It’s probably no secret that I enjoy playing Company of Heroes when I’m not working. 🙂

And it was only recently I figured out how to successfully install the expansion pack on my hard drive. And there you have it – my review on Opposing Fronts. This game was released almost the same time last year and while the game engine, Essence Engine, remained the same, Opposing Fronts see 2 new sides added – the ‘potty-mouth’ British of the Commonwealth forces… and the mighty German Panzer Elite.

I also figured out how to fuse both the original Company of Heroes with this Expansion Pack together, so I could play any of the 4 sides anytime in Skirmish games:

ALLIES – American or British
AXIS – Wermacht or Panzer Elite

Game Play: RTS (Real Time Strategy)

The Plot: Based in the settings of World War II, the player can play either side i.e. German Panzer Elite or British Commonwealth forces. (This is unlike in the original CoH where you can play only the American side).

The German campaign focuses on Kampfgruppe Lehr’s struggle to repel Allied forces in Operation Market Garden, the largest airborne invasion in history. The British 2nd Army will see the liberation of Caen, but not without a big cost in lives.

Why This Game Rocks: if you’ve been playing the original Company of Heroes, you’re going to be in for a surprise. Depending on how you see it, of course. Because the 2 new factions require a different school of strategies to fully tap into their offensive and defensive advantages.

For example, the British Army is totally unlike the rest. Your mobile HQ (yes I said mobile) is portable and you can set up your HQ anywhere on the field. And if you’re taking control of the Panzer Elite, your grenadier infantries are totally multi purpose – they can build base structures and repair vehicles.

I have to hand it that their unit speeches – especially the British units – are more hilarious and uhm… foul mouth. 😉 (The Infantry Section sounds like Ewen McGregor and the Cromwell Tank sounds like Professor Utonium from Powerpuff Girls, lol)

And Why Not: There’s been quite some changes to the newest version of CoH and Opposing Fronts that rendered my past gameplay knowledge and strategy obsolete. For example, the T-34 Sherman Calliope is no longer capable of firing its main cannon and used solely for artillery (why not BOTH?!) and the commander points have been changed a bit depending on which commander tree you choose in your faction. Might upset people who don’t like certain changes, like me. 🙁

Overall: I give it a 7 out of 10. While I’m excited about the new changes, the new factions, the new missions, new skirmish experience, and what not… at the same time, I couldn’t forget some of the nice ole’ ways I grew accustomed to when playing the original CoH. But if you’re into CoH or a WWII history buff, don’t miss this game for sure. By far the best WWII game I’ve played.

I’m leaving for KL in another 9 hours or less. And since I’m taking a break from ‘graveyard hour’ business, thought I’d better chalk out some quick reviews on some of the games I’ve been playing lately.

I can’t go into much detail this time so I’ll throw out a quick blurb with an overall personal rating for each of the games I’ve tried out lately – on the scale of 10 – starting with Crysis and Crysis Warhead.

(Other games will be covered in subsequent blog posts…)

Crysis

Gameplay: First Person Shooter

The Plot: Set in a near future, a mysterious alien spacecraft hit the surface of the Earth – near the coast of Korea, to be exact. Since then, the Koreans have guarded the island in which the spacecraft landed and kept their activities there a secret even from the United States.

The player assumes the role of Nomad, a Delta Force member who wears a multipurpose nano suit that allows him to cloak, maximize his strength, increase his speed, and increase his armor depending on how the player uses the suit’s energy, and the ability based on the combat situation.

In the first half of the game, the player battles through the waves of Korean soldiers to uncover the truth behind the heavily guarded island only to discover that the aliens within the spacecraft are very much active and prepped for invasion (as seen in how they commandeer the Exosuit and the designs of the flyers). In the next half of the game, the player will battle the aliens as they are fully awake then.

Why It Rocks: There’s a variety of configurations you can do to your weapons, like adding the tactical attachment to shoot ‘sleep bullets’ (good if you run out of ammo) or switch to the grenade launcher and wipe your foes in a sweep. Your shotgun can be tweaked for precision shot or spread-out approach. And how you utilize the suit in combat situations will decide how you’re going to survive since it’s a one man vs. the whole army and a fleet of aliens kind of game.

Why It Doesn’t: For some reason, the storyline just doesn’t grab me. Fighting Koreans and then aliens from outer space? 😉 In spite of the multitude of configurations, I think the player could use some more new weapons. Maybe that’s just me.

Crysis Warhead

The Plot: Not to be confused as the 2nd part in the trilogy the developers planned for, Crysis Warhead is rather a stand alone Expansion Pack, running on the same time line as the events in the original Crysis.

This time, the player assumes the role of Psycho, another Delta Force member working with Nomad, the hero of the first game. Like Nomad, Psycho utilizes the same armory and nano suit – except that his adventure on the other side of the island is… more aggressive, and not to mention new weapons too, like the dual SMG. 😉

Overall Rating: 7/10 – worth getting both of them if you’re a die hard FPS player.