Company of Heroes 2: Closed Beta Starts April 2nd for Pre-Orders

[sandman2575]

Less than favorable indeed!

"Company of Heroes 2 might be the steepest tumble from game design genius to crassly missing the point that I've ever seen."

Yikes.  That's rather worrying.  One positive review, one very negative review (1 Star!).

Folks that have played the Beta -- what are your reactions to Quarter to Three's assessment?

[Grim.Reaper]

Less than favorable indeed!

"Company of Heroes 2 might be the steepest tumble from game design genius to crassly missing the point that I've ever seen."

Yikes.  That's rather worrying.  One positive review, one very negative review (1 Star!).

Folks that have played the Beta -- what are your reactions to Quarter to Three's assessment?

I already made my voice known, largely from the fact the pace is still too hectic for me, but the review doesn't mention that.  I do agree with a couple things.

1)  I was not an expert in version 1, but from what I remember, it seemed roughly the same, except in the east.  I am sure there are subtle differences, but game had the same feel.

2)  Snow and Fires - I agree 100% on this item....why in the world do I want to micro manage my soldiers to the degree I have to move them to houses/fire during snow storms?  Sure it is logical if in the real world, but in a game that already is hectic and demands a lot of attention, why would I think this is fun too manage?

[son_of_montfort]

Pre-loading now...anyone else?

I look forward to your impressions of it once you get it to see how it compares to mine.....here is a mini-review from Quarter to Three that is less than favorable....

http://www.quartertothree.com/fp/2013/06/24/company-of-heroes-2-is-a-real-snow-job/

Tom Chick also panned Distant Worlds and is a well known gaming curmudgeon. I trust his reviews as much as I trust Gus's assessment of being tall.  ;)

RPS was much more positive about CoH2. I'm skeptical that Tom Chick played enough to actually review this (unless he is reviewing from Beta, which is usually a no-no). No other news outlet has released a review, as far as I can see, so it would be odd for Chick to "get the scoop."

I am biased, however, I once had a shouting match with Chick and found him to be vulgar, acerbic, overly-critical, and not particularly civil.

[son_of_montfort]

I misspoke. Kotaku had a much more balanced review and they found CoH2 to be "more of the same, but that is a good thing." They were disappointed in the solo play missions, however, which featured a bit too much bad writing. Still, they give it a "Yes, you should play this game" rating.

http://kotaku.com/company-of-heroes-2-the-kotaku-review-552317781

[Gusington]

My assessment of being tall is that it must be better than not being tall.

Last night half way through my preload my power went out and stayed out for two hours...delaying me diving in to this. This morning after getitng power back I downloaded the rest of it.

[sandman2575]

Thanks for putting the Quarter to Three review in perspective.  As someone who regards the original CoH as easily one of the most fun and engrossing games I've ever played (and played the hell out of), I very much want to believe CoH2 will be a worthy successor.  But it's a high bar to clear.  I suppose it's bound to disappoint in some respects.  I do agree with Chick's assessment of how well original CoH holds up today.  It is still a fantastic game, especially modded.

The thing about blizzards and fires -- I have to believe this will be one of the first things modded out (assuming it can be modded out... I hope Relic wasn't stupid enough to make this non-moddable).  Having to light campfires in the middle of combat is just idiotic on every level.  There is nothing about CoH that encourages an "all quiet on the front -- let's hunker down and wait things out" style of play.  The gameplay is always fast-paced, sometimes relentlessly so.  The idea that soldiers are going to have time to light fires -- just dumb, dumb, dumb.  It's hard to fathom why this idea ever got past the initial brainstorming phase.  "Hey, what if soldiers have to light fires to keep warm!"  "No, um, that's a terrible idea."  That's how the conversation should have proceeded.

[Jarhead0331]

^The funny thing is, you do not even need to be a combat veteran to know that this is completely implausible and unrealistic.  In an effort to add some authenticity to the game by including weather effects on a battlefield that was known for harsh climate, they managed to destroy their good intentions by including a completely unauthentic gimmick.  Bad decision, indeed.

[Tinkershuffle]

I used to love CoH. In fact CoH was the game that made my medieval/fantasy enthusiasm turn into WW2 enthusiasm. But I think the magic is gone what comes to the sequal. Basically not much have changed compared to the first one but that's the problem. Games like APOS and W:ALB have set new standards to historical RTS gaming. That's why recon vehicles that can push infantry out of cover, a camera view that allows you to see two trees and a house at a time, and tanks that are shooting each other 5 meters apart without a kill shot don't do the trick anymore. I'm sure I'll buy the game at some point when it hits the sales but 50€ is just too much at the moment considering what novelties it has (not) to offer.

[Gusington]

Finished the first campaign mission. It's intense but there is room for some thought...the game makes you think. If you blindly throw your troops into fire you will lose everyone. Some of the audio cues do get a little repetitive.

Mind you I have not really gamed WWII in the modern PC era, so a lot of what some grogs may see as gimmicky I thought was great. There are many other units besides your own fighting around you for the same objectives, lending that 'part of a bigger picture' feel. Men that are hit scream in pain, some panic and run...without giving away too much there is a scene of commissars at work. It is clear to me that the Eastern Front was researched as it should have been for this. The things I saw and took part in felt authentic.

This first mission was for the railroad station in Stalingrad and was broken down into three objectives. I got to use infantry tactics, grenades, smoke and captured German artillery. Stalingrad exploded all around me. And I loved every minute of it.

That said it...it does not appear that the campaign is in chronological order. This first mission was in September 1942 while the next one will be set in September 1941. It seems to be based on one man's life, so hopefully things will become clearer as I advance. But I will definitely be coming back...CoH II may be my entry point game for modern WWII PC gaming.

And for reference I am going to pick these titles to expand my background...I have been waiting to buy these two books until the release of CoH 2 today:

http://www.amazon.com/Ostkrieg-Hitlers-War-Extermination-East/dp/0813134161/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372207996&sr=1-1&keywords=ostkrieg+hitler%27s+war+of+extermination+in+the+east

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1849087903/ref=gno_cart_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Overall I am impressed, even if I am pretty much a newb in the WWII genre. Looking forward to the next mission.

[Grim.Reaper]

Glad your enjoying Gus, your a better man than me with this game:)  Still could end up picking up during xmas sale, we'll see...

[Gusington]

I may be biased because of my limited exposure to more modern WWII PC games...but I do think CoH 2 has a lot to offer all of us.

[son_of_montfort]

My problem is that I suck at it (so far). I was really kicking ass in the first Theater of War campaign, when suddenly the Russians pull in with some tanks and basically mash my base. I did not even see the option for me to build tanks, so I guess they want me to pull it off with no anti-armor! Better invest in some mortar squads!

[Gusington]

Is Theater of War like the tutorial campaign? Skirmish? Neither? Both?

I really didn't know what I was doing when I started but I just decided to relax and let the Eastern Front pour into me :)

Playing on ''Captian" [normal] difficulty, btw.

[sandman2575]

So I am a complete sucker and bought the absurdly priced $99 "Digital Collector's Edition"...  Just... could not... resist....

So far I've only fiddled around with some skirmishes and the basic tutorial battle.  Initial impressions are certainly positive.  Gameplay, interface, commands are indeed very close if not identical to the original CoH.  For me that's a good thing.

The battles are mayhem though, just as the original was.  Still, I like it.  I know it's not 'realistic' to say the least.  But for slower pace and more realism, there's always Achtung Panzer Op Star or Combat Mission.  This is definitely Hollywood-ized 'Saving Private Ryan' style combat. And it's fun.


EDIT -- Anyone else getting CTDs?  I've now had 2 crashes -- just happens mid-battle (on Skirmish).  A little worrying.  I don't think I ever had a single CTD with CoH, with God knows how many hours of play.  Game was a solid as a rock.  Hmmm...

[Gusington]

No I didn't have any CTDs. Where are the tutorials? I just jumped right into the campaign.