Company of Heroes 3 Review (SGSRGE)
Verdict: MIXED
Take this filthy casuals opinion.
We're not going to be able to relive the perfection that was Company of Heroes, or the glorious climb to excellency that became company of heroes 2.
Instead what we have here is an tragically under cooked game who's primary suffering is awful presentation. Re-Used Assets, Static and lifeless presentation to greet, and one severely pissed off fan-base.
There is only one catch though.
I'm actually enjoying the game.
Disregarding the noise, and the fact that purchasing this product continues to fuel the trend of push it out the door busted, and patch it later, there IS a compelling experience and future to be had here, some genuine surface level quality improvements and welcome updates to the engine. (Albeit, suffering form some questionable model quality problems) It's still undoubtedly Company of Heroes.
This installment was never meant to re-invent the genre. It's fair to have high expectations for something so groundbreaking and enjoyable as COH, especially in the climate that RTS has been under for years now. Still, I can't seem to advocate for the brutal negative feedback.
COH 3 Is truly mixed, and if I had the option of selecting that as an option I would.
This recommendation is based on very surface level subjects and limited involvement in the community, as well as truthful ignorance to the complex and statistical mechanisms of the game. (See opening statement) I don't expect the rest of the player-base to agree so take that as you will. As RTS players, we NEED To admit that Migration is difficult, it's an experience based on learning, practice and muscle memory. Deviation from habit is not easy, and it's possible this is a contributing factor to some of the hateful feedback.
First off, battle groups is the right step forward. I never found the commanders in COH2 to be a compelling way of introducing abilities, much less with the inclusion of single digit stat adjustments. The battle groups system is a welcome and enjoyable simplification that I find to be enjoyably more thematic and easier to follow for new players.
Secondly, I appreciate the visual language of the new theater and the map design logic. This is highly preferential, but I find the map design to be slightly more organic than previous installments, however I can accept that this might have functional trade off for most people.
Finally, are some other quality of life mechanics changes, flamethrowers really punch, you can now retreat from buildings which is a relieving feature, alongside squads auto-replenishing at base. Despite less than perfect sound design, the artillery impacts harder than ever.
Now, for the elephant in the room.
COH 2 featured five factions, and a functioning environmental mechanic for weather / cold.
This game removes said mechanic, without any interactive replacement. And is now a four faction experience.
I understand it does not fit the setting, but there is so much I feel is intended to be "Left Behind" for this sequel that it's difficult to advertise or recommend on a level of sheer content. COH3 could have been a tremendous opportunity to combine theaters and push the franchise (And even the genre) forward. It's a wasted chance to reconstruct hype, and perhaps even introduce the Pacific and japan as a playable faction.
Coh2 was slightly more complex, had more factions, more features, and in some cases more micro-detailing.
Still.
Ladies and Gentlemen, This is NOT the bad ending.
Company of Heroes is not dead, and while the relic layoffs definitely don't indicate anything good for the development side, they could have cut their losses at this point if they wanted to. I can't say for sure if COH3 will live up to its predecessors, but It's not the absolute dumpster-fire it's being made out to be.
Bear in mind, this is strictly speaking playing against friends, doing a few online matches.
I did not enjoy what little time I spent in the campaign. (Especially in comparison to COH 1's compelling story)
I also did not try the grand strategy inspired mode as this did not interest me. ( The effort is noticed though )
It's a risk, but I would hate for fans of the franchise to miss out on the future of COH entirely because they felt bitter about how this game released. If you are skeptical or unwilling, keep playing COH2 or COH1 for now and keep checking back in.
It's my hope they make efforts to combine what they have had for a more complete and robust experience. An ultimate COH if you will, but for now. This is what we have, a torn fan-base and a more than likely apprehensive development team.