14 DAY TRIAL // Much of the innovation in Company of Heroes 2 – Ardennes Assault has been linked to the new campaign map, which allows gamers to control their chosen companies as they attack territories, deal with missions, and try to conserve as much fighting power as possible while gaining experience and requisition.
But the new Relic experience is still a real time tactical title that asks players to use a starting base and a few squads to expand, control territory, take out enemy units, and achieve a victory objective, which mostly involves running down the victory points of the opponent.
During the single-player campaign, the battles are tougher and more unpredictable than in the original Russian one.
The German troops vary in capabilities and the way they use their troops, and they are good when it comes to achieving special objectives, including searching for vehicles or trying to only score one type of kills.
There are several missions where I was surprised by their concentrated use of forces and Relic also often gives them a solid numerical advantage, which means that gamers need to carefully use their commander powers and the abilities of their troops to deal with them.
Mass counterattacks that target some areas of the maps also often feel unfair but they do make the battles in Ardennes Assault more interesting.
Multiplayer varies in quality, the community is solid
One advantage that Company of Heroes 2 has is that it has been out for long enough to create a solid community of veteran players who are polite and play until the outcome of a battle is decided.
A majority is also eager to talk about the game and offer advice if they are solicited to do so, which is great for anyone who is just discovering the game and might have some trouble picking up all the mechanics.
There are also enough players to offer variety and it’s very interesting to see the number of strategies that humans can come up with in order to surprise their opponents, especially after spending a lot of time with the Artificial Intelligence.
Sure, there’s an optimal way to play Company of Heroes 2 and some searching will quickly reveal strategies and tactics, but it’s much more fun to simply play the game and develop a personal style, trying to react to what the enemy does while also keeping a long term plan in mind, preferably one that can lead to victory.
