Whats new...and whats not?
*COMPANY OF HEROES: TALES OF VALOR is a STANDALONE EXPANSION PACK. This means you DO NOT need the original company of heroes or company of heroes: opposing fronts expansion to play.*
Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor is a great addition to the growing Company of Heroes franchise. Although it does not boast an entire new army to play, it offers 3 new campaigns. These new campaigns depict the true stories of individual groups of soldiers which turned the tide of battles. First is "tiger ace" - this tells the story of a much feared german tiger tank and its crew, demolishing everything in its path. The second is "causway" - showing squads from the 505th airborne division on D-Day taking a vital crossing point for allied mobilisation into France. The third is "the falaise pocket", in my opinion the most boring and arduous of the 3. You control a broader set of troops (this time producing units instead of controling a set squad like in the last 2 campaigns) in the defence of a german occupied town against american forces.
To make it clear. The first 2 campaigns in the game - "tiger ace" and "causeway" is firmly based on single unit and squad control, meaning that throughout the campaign you are controlling that single unit and upgrading them throughout. If you have played Relics Dawn of War 2, its very similar. This is not typical CoH (company of heroes) gamplay. However, as stated, in the 3rd campaign (falaise pocket) players can enjoy the more traditional way of play.
I personally enjoy the single unit based campaigns over the broader play. Its like your controling a hero unit - the producers did a fantastic job of attaching the player to the squads and i think it works quite well.
An interesting new game mechanic is "direct fire". Each unit has this ability and basically allows the player to control the direction in which that unit fires. You click on the unit, then the "direct fire" button and hold down anywhere on the map (in range) and that unit will fire. Its an excellent and immersive way to kill individual units in an enemy squad.
There are only a few new units in the game, none that drastically change gameplay. If your looking for loads of new stuff like that of "opposing fronts" you wont find it here. Theres aprox. 2 new units for each army, making 8 new in game units.
There are 3 new multiplayer modes, new maps and new skirmish options. If your into multiplayer you'll love this part of the game. Become a tank commander and square off against your friends in "Panzerkrieg" - a mode firmly based on control of your single tank (like that of "Tiger Ace campaign"). In "Assault" you choose a hero unit (squad, much like that in the "causeway" campaign) and join the battle to push back the front lines of the enemy - again, firm based squad control. And finnaly "operation stonewall", my personal favorite! You and 3 other teamates have thte job of defending a small town, with very few initial units, against waves of enemy (CPU controlled). As the waves progress you gain more units and holding different buildings allows for different perks (holding the church heals nearby allies for instance).
In conclusion the 3 new campaigns are very short - however the game developers did an excellent job on immersing the players in these epic true events. I do recommend buying the original company of heroes and CoH:Opposing Fronts first however, those 2 games offer far more in terms of gameplay value. Alot of fun and highly enjoyable, this is a must for any CoH fans. I just wish there was a new British Campaign as that is my nationality!