this review is long and detailed for those who want depth because they are seriously considering buying this game.
1 gig ram
256mb nvidia 6800 pci express
this is the best ww2 rts out there right now. many other ww2 games of this genre have done ok but where they failed COH succeeds. although like every game its not perfect. (PS i've only played through 3/4 of the campaign so far and and whole tutorial, no skirmish yet, so i cant give you info on how different the germans play.)
this game has a unit roster list thats nearly perfect, it has all the basics with a few vehicles you've never seen before, and others you know and love. infantry: riflemen, machingunners, snipers, engineers(very useful), mortar crews, stormtroopers(german only), paratroopers and rangers(US only), grenadiers and officers(german only).
engineers are your basic builders for base structures (but there are not many base structures to build in total), but most importantly they build defensive structures like maching gun nest, barbed wire, mines, tank obstacules, bunkers, and sandbags(heavy cover), the only ones that cost money is the mines and machine gun nest and bunkers, the rest can be built for free, barbed wire, tank obtacules, and sandbags can be built in any pattern you want on the battlfield, but it takes time to set up great defenses. *i personally like have tank obstatules in front, then behind that barbed wire, then sand bags(where my troops will be), and a little further back a machine gun nest*
when infantry take loses they can only be replenished when back at your hq (main base)or field barracks you built in a civilian house. you can only upgrade you units (such as better/different weapons, extra equipment, etc.) in your own territory, not in the enemies. infantry have the ability to throw grenades or sachel charges, and even sticky bombs, but this all depends on the infantry type, and in order to use this equipment you pay resources each time you use it, so choose wisely because a sachel charge can destroy a building but if you throw a grenade instead (due lack of funds for the sachel), you will only barly damage the building. and all other abilities require resources as well to use them, like a rocket barrage from a sherman calliope(sherman tank with rockets on top).
only infantry can capture territory(with a few exceptions like special abilities from comand company you choose like the armored US one where light vehicles can capture territory).
AT-guns and machingun teams must deploy and be faced in a certain direction, and while you face them you can see thier degrees of attack, MG teams have a 70 to 90 degrees area in front of them that they can attck, while AT guns have a smaller margin. if these guys are attacked from the rear or sides they will not fire back because they cant^. equipment from mortar crew, MG team, AT gun, or bazooka from rangers.... this stuff will remain on the battle field even after their owners die so if you dont have a MG team and you just killed and enemy MG team, order your basic infantry to take the equipment thuse becoming that unit (completly on the fly!) although bazookas dont change you team at all they just give you an added punch.
cover: ranges from light to heavy, and light cover cant take much punishment so watch out, due to the actual physics in this game stuff breaks or is no longer in its prime as we like to say, wooden barels fly in the air and then roll around after a grenade blast or they just get blown up altogether! walls are meant to be blown up by sachels or steamrolled by tanks, houses can only take so many holes and explosions before they callapse, but while they last they provide great cover, as well as a strong MG team/sniper position. when you move your suqad around you can see what cover objects or terrain will provide by the color of the dots(each dot is where one of your sqd members will go), yellow dots are light cover, green is heavy, and red in no cover, and these colors are displayed on top of your sqd's in the form of a shield so no guessing whos safe and whos not, you'll know.
Vehicles: (aircraft not mentioned because its a command ability not a buildable unit)
US: jeep, M3 halftrack, M8 armored car(looks like an apc), M4 sherman tank, M4"crocodile"sherman tank(flamthrower sherman), sherman calliope(the rocket artillery sherman), M10 tank destroyer(its a tank, not a AT gun), M26 pershing tank, M2 105mm howitzer(long range artiller), M1 57mm AT gun(comes with crew).
German: Pak 23 50mm AT gun, 150mm nebelwerfer rocket battery(long range rocket artillery), 88mm flak 36 AT/AA gun, mortorcycles, sdkfz 251 halftrack, sdkfz 234/1 armoreed car (apc again), stug 4(tank), stuh 42(tank), panzer 4 tank, ostwind flakpanzer tank (anit infantry, building, aircraft), panther tank, tiger and tiger ace tank.........lots of tanks!!!!!
vehicles are primary used for supporting your infantry, most can ram through walls and create new paths for troops, others can race ahead to deal with MG teams before they do any damage, the artillery units are very powerful but as metioned to fire them means you have to spend munitions resources. any vehicle can be used as cover for troops, most vehicles offer heavy cover, and they will continue to be cover even when destroyed, because any vehicle othe than jeeps and mortocyles will have enough left of it when destroyed that it will remain on the battlefield forever unless a tank runs over it something else causes so much damage to this "remaining cover" that nothing is left and only then will it sink into the ground and dissapear. tank fights are cool, you can do more damage by attacking the rear or the sides, and by doing so can casue damage to systems like the main gun or the engines, and if the vehicles health gets to the lowest it ever can before dying, it will drive out of control into anyone/anything and explode! ****Ai ***:
the ai is smart, troops will do what you tell them to do, and in quick fashion, but dont expect you MG team whos being shot from behind to auto decide to reposition and turn around, they'll just take the beating, but thats normal, would you like your guys ajusting at an imapropriate time... if they assumed the right course of action for you they would be prone to not getting it right all the time, making bad mistakes, their still is a need for the human to control most things, we after all have better judgement on whether to turn the MG team around or retreat etc. the ai when under attack will find cover if close, etc. enemy will retreat when neccessary, and it wont hesitat to artillery you as you aproach(if they got it of course).
graphics: very impressive, best i've seen in an rts, ever!(even on my video card which is somewhat out of date), facial and equipment detail is great.
sound: good music but the action can get so crazy you wont pay attention to much to the music, wont totally blow you away, but its sound reminds me of .... well.... ww2, you know band of brothers, saving private ryan, the medal of honor games, etc. voice acting is really good, somewhat repeatative responses from your units though, although some lines never get old like: "cant talk right now i'm a little f**ckin busy"-great stuff.
i recommend buying this game because it finally gives you the ww2 rts expierence you've been wanting. others have maybe been half as good as this, such as codename panzers, etc. this game really represents the ww2 era well, with no cornyness, everything, even the cutscenes during campaign are done very well, and the 2 factions are very high quality even for just 2. the campaign is interesting and hasnt let me down yet on any single level. this is a great game....
i hope my info helps.-hampton2003