Company Of Heroes Complete: Campaign Edition
Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted from Macworld UK. Visit Macworld UK’s blog page for the latest Mac news from across the Atlantic.
Company Of Heroes Complete: Campaign Edition (Mac App Store link; GameAgent link) took us a bit by surprise. We were expecting a first-person shooter along the lines of Call Of Duty, but then found ourselves playing a rather enjoyable real-time strategy (RTS) instead. It’s effectively Age Of Empires in a World War II setting, which is no bad thing for strategy fans, since the AoE series has given us some of the best strategy games ever seen on the Mac.
The game is set in occupied France during the final days of World War II, and puts you in command of American troops (who apparently won the war all by themselves) as they seek to drive out the Nazi invaders. The main campaign starts with the D-Day landings on Omaha Beach and then proceeds through a dozen different missions that take you ever deeper into enemy territory.
You can control a variety of different troops and armoured vehicles, such as riflemen, paratroopers and Sherman tanks, each with its own particular strengths and weakness. And, in time-honored RTS fashion, you also need to muster additional resources in order to keep your troops well supplied. You do this by taking control of the munitions and fuel dumps scattered around the French countryside, which then allow you to upgrade your weapons and create barracks and other buildings that can be used to bring in reinforcements.
Company of Heroes was originally released on the PC back in 2006, and the graphics are showing their age a bit now. However, the game’s 3D graphics do provide an effective view of the battlefield, and it’s fun to watch as your tanks plough through walls and your long-range artillery wreaks havoc on enemy positions. This Complete Edition also includes two expansion packs that provide additional missions—including a belated appearance by the British 2nd Army— which will keep you playing for weeks on end.
Macworld’s buying advice
The 3D graphics aren’t exactly state of the art, but the variety of troops and tactics that you can employ make Company of Heroes a thoroughly enjoyable strategy game. Our only criticism is that it can be a bit bloody at times, and the language is rather ripe too, so it’s not really suitable for younger players.
