But Company of Heroes 2 brings it to a grind. My rig usually has plenty of muscle, taking games like Bioshock Infinite in its stride with all the bling on, and barely breaking a sweat in Metro 2033. It turns out that CoH2, despite the fact that the graphics are hardly worth noting, is an absolute dog when it comes to system requirements. Certainly it could have something to do with the fact that Relic's old owners THQ went bankrupt shortly before the game was scheduled for release, but that alone can hardly explain how they could fall off the throne that way.įortunately, I find my answer. It pulls all the pace out of the game, and where the first CoH was praised for its fast and frantic pace, this feels more like a case of winter depression. On paper it might sound fun, but it is also quickly becomes clear that, by design, there is a right and a wrong way to send my snipers, and if I choose the wrong way, they're shot without warning. My snipers have happily packed winter clothes, making them immune to the cold, and so I'm forced use them as scouts to find enemy positions before I move the rest of the troops.

To such an extent that they die after a few minutes in the open. The soldiers become even slower when they have to wade through the deep snow, and as long as they are not at a fire, in a building or in cover from the wind, their body temperature constantly drops. I get highly annoyed the first time I really meet the hard Russian winter. The graphics aren't exactly spectacular either. Matches feel as if they drag on, and enemy soldiers often act like bullet sponges. Mis-clicks happen often, the UI for building new troops seems cumbersome, and your buildings all look far too similar to give you an impression of what builds what. You often battle through ruins and rubble, and the many details in the terrain make it hard to see where you can move your troops, where they are able to take cover, and what things you can fire over.

The controls are sluggish, your troops are slow-witted, and the first handful of missions are not very interesting.

My first impressions of CoH2 are almost all negative. As I said, the choice of the Eastern Front as the game's focus could not have been more appropriate. It seems like Relic has bitten off more than they can chew, and along the way have made some unfortunate design decisions, making it feel like the game is buckling under its own weight. And therefore I say at the outset that no, Company of Heroes 2 does not live up to those expectations.

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