
What’s so great about it? Well, like Call of Duty 2, a lot of the appeal is initially visual, lying in the astonishing level of gritty detail, the realistic animation of the soldiers, the rich surface textures and dynamic particle effects.

Company of Heroes is one of this year’s few bona fide classics. Even if you never wanted to see another RTS or another WWII game in your life – and certainly not something that combined the two – you really should change your mind about this one. Like Infinity Ward’s WWII FPS, it uses new technology, cinematic techniques and great game design to persuade you to play a type of game you should be sick and tired of, and actually make it feel fresh and thrilling.

It’s always curious when the first game a new title brings to mind is something in a completely different genre, but if Relic’s new RTS has a comparison point, it’s last year’s Call of Duty 2.
