Company of Heroes Demo Impressions

In case you haven’t heard of the game, Company of Heroes is a new RTS due for release next month. It has a WWII theme and is being developed by Relic Entertainment (the Dawn of War people).
First off these ARE the best graphics yet seen in an RTS. You need to see it for yourself, but according to the developers almost all graphical technology being used in modern FPS games has been poured into this game (HDR lighting etc…)
The gameplay… from what I have played, The 2 demo levels + the tutorials, is very impressive. I think the thing that appeals to me most about the game however is the tactical depth. Troops need to be in a position of cover to avoid getting cut to ribbons, tanks are weaker when their rear armour is attacked, mine fields can immobilize or destroy enemy tanks, artillery strikes can destroy buildings the enemy has fortified. Speaking of which one of the most impressive aspects of the game is that nearly everything is destructible. Satchel charges will send pieces of rubble flying, mortars will destroy enemy fortifications, tanks can drive through walls and yes all of it does look amazing.
The game definitely has an emphasis on the action, as the resource system involves capturing points around the map, to earn munitions and fuel. This is then used to purchase units. Manpower which is the other resource is constantly generated and cannot be increased. This is a good thing, as even if you control no points you can still purchase some troops. Unlike Dawn of War however, all resource points captured need a direct chain of other resource points to your HQ in order for you to receive the resources. I imagine this will present interesting tactical opportunities, such as dropping paratroopers into enemy territory to cut off their resource gathering. While you can build fortifications to protect your base/resource points, such as MG nests, mines, sandbags (to provide your troops with cover), barbed wire fences. These seem to be more to assist your defence than complete it. I feel the majority of the game will be fought with your units as both offence and defence, but who likes turtlers anyway?
The last thing I can mention (while not fully featured in the demo) is that much like Battle for Middle Earth, you receive points for killing enemy troops/vehicles which can then be spent on upgrades. By placing your first point, you can choose between being an infantry/tank/airbourne general and then have access to their various special bonuses or abilities. This should make team multiplayer matches more interesting as you utilise each others abilities.
Well that’s about all I can write about the game as yet. I can say I am really looking forward to this one! A few questions remain unanswered though, the most important one for me is, how good is the AI ? (It is difficult to judge in the demo). But from what I have seen so far CoH is shaping up to be a strong contender for best RTS this year, that said Relic’s 2nd expansion for Dawn of War looks mighty fun also.

If you want to have a crack at the demo you will need to buy this months PC Gamer, as its an exclusive… OR if you dont tell anyone, go here and get your bit torrent client crankin!