good for that genre is just that, good, but this game is amazing. It puts all other WWII RTS games to shame and many non WWII RTS games to shame. Sitting at your base is not an option due to the resourse gathering method. The entire game is made to make Offense and fighting the only way to win. It rewards aggressive play, but not reckless play and it really forces you to multi task and play the frontlines. The tactics used such as rear armor hits makes powerful units feel like more than jacked up weak units and the Company Commander abilities make only 2 factions feel like the WWII equivilant of 2 races with 3 factions each. Like in a fantasy themed game, the races (Axis and Allies) dfiffer in general play mechanics while the different Commander Paths feel like different Civilizations in a Historical RTS within those races (like in Rise of Nations or Age of Empires) and I'm surprised nobody ever thought of multiple levels of organization before. Overall, this is one of the greatest RTS games ever made and if you like RTS games, you owe this game a shot, or if you didn't like RTS games because you felt sitting back and building your base was boring, you also owe this a shot.… Expand

All I can say is amazing.

Spectacular - the first WWII RTS I've enjoyed, Company of Heroes is beautifully put together.

Yes it's an RTS - it even says exactly that on the box, it follows RTS conventions If it didn't it wouldn't be an RTS. It is NOT realistc at the expense of gameplay. There are games that force you to micromanage your troops underwear requirement from the quartermaster and even their facing under fire "Please turn and face the guys shooting at you" This game doesn't -and as a GAME - it's all the better for it. For those who want that - I can suggest the "Combat Mission" games - a fine game with an average turn time for a company size operation of about three and a half weeks. Where even the most retentive "Uber" general can micro manage every last aspect of there troops Play that and realise that no commander would ever do that in real life "gamey features" Durr "It IS a game" There is no resource gathering in the usual sense (you have to take resource points which then give you manpower / fuel or ammo depending on type) I think of that as your HQ allocating resourcs depending on your units geographical footprint and usefullness (which is what generally happens) MG's with short ranges do irk me, but haviing played Flashpoint, being shot from a mile away with no idea who or how is not really everyones gaming "cup of tea" and despite beig realistic - also seems very arbitrary and not linked in any way to your skill as a gamer. This game is action packed fun with a good measure of thought required (the skirmish modes are damn hard) Clarker… Expand

Very fun, very good graphics, and a awesome campaign mode. Some things do magically appear, and the gun ranges are a little bogus, but other than that the game can be reall realistic.

Sounds, animations, atmospheres, environments, potential for strategic variation, importance of individual squadron control, unit special abilities, intelligent AI, even an engine that can scale down on 3 years+ old computers and still run smoothly. While comments such as Mick N's: "Drivel [...], absolutely horrid," are usually counter-productive, he does make the valid points that a few things are blindingly traditional (health bars, unrealistic obtaining of upgrades) and could use a little spark. But what makes me give this game a 9 is that, while this game is executed very well, Relic does not innovate enough on their previous RTS, 40k, to justify giving them a 10. However, this game is superbly crafted. The only aspect that its missing is something that differentiates it from 40k outside of the setting.… Expand