Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts

Tender and succulent...

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Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts is brilliant. Let's just get that out there. The original game was superb, but Relic has out done itself with this standalone expansion pack (although to call it an expansion is as offensive to Relic as it is ridiculous). The standalone missions are as big, if a little more ambitious, than its brother's corresponding campaigns.

In this you take control of both the German Panzers and the British 2nd Army, in turn. The Brits are a particular tenacious bunch, breaking the stereotypical stiff upper lipped, but ultimately fair, illusion of our armed forces. Oh no. This lot scream obscenities as they ruthlessly cut through wave of Germans charging emplacements. It's a refreshing change. Realistic too. Interaction between the two forces tells alternative stories of the relationship between the two sides. Rather than have both forces hell bent on annihilating the other, devoid of any emotion, a single unit marching forwards to victory, Opposing Fronts eeks genuine fear and despair out from the hinges. It's an admirable position to take and excellently executed: you're left to hear the anguished wails of the under equipped men you've just sent to storm a base using only the fool-hardy plan of attacking straight forward. No, you're better with a well-planned manoeuvre with the right troops for the job, a lot less guilt, although still harbouring a little, as no matter how right you get it someone always dies. And it's this notion that runs throughout Fronts - this really did happen and the little men you order around the battlefield were very real once upon a time. All this and you never feel you're being preached at, bizarrely you're not denied having fun at the same time, despite the overt miseries of war on offer.

The narrative of the Panzer Elite, for example, follows the plight of two German brothers, one a commander, the other a soldier. The exchanges between them show humility to their foes. This is far removed from the modern depiction of the Second World War in video games. You're asked to put yourself in the position of men fighting for fascist Germany, and then asked to understand their position - it's refreshing to the see that 'the old enemy' are displayed so positively in a game called Company of Heroes. I'm sure there were many.

The narrative lead single player games (while huge and worthwhile in their own right) aren't the bread and butter of Relic's wartime RTS. In practical terms it serves as a way of introducing you to the new armies, weapons, artillery, and armoury that come with it. The multiplayer game is a meat so tender that a vegan would chomp it down without hesitation. Put simply, it's a mind-blowing medley of tactical thinking, huge explosions (that often see men fly hundreds of feet through the air), tense gunfights and shrewd management.

While it does, in parts, suffer from the RTS disease of having the most units win, Opposing Fronts does go some way to dealing with the issue. Your squads are capped and the amount and type of units you can build are determined by how many strategic points you hold. However the way combat unfolds is much more telling of the depth in this game. Firstly, a large group of forces will only go so far - you can't steam roll your way through the entire base of your opponent. Every fight leaves you with casualties and even a basic first and second row of defences (machine gun nests, MG squads and even root level infantry) can defend well against most units. Producing a group of tanks, while beholding impressive offensive capabilities, will quickly succumb to infantry baring a couple of rocket launchers. The key is to find the right mixture of infantry to support armoury, while having the necessary troops in place to deal with a counter attack should your offence fail. Sounds simple, but given the difficultly in producing enough units to do both often leaves you having to under-subscribe one area.

Win or lose though, you bare witness to amazing set pieces that sprawl over huge maps.

There are minor flaws to be found in balancing as some armies are more difficult to use than others - the Panzers, for example, are much more powerful in the first instance than the Brits. The tech trees (that are essential to master if you're going to hold your own) differ between sides. As a result you have to re-learn what needs to be built in what order if you're going to be able gain access to the more powerful units. As such it's way too easy to pick an army that you've mastered and never change, a shame because all the armies within the game have their own differing charms and stories to tell. Relic do encourage you to be diverse and level you on ability to use each army in turn, other players can see your rating and challenge you, etc. It also avoids the problem of novices avoiding your rating, as you can use an army that you're less skilled with - it's an intrinsic handicap system that's less contrived than forcing a player to starting with less resources.

The depth at which each squad can be manipulated will be off putting to some. Upgrading weapons and veterancy needs to be done on a squad-by-squad basis and the importance of this doing this, especially during multiplayer games, shouldn't be underestimated. A veteran squad is an extremely capable unit who are hard to kill and accomplished marksmen - vehicles too can gain vetrancy. Once the squad has gained the relevant experience and icon appears on the left hand side of the screen for a few seconds, then disappears. The squad remains upgradeable, but finding them on the battlefield once the icon is gone, amidst the battle, explosions, death and glory, is frustrating to say the least.

I couldn't rightly give Opposing Fronts 100% as the above niggles exist, but it's with a level of pedantry that they're noted. What you're left with, forgiving these slight imperfections, is an engrossingly huge cinematic experience. The single player campaign will eat up your life in the short term, however the multiplayer bears such depth, such a huge learning curve, that Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts will be a game that you play for a long time to come. I can't imagine a better RTS being released in the foreseeable future; certainly one has never bettered it before this. Everyone, regardless of whether you enjoy RTS' or not should own a copy - you're doing yourself a massive injustice if you refrain.

I should add that while Relic have made a brilliant video game; the server support for the multiplayer games is abysmal. Random disconnects in the middle of the game, the impossibility of connecting to games other than a through the automatch feature, and the requirement of having to be online even to play the single player game is stupid given the fragile nature of the servers. There are also major problems with copies bought through Steam not loading since the release of the latest patch. Relic need to sort these issues instantly, it simply isn't cricket to release and charge people if they cannot play the game as and when they like. A major patch will sort this out this time (and given there wasn't similar issues with the original CoH) we'll give relic the benefit of the doubt for the time being.

93%

By Gary Flavell