Company of Heroes 2

 PC
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Jun 25, 2013
User Score
2.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 5850 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,079 out of 5850
  2. Mixed: 273 out of 5850
  3. Negative: 4,498 out of 5850
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  1. Orctownorc
    Aug 22, 2013
    5
    The multiplayer is fairly good. But get this: in some ways its actually inferior to the original COH! Weird that the game should be going backwards! The UI is worse and the frame-rate issues suggest this was not properly play-tested or optimized. I have THREE big issues with his game, leading to a low review score: (1) Day one DLC! The game is $60 for goodness sake! It is rude andThe multiplayer is fairly good. But get this: in some ways its actually inferior to the original COH! Weird that the game should be going backwards! The UI is worse and the frame-rate issues suggest this was not properly play-tested or optimized. I have THREE big issues with his game, leading to a low review score: (1) Day one DLC! The game is $60 for goodness sake! It is rude and ridiculous to add 'free to play' features for a game that already cast 5X the going price for the original (better) game. (2) The absence of meaningful improvement in the game. (3) The bloody ridiculous anti-Soviet propaganda of the campaign. I'm not vaguely Russian, nor am I a lover of Stalin, whom we all know was nearly as bad as Hitler. But I agree with the score-bombing hordes of outraged Russian fans about this game. The Russians had a tough fight on their hands. They lost a lot of men and they were up against Tiger tanks, and MG 42s. In the end they prevailed, not with human-wave attacks, but with courage, tenacity and tactical skills learned against a fierce opponent. Not only that, Soviet generals out-thought and out-planned the German high command. The Red Army beat their enemy fair and square on the battlefield. And they deserve respect for it. The campaign for this game takes a totally inappropriate and historically dubious set of ideas and expands them into the main theme of the game: the Soviets were monsters. I guess we all learn from our mistakes, but Relic definitely facked this one up! Maybe with all the extra money they rip-off with their DLC they could do a big patch and fix up this stupid campaign!

    THE GROT REVIEW CRITERIA: After a long time writing reviews like an anus, think its time to set something straight. Stop insulting designers. Show some respect for the design process and getting games in circulation. Hence (1) No Red scores. (2) Game scores as follows: Bad Game 5/10. Poor Game 6/10. Mediocre Game: 7/10. Good Game 8/10. Great game 9/10. Stella Game 10/10. To get 10/10 it must be a game that can be (theoretically) play-able for 1000+ hours. Not only great but near endless fun. Games may be bad or poor but making them should earn respect. Thus even the worst POS will still be a 5/10. 0/10 no longer exists in my vocabulary. Yellow is the new red.    … Expand
  2. LD9000
    Aug 29, 2014
    7
    The game is definitely improving from the very poor launch. New multiplayer lobbies with annihilate is the most welcome addition. The in-game feedback popups also show that devs are trying to make the game better. There's still imbalance, most notably with the OKW from the new expansion, but the game is much better than it used to be
  3. Librarian23
    Jun 27, 2013
    5
    This game is a good one, but it's far from being a great one. Mechanic didn't change much since the first CoH, but sometimes it's better to stick to the roots than to change everything over, and this game is the example of good-old mechanic which works. Graphics are nice, and online multiplayer is tough and action-packed. But the game is far from being great, what works well inThis game is a good one, but it's far from being a great one. Mechanic didn't change much since the first CoH, but sometimes it's better to stick to the roots than to change everything over, and this game is the example of good-old mechanic which works. Graphics are nice, and online multiplayer is tough and action-packed. But the game is far from being great, what works well in multiplayer, doesn't work in the campaign mode just as well. Next issue I've got with this game is its historical accuracy, and it's a big one, If you don't mind it, just buy a game, for a person who's not concerned with history this can be easily an 8-9 out of ten. For those who are however, it delivers story in a classic cold-war era fashion, with a horribly disgusting portrayal of soviets, some details of the story so focused on "anti-Russian" propaganda that they don't make any sense, like burning your own people alive, and soldier saying something like "We will fight to the death!" and another replies sarcastically "Like we have any choice", what choice is he talking about? Surrender to become Nazi slave? You've got your usual "bad red" package, firing squads, penal divisions, murder of POWs and so on. It is an ok game, but politics held it from becoming a great one, first CoH was absolutely politically neutral, but this one is the real blast from the past, with all cold-war stereotypes in place. Sad-sad-sad.… Expand
  4. oliver1h
    Jun 29, 2013
    5
    Laughable AI (the way the enemy units rush you down like ant is a joke), The maps are too small, everything is way too fast. This is not a real strategy game, more like an arcade (I guess that is the reason for the good review, it does not really require much effort to play...).
  5. Fauji
    Jul 1, 2013
    5
    In it's current state the game is not complete, lacks maps and game types, it leans heavily on the originals credentials "follow up to the highest rated RTS game of all time". There has been day 1 DLC releases and I see a very limited appeal to casual gamers and unfortunately the meta game is still being hammered out. So by all means come back to the game in 6 months time or better stillIn it's current state the game is not complete, lacks maps and game types, it leans heavily on the originals credentials "follow up to the highest rated RTS game of all time". There has been day 1 DLC releases and I see a very limited appeal to casual gamers and unfortunately the meta game is still being hammered out. So by all means come back to the game in 6 months time or better still wait for them to fix COH1 and play the highest rated RTS game of all time.

    It's such a shame really, I feel let down by relic and so should Sega but ultimately it's a shadow of it's predecessor.    … Expand
  6. Czar
    Jun 25, 2013
    5
    I never have technical issues with games. My computer is middle of the road, NVIDIA GTX 560 Windows 7 64 bit etc. However, this game would not start for me initially. Resolution was reduced to 800x600 (or less) the screen update was choppy. Figured out it would not go into fullscreen mode. So the first 3 hours were frustrating to say the least. From what I have seen of game play it looksI never have technical issues with games. My computer is middle of the road, NVIDIA GTX 560 Windows 7 64 bit etc. However, this game would not start for me initially. Resolution was reduced to 800x600 (or less) the screen update was choppy. Figured out it would not go into fullscreen mode. So the first 3 hours were frustrating to say the least. From what I have seen of game play it looks ok. It is a shame that they released something that does not appear (from my perspective) to be quite ready.… Expand
  7. Scorpion007
    Jun 26, 2013
    6
    Disadvantages:
    - Nope maintain a list of servers. Auto-match looks random opponents, a random card and the same condition for the victory;
    - Monotonous commanders. Total on each side by 5 teams, the others have been added since the release of the shuffled capacity already available in the beta version, which does not introduce variety in the game; - In the campaign, a lot of anti-Soviet    Disadvantages:
    - Nope maintain a list of servers. Auto-match looks random opponents, a random card and the same condition for the victory;
    - Monotonous commanders. Total on each side by 5 teams, the others have been added since the release of the shuffled capacity already available in the beta version, which does not introduce variety in the game;
    - In the campaign, a lot of anti-Soviet propaganda. If developers do not like communism, why create a game about them? In the campaign, a lot of false, propaganda activities against the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany is shown with a humane side.
    - Treadmill multiplayer. In multiplayer, the lack of the set of equipment and weapons, and therefore the same battle quickly bored. For example, do not have as many defenses as in the first part
    - Lack of balance sides. The Soviet Union is weak and expensive heavy machinery, while the German infantry monotonous.
    - Bad Game optimization    … Expand
  8. UkSaint
    Jun 25, 2013
    5
    I never really tend to write reviews for games but this game is as good as any to write a review for. I played the Beta and had mixed feelings about this game but I still bought it hoping it would be the rebirth of the beloved first Company of Heroes. Alas this was a poor attempt at a reboot in my opinion. I guess if there is anyone to blame it would be Sega as Relic have produced a decentI never really tend to write reviews for games but this game is as good as any to write a review for. I played the Beta and had mixed feelings about this game but I still bought it hoping it would be the rebirth of the beloved first Company of Heroes. Alas this was a poor attempt at a reboot in my opinion. I guess if there is anyone to blame it would be Sega as Relic have produced a decent game but it has lost that original flare.

    The matchmaking system has radically changed from the previous games. No long are you able to search for custom games and play annihilation like you used to. You are confined to either play with your friends in custom games, play against the AI which is sometimes laughable unless you crank the difficulty to max and even then AI Cheats come into play. Or you may enter a ranked system where new comers to the game and genre will find themselves fighting level 40's and 30's straight off the bat.

    The DLC is obviously a quick cash making scheme. Standard Sega practice. If you cant be bothered to play the game and unlock things why don't you just chuck money at it to help you win.

    With regards to the multiplayer and the AI. You may find yourself screaming at the screen, as the balance for two opposing forces is rather odd at times. Unit path finding is quite poor especially on tanks as you will find your tanks will never face the way you want. The game may have an added sense to realism but it has lost the COH fun factor.

    The campaign is nothing special, certainly not worth the hefty price tag. Yes you can believe the fan boy/girl hype train reviews where they just shout GREAT GAME or the poor reviews where people solely moan about the price and DLC but truth is this game is mediocre at best.

    To sum up:
    -Mediocre Campaign
    -Forced ranked matchmaking that constricts you to one gametype and is not very fun.
    -Stupid COD style ranking system.
    -Spam tanks to win style play
    -Not optimised to work well with older computers so you will find the game lags in multiplayer because someone else is lagging and ultimately you may lose the game because they can be booted.    … Expand
  9. SpikyHair
    Jun 27, 2013
    6
    I pre-ordered the game after playing the beta. However, the final release was a disappointment, to put it mildly.

    This game is an all-out cash-grab with an unfinished (if compared to the quality of CoH 1) product. The campaign cutscenes feature incomlete voiceovers, and their quality is such that at one point I found my Russian commissar speaking with a German accent. The    I pre-ordered the game after playing the beta. However, the final release was a disappointment, to put it mildly.

    This game is an all-out cash-grab with an unfinished (if compared to the quality of CoH 1) product.

    The campaign cutscenes feature incomlete voiceovers, and their quality is such that at one point I found my Russian commissar speaking with a German accent.

    The characters would better fit Warhammer 20000k universe. While CoH 1, in all the campaigns, focused on humanity first and foremost, CoH 2 has the "roofle I R in UR command chain, killing UR doods" commissar, whose orders are often so idiotic the apparent attempt at presenting him as ruthless absolutely fails. The main character (who happens to be Jewish, which made for enjoyable spectacle on the Steam boards), at least, receives some more love and attention.

    From the game-play perspective itself, there is little new. The ability to capture enemy abandoned vehicles and breaking ice are about the only notable changes, and they are, really, just gimmicks. What -is- lacking is any kind of in-game information about actual combat effectiveness of your units. Wonder about firepower of your infantry squad, or armor rating of your assault gun? Keep wondering, there is only a "flavor" description for your consideration. Even such a simple thing as additional weaponry is not fully shown you have little icons representing the extra equipment, but, again, no statistical information on their effectiveness. In the extreme case, your Russian Guard units is carrying PTRS anti-tank rifles (by default). They can be upgraded with DPS light machine guns, as well. You are also able to pick up one support weapon from the battlefield.

    However, the icon representing the weapon upgrades will only show one of them. Lost almost all your units in the squad? Keep wondering if you still have that shiny MG34 or not.

    While this isn't as apparent during the main campaign (where it helps that you do get appropriate units to handle the stituation), the two factions are in desperate need of balancing for multiplayer. The resource distribution in ANY skirmish mode (be it against other players, or AI) means that controlling the fuel high points decides the outcome of the game. In fact, in the auto-match mode, it often makes sense to forego defending Victory Point flags until you can curbstomp the enemy with armor. While playing as Germans you do have a (very, very effective) anti-armor unit, Russians will usually lose the game if German side manages to get Ostwinds or PzKpfw IVs before SU-85s are on the field (or several T-34s).

    AT guns feel lackluster even against German medium armor. They fare much better against T-34s, but that's merely because it's apparently a "light" medium tank that requires numbers to take on anything comparable on the German side. Effectively, SU-85 (which costs -more- than Panzer iV) is the only reliable Soviet anti-tank measure aside from commander doctrine abilities (which often are too expensive to use in mid-game when they CAN make a difference).

    The doctrines themselves have been "streamlined" from CoH1 to a simple line progression each commander has specific abilities, and you cannot customize them. Some are definitely better than others (the Russian Armored Assault commander made a brief appearance before being eliminated from the game without a word), and as of now there is a limited number of unique command abilities in-game.

    The multiplayer side of the game is... lacking. There are limited options for hosting specific games. The automatch features only a single game-mode, which, with competent teammates against ANY AI rating (yes, even Expert) is often too short to enjoy the heaviest toys... not to mention that it largely plays out the very same (as mentioned often in the reviews, the selection of maps to play on is really limited).

    The Theater of War gives a few more distractions, but even with pre-order "bonus" it's still limited in content. As much of the game, it's clear to have received a loving "DLC" treatment.

    One notable inclusion is the "deck" abilities that you unlock by completing certain "objectives" in-game (kill a particular number of sometimes specific units, build so many of this, or just attain particular rank). However, since you are limited to three "deck" slots, and some abilities (or combinations thereof) are clearly superior to others, I'd wager on a quick settling on particular patterns among the players.

    It also seems German Pioneers do not deserve any "deck" ability whatsoever ;)

    I won't go into actual performance issues (no multi-GPU support, for starters), since I'm running out of space.

    Basically, an unfinished game with arguably developed single-player campaign and DLC-focused remainder of it. Definitely not worth the asking price, but not a bad game in itself, either.

    I doubt for modding support, either if only based on what happened with Total War titles so don't expect fan-made fixes.    … Expand
  10. NL-Woody
    Jun 25, 2013
    6
    Campaign is waaaayyy too easy even on highest setting you can't even lose, also the missions are too short. Theathre of war is also waay too easy and it lack co-op campaigns (only 4??) and a lobby system.

    Multiplayer is full of units nobody ever uses (t-34, guards, IS-2, pak40 ETC.) also the multiplayer have the same sh*t network system as the other Relic games. Also dissapointed that    Campaign is waaaayyy too easy even on highest setting you can't even lose, also the missions are too short. Theathre of war is also waay too easy and it lack co-op campaigns (only 4??) and a lobby system.

    Multiplayer is full of units nobody ever uses (t-34, guards, IS-2, pak40 ETC.) also the multiplayer have the same sh*t network system as the other Relic games. Also dissapointed that again CoH releases with only 2 armies...

    Would have gotten a 9/10 in 2006 but for 2013 very dissapointent, almost no improvement from the original.. not worth 60 euros.    … Expand
  11. ace9592
    Jun 25, 2013
    6
    This game in my opinion is amazing. I never played the first CoH so I'm not sure if it's too similar or whatever, all I know is that it plays great. The campaign is a bit dull but honestly I don't think that's what most people bought it for. The multiplayer and co-op modes are fast paced and extremely fun. The thing that I enjoy most is that instead of being based on how many clicks youThis game in my opinion is amazing. I never played the first CoH so I'm not sure if it's too similar or whatever, all I know is that it plays great. The campaign is a bit dull but honestly I don't think that's what most people bought it for. The multiplayer and co-op modes are fast paced and extremely fun. The thing that I enjoy most is that instead of being based on how many clicks you can make (looking at you starcraft) the game requires you to best your ally through superior tactics and outmaneuvering. If you are the kind of person who loves ww2 and real combat not a clicking contest BUY THIS GAME.… Expand
  12. vXxo0oxXv
    Jun 25, 2013
    7
    To sum it all up, it's a great sequel. It amazed me how critical some of the reviews of this game were. Still, this is an honest 9 to honor a solid production.

    Company of Heroes, the original, is still hailed as one of the best RTS's of all time. CoH 2 uses an enhanced version of it's engine, that adds some really nice gameplay features. At the same time, it maintains the original feel    To sum it all up, it's a great sequel. It amazed me how critical some of the reviews of this game were. Still, this is an honest 9 to honor a solid production.

    Company of Heroes, the original, is still hailed as one of the best RTS's of all time. CoH 2 uses an enhanced version of it's engine, that adds some really nice gameplay features. At the same time, it maintains the original feel of that CoH 1 had. The grudging pushes to extend your frontline, the explosive sound, the chaotic dialogues, the tactical squad based combat... yep it's all still here.

    I see a lot of players complaining about performance of this game, when compared to other shiny titles. Honestly, this is not your every day shiny title. The map is fully 3D and can be rotated to any angle. Almost all pixels, from the ones that make up dirt and pavement, to the ones that make up monstrous buildings, are dynamic, and can be destroyed or altered. The physics and combat feel realer than any strategy title before this. Even the original CoH took flak for being unable to run on high settings on most machines. Being a supercharged version of the same engine what did you expect?

    The theatre of war is a great addition, and adds a nice way to take a break from competitive multiplayer. Small army perks can be gained through levels and combat, which adds incentive to play, while being small enough to not break the balance (which is well done now that the beta is over).

    The new commander system is less taxing on your actions during gameplay. Fog of war, & vaulting are both improvements. The maps are beautiful and are incredibly interactive. Not to mention, campaign progress is stored on the cloud now!

    I'm impressed. A job well done. Good rescue Sega.    … Expand
  13. Teutonic-
    Nov 28, 2013
    5
    After reading many of the negative reviews about this game I have to write a counter to all of this historical accuracy bashing. I would say about 2/3 of all negative reviews involve the words "fascist propaganda" The game wasn't very good on its own merits but for god sakes stop defending the Soviet Union. Did you forget about the annexation of the Baltic states? Hundreds of thousandsAfter reading many of the negative reviews about this game I have to write a counter to all of this historical accuracy bashing. I would say about 2/3 of all negative reviews involve the words "fascist propaganda" The game wasn't very good on its own merits but for god sakes stop defending the Soviet Union. Did you forget about the annexation of the Baltic states? Hundreds of thousands murdered there. The nkvd? Mirdered thousands of soviet soldiers during the red purge. I'm sure Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland don't think you were very heroic. Oh and your brave soldiers raped and pillaged Hungary, Romania, Austria, and Germany on the way to victory. The best outcome would have been the nazis and soviets wiping each other off the face of the earth. Both terrible regimes.one last thing, you used mustard gas against the Chinese in 1934. You're welcome.

    The gameplay was nothing new and gives huge bonuses to the AI.    … Expand
  14. MichuLG
    Nov 2, 2019
    5
    a really realistic game and it even better shows what the Russians are hypocrisy or reality, how Russian animals raped the population, killed civilians and that they were even able to kill their soldiers, who could not retreat but had to run to certain death
  15. NecroMnemic
    Aug 26, 2013
    7
    Not as good as CoH 1, but still a good game. Yes, it is disappointing considering that this is CoH 2 we're talking about but it's a good RTS.
    A lot of people are rating it 0 because of the campaign showing the russian war crimes or something... the thing is, you should keep in mind that everybody knows what the Nazis did horrible horrible things. But if you have any idea about history    Not as good as CoH 1, but still a good game. Yes, it is disappointing considering that this is CoH 2 we're talking about but it's a good RTS.
    A lot of people are rating it 0 because of the campaign showing the russian war crimes or something... the thing is, you should keep in mind that everybody knows what the Nazis did horrible horrible things. But if you have any idea about history you should know that the Udssr and stalin weren't much better.    … Expand
  16. ElWrobel
    Dec 12, 2014
    7
    A very good game, brought down by overpriced DLC fest. It looks very nice, it's cinematic, it's sound assets are very high quality, overall, when compared to vanilla CoH it's better. However, it pales in comparison to modded first game, mods like Blitzkrieg or Europe at War absolutely obliterate it.

    Regardless, it is fun to play and if it would've taken the route of first CoH, that is    A very good game, brought down by overpriced DLC fest. It looks very nice, it's cinematic, it's sound assets are very high quality, overall, when compared to vanilla CoH it's better. However, it pales in comparison to modded first game, mods like Blitzkrieg or Europe at War absolutely obliterate it.

    Regardless, it is fun to play and if it would've taken the route of first CoH, that is one serious expansion pack, it would've been much better value.    … Expand
  17. RickLee333
    Nov 24, 2013
    5
    whilst I'm not a massive fan of this game I don't think people can really justify giving it a 0 or a 1. I can understand people are offended by the innaccuracies in the story line though so i get why people are pissed

    I think CoH1 is better hands down, this game hasn't changed enough for it to be considered a next generation of the game but also hasn't stayed true enough to the last    whilst I'm not a massive fan of this game I don't think people can really justify giving it a 0 or a 1. I can understand people are offended by the innaccuracies in the story line though so i get why people are pissed

    I think CoH1 is better hands down, this game hasn't changed enough for it to be considered a next generation of the game but also hasn't stayed true enough to the last game to warrant it sticking to a working theory.

    I've never been big on the Company Of Heroes games but have bought them to support Relic enough to make Dawn of War 3     … Expand
  18. Sir_Recon
    Sep 14, 2013
    7
    ZEROes the community here on metacritic is making metacritic not even work properly, this game isn't a ZERO how ridiculous, either hate it or love it, that's not what metacritic measures, give it a score. Ok this game does seem like a lot of sequels go backward instead of forward, I don't believe this game is any better at all from COH 1, but yet it is a good stand alone Russian frontZEROes the community here on metacritic is making metacritic not even work properly, this game isn't a ZERO how ridiculous, either hate it or love it, that's not what metacritic measures, give it a score. Ok this game does seem like a lot of sequels go backward instead of forward, I don't believe this game is any better at all from COH 1, but yet it is a good stand alone Russian front playable game, the snow I thought would be corny, but I really like it. Its kind of like COH in respect to gameplay the Russian infantry is about as strong as US infantry and tanks and cars do pretty much the same thing. I like the commanders but there is not a forked tech tree you pick a commander and you go linear down their tech. This game isn't a step forward its a good game, but it doesn't move the ball down the field at all,… Expand
  19. Spedattack
    Dec 10, 2014
    7
    I wanted to wait at least until I had finished the campaign to do this review because I had only played the multiplayer. I will not spoil anything about the story itself, but will go into some of the historical portrayals in this game.
    To be honest, I did not like the campaign itself. I actually have to somewhat agree with BadComedian and say that this game was far too negative of the    I wanted to wait at least until I had finished the campaign to do this review because I had only played the multiplayer. I will not spoil anything about the story itself, but will go into some of the historical portrayals in this game.
    To be honest, I did not like the campaign itself. I actually have to somewhat agree with BadComedian and say that this game was far too negative of the Soviet Red Army. There were many moments where I said to myself "that never happened". I have studied WWII immensely and have spent years reading about it. Order 227 shows up through most of the campaign despite the fact that Order 227 was repealed several months into the Battle of Stalingrad. The Soviets never set fire to their own houses with civilians still inside. And some of the bloodthirsty dialogue for the Soviet laughter was just laughable because the Soviets were never that cheap with their soldiers and equipment. Their needles bloodthirsty portrayal of the Soviets was just plain ridiculous and laughable at times. The game barely mentions any of the numerous German war crimes in this game. They did a great disservice to those who were murdered and raped by the invading German army by constantly showing the Soviets as those who constantly wasted the lives of their own people which simply was not true. The Soviets did commit a lot of war crimes themselves especially when they invaded Germany, but to be portrayed as cheap egotistical tyrants is extremely unfair as many generals and officers treated their men with dignity and tried to save as many of them as possible.
    Also, I had gripes about not being able to fight in the Battle of the Kursk which was the largest tank battle in history. You got to fight somewhat in Leningrad, in Stalingrad, and Berlin but you never get to fight at Kursk which bummed me out. Also the level designs just felt all the same to me.
    I loved the first Company of Heroes and the gameplay that was passed on to this game was the only reason this game was enjoyable. The sniper is no longer a ridiculously overpowered unit, but they gave that role to flamethrower units especially the German halftrack that can literally annihilate infantry units in a few seconds. Soviet infantry units are extremely weak, but their advanced vehicle units make up for that.
    The sound editing and music were astounding though as they gave you the feeling of being on the actual battlefield while adding epicness to it.
    Despite this game's flaws it is a good entry to Company of Heroes, but Relic needs to stop trying to be controversial and actually make a game that displays the soldiers they are portraying as heroes or do not make the game. It is Company of Heroes for a reason. There were times during the first game where I also noticed some demonizing of Allied troops while adding sympathy to the Germans. I am not saying stuff like this didn't occur, but you are trying to show heroes here not war criminals.    … Expand
  20. Hauken
    Oct 18, 2013
    5
    I see that everyone rates this as a 1, I think that is a bit harsh the game is OK.

    I will give you a honest short summary of what I think. Graphics: The graphics are better then company of heroes 1 if you are able to run it at maximum graphics without any sort of lag spikes or anything, it is not a huge improvement but it is still eye candy in my eyes. 7/10 UI: The UI is    I see that everyone rates this as a 1, I think that is a bit harsh the game is OK.

    I will give you a honest short summary of what I think.

    Graphics:

    The graphics are better then company of heroes 1 if you are able to run it at maximum graphics without any sort of lag spikes or anything, it is not a huge improvement but it is still eye candy in my eyes.

    7/10

    UI:

    The UI is pretty much as it used to be, but in my opinion how they have done the commander thing is ruining the game because it lacks content which the commanders have but you may only choose some of the content that should have all been added to the game.

    For example in a german doctrine you can call in assault grenadiers, why cant grenadiers upgrade themselves to mp40 like in coh 1 for 50-75 munition? or why cant you just make ostruppen from the barracks instead of calling it in?

    You see, they have added alot of content they just split the rest of the 30% into commanders, so it feels like you are playing with the same set of units every game.

    Gameplay:

    Gameplaywise we have the blizzard and snow, which I personally like I know other people simply hate it but thats their opinion. I feel like i have to adapt to the climate and the game more and I like it +1 for relic, you can build up a formation which you can use to several tactical desicions.

    Or else the gameplay has been ripped like it used to be in CoH 1, it lacks alot of content which you should be able to build like sandbags, tank traps e.t.c, I was hoping relic would make even more content in Coh 2 because we all enjoyed it it made each match a bit more different each time and we could adapt more tactics.

    The buildings dont look good at all, with effort I could make it even better using Maya.

    There is more I could write but its just to much, but in short its not really a huge improvement and well because of this it gets a low score because in the long run it ruins the enjoyment of the game.

    3/10

    Music and Sounds:

    I had to download a voice pack so the German would speak their native language and the Soviets theirs to make it more awesome, I never was a fan of english german and english russian it reminds me of Men of War and it is just horrible. Relic did not add the option to change this ingame so the community yet again have to make updated voice packs, even though it has been requested alot.

    The music is alright I guess, I liked vcohs music alot more it was more epic and each faction had a fitting music to them. This is not the case in this game.

    The sounds are decent, though there are many gun sounds I would have changed.

    5/10

    Summary:

    Positive:

    * Blizzard (my opinion)

    It's hard to mention anything else here as everything else is pretty much the same from vcoh or has been removed.

    Negative:

    * Commanders/DLC * Poorly designed Buildings * Content and Features ingame * Bad/un-intresting story I just want to mention I do not play the singleplayer at all as it was not intresting for me to continue. Last thing.. If you enjoyed vcoh you may or may not find joy in this one, I still find joy in the multiplayer and I play it everyday though if you havent bought this game I can not recommend you to buy this one as there are stuff you will miss from vcoh. And at the moment Relic is doing this micro transaction thing of theirs which hurts the game. I also forgot to mention the balance of the two sides we have in the game, the germans do still have way more advantage than the soviets, Relic is currently fixing this by nerfing everything. Instead of nerfing, add more units and content.. If the soviets cant kill panthers dont nerf panthers add a new vehicle which is at the same price as a panther is to counter a panther.. Dont nerf panthers or tigers.. This is also hurting the game in my opinion.. they are doing this for pretty much any unit/vehicle in the game As of now what would save this game is a new boss or supervisor with new ideas who could lead this Relic towards a good game. Remove DLC and refund people who have bought dlcs and add the content into the game. ADD MORE CONTENT FOR GODS SAKE. Dont mind the typos I know they are everywhere I just dont care..    … Expand
  21. stargazer14
    Nov 9, 2013
    6
    After reading the current reviews and personally playing the free trial that this game had a while back I must say I really don't care what others scored this game. First off the day one dlc, yeah releasing it on day one is pretty ridiculous, but guess what.....every gaming company has a deadline that is set for them, they wont always be able to get every single thing they want to get onAfter reading the current reviews and personally playing the free trial that this game had a while back I must say I really don't care what others scored this game. First off the day one dlc, yeah releasing it on day one is pretty ridiculous, but guess what.....every gaming company has a deadline that is set for them, they wont always be able to get every single thing they want to get on there, I have designed games before it is harder than people take credit for and people think it is easy, its not. Second, people are moaning about the anti-soviet theme in this game. The things you see, anti soviet wise, did happen, the soviet commanders were brutal and hateful, and in many cases they made themselves worse than the Nazis, history shows this but most people don't seem to read anymore. The soviets wanted to exterminate the Germans and anything that Germany touched they wanted to destroy it. Now I don't condone what Hitler did, but seriously quit whining, I remember when gaming used to be about playing games instead of whining about this and that, its one reason I am not as big of a gamer as I used to be. Now COH1 was great, and this one pretty much feels like there is nothing new, so I can see the negative reviews on that part. Graphics I don't really care about anymore as it is stupid that we beg for more and more graphics that cause us to spend more and more on games nowadays. Story wise, it was alright. Overall, to me this is an average game, nothing really fancy or new about it but oh well, creating games is so much harder nowadays and with deadlines set by the company owners just makes it even harder. For those of you whining and complaining.....just stop, ok I am tired of the whining as I am sure so many others are too. Gamers are just not what they used to be.… Expand
  22. IIMurphaII
    Dec 4, 2014
    5
    Multiplayer PVP Review

    -Still not well balance. Many issues with both factions, however seem more towards Allies. E.g. Recrew exploit of tanks for US? -Stupid ranking system that fails to provide any real satisfaction to progression. -Terrible reward system (Supply Drop) that again fails to provide any sense of progression and keeps giving multiple duplicates of the same item.    Multiplayer PVP Review

    -Still not well balance. Many issues with both factions, however seem more towards Allies. E.g. Recrew exploit of tanks for US?
    -Stupid ranking system that fails to provide any real satisfaction to progression.
    -Terrible reward system (Supply Drop) that again fails to provide any sense of progression and keeps giving multiple duplicates of the same item.
    -Questionable updates such as random locations which really limit faction A or B depending on starting location as most maps bias one or the other. An example would be Faceoff at Rostov; Allies could get more boots on the ground and get off the small peice of land onto the large, where as Axis can't and will often end up stuck at the start location with not even a single chance to offer resistance.
    -Some maps seem to heavily biased towards Allies, even more so with the aforementioned update.
    -Horrible matchmaking system that assumes if you're in a party with some friends that you must immediately be pros and pairs you against such (well, it seems that way). Matchmaking definitely needs work. Often get paired with people way outside my skill level.
    -Game still crashes once in a while or desync errors.

    Probably many more issues and annoyance I could list, but you get the picture. Whilst I have given the multiplayer a fair go, I do not see any sign of it improving. It seems that Relic is more fixated on milking DLC sales than anything else (this can be seen with the Ardennes DLC giving certain Supply Drops advantages to people who have bought it. I.e Rifleman and Rear Echelon train and replenish 10% faster - this gives already quick US even more of an advantage). With no true progression sytem, dodgy reward system, unfair matchmaking and just other general frustrations, I find it harder and harder to come back to this game. It's a shame really, as I have had some very fierce and close matches that get the adrenaline pumping and I really thoroughly enjoyed the first Company of Heroes, but this game lacks direction and seems a bit of a mess. If you're thinking of biting the bullet and purchasing this game, wait another year or so and pick it up cheap on sale. At least if it isn't twice the game as it is now, you won't feel as robbed.    … Expand
  23. CoffeeGuy22
    Jan 16, 2014
    7
    I didn't like the first CoH really at all but this is way better. My problem with this game is that it's very arcady which isn't what I was looking in a world war 2 RTS so I like Men of War way more but that's personal preference but this is still a pretty ok RTS. So what about the tecnical stuff? This game is quite pretty, not amazingly so but the effects like the explosions and smoke areI didn't like the first CoH really at all but this is way better. My problem with this game is that it's very arcady which isn't what I was looking in a world war 2 RTS so I like Men of War way more but that's personal preference but this is still a pretty ok RTS. So what about the tecnical stuff? This game is quite pretty, not amazingly so but the effects like the explosions and smoke are well made. The optimization isn't great but it's not awful (it's certainly better than the original CoH) I have an average PC (1000 €) and it ran ok. This game has a lot of content to play, versus multiplayer and co-op. You might want to buy this when it's on sale if you're interested in an arcadey world war 2 RTS.… Expand
  24. lach1223
    Jan 17, 2014
    6
    After so many years since the original Company of Heroes, many people, including me feel rather let down by what is on offer in this game. The campaign is pretty standard, and is quite similar to that in the original game in terms of objectives and the level design and the voice acting is decent. The fact that your units can freeze to death and that you must go near fire to keep warm isAfter so many years since the original Company of Heroes, many people, including me feel rather let down by what is on offer in this game. The campaign is pretty standard, and is quite similar to that in the original game in terms of objectives and the level design and the voice acting is decent. The fact that your units can freeze to death and that you must go near fire to keep warm is interesting at first, but the concept gets old and repetitive rather quickly. In many ways the Russians seem like a reskinned USA from the first game. Many units and buildings look underwhelming with the models used in the first game looking much better in comparison. What is even more disappointing is that the game's
    optimization is horrendous. This game looks very similar to the original Company of Heroes and performs terribly. I struggle to get a constant 40fps on low settings on my laptop, and this same laptop gets 60+ fps in the original Company of Heroes with maxed out detail and 50+ fps on high settings in Starcraft 2.

    There are some good points of this game though. The Theatre of War game mode is quite interesting as there are multiple challenging missions to complete either solo or with a friend but it does seem a bit of a stretch that you have to pay to play the additional challenges. The integration of Steam Workshop is also quite cool. Your troops can also jump over sandbags now, but honestly is that really game changing?

    At the end of the day, Company of Heroes 2 is difficult to recommend. The game is hardly any different than the original Company of Heroes, costs much more and performs terribly. Company of Heroes 2 also lacks clan support and the like, a mechanic that RTS games such as Starcraft 2 implement very well. If you want a great RTS experience I would suggest you pick up Starcraft 2 and its expansion or even the original Company of Heroes for a fraction of the price.    … Expand
  25. freeingtone
    Aug 27, 2013
    5
    d said Relic can do better than this. Overall game system is good but multiplayer is disaster. Lobby in COH1 provide a very great opportunity to find equal opponents. However, it not happen in COH2 where u only has automate player finder system, it suck!!. PS. It will be great than this if Relic team comes to fix the bug in COH1 rather than left it behind.
  26. Arcticswine
    Dec 3, 2013
    5
    Let me start off with saying I actually enjoyed the game a bit. Being a massive CoH1 fan I am pleased that they tried something new. Though this new gameplay was great for 1 multiplayer match. I found its replay-ability is abysmal. I seriously don't often enjoy sitting down and playing this game, it is the same thing over and over unlike Original CoH. There is only one way to play, youLet me start off with saying I actually enjoyed the game a bit. Being a massive CoH1 fan I am pleased that they tried something new. Though this new gameplay was great for 1 multiplayer match. I found its replay-ability is abysmal. I seriously don't often enjoy sitting down and playing this game, it is the same thing over and over unlike Original CoH. There is only one way to play, you cannot win with Infantry and light armor support like in the original CoH.
    Pro:
    -The gameplay is definitely different, I like that aspect since it required me to learn new tactics.
    -I enjoy the ability to customize your army on both sides and make "loadouts"
    Con:
    -I have found that it is nearly impossible to win as Soviets in PvP
    -I am incredibly disappointed by the lack of Multiplayer options. 500 pt. Victory condition ONLY WTF!!)
    -Day 1 DLC is highway robbery, I dropped $60 so that I could play an improved experience
    -Relic offices have been overrun with developers out of high school and their finance department with e*Trade babies.
    -Lag is horrendous.
    -Replay ability is like a one night stand and you want to keep it that way

    Overall Satisfaction I gave it a 5 out of 10 because it is definitely new and interesting. It misses the other half for literally requiring you spend another $40 for more commanders, maps, war theaters etc... IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO WIN AS SOVIETS... unless you are facing some really drunk German Players. Maybe the key to winning as a soviet is to play drunk, and it is likely the developers were intoxicated during 50% of the games development. Overall I give it a thumbs down. I have never had such bad luck playing a faction. The Campaign was just decent... nothing special. I have lost faith in Relic honestly, after this I fear for their financial well-being after this embarrassment.    … Expand
  27. insyncgamer
    Oct 8, 2014
    7
    Although i never played the original and have only recently started coming back to RTS games I felt this game offered a refreshing change to the usual RTS style yet I feel it could have a better overall base building style. I think the combat although it has the ability to pull me in when things get hectic. I get really annoyed when I sit there thinking how can you not hit him he is rightAlthough i never played the original and have only recently started coming back to RTS games I felt this game offered a refreshing change to the usual RTS style yet I feel it could have a better overall base building style. I think the combat although it has the ability to pull me in when things get hectic. I get really annoyed when I sit there thinking how can you not hit him he is right in front of you kill him!

    Overall however I really like this game but feel it has a lot of its own faults too. Great graphics, interesting game play. I would recommend to all if on a sale but would not and did not pay £29.99 for it.    … Expand
  28. Bunnycorn
    Apr 4, 2016
    7
    I must say that I'm surprised at all the 10 star reviews.

    Company of Heroes 2 is a solid game 3 years later. It is NOT the best game. It is NOT the worst. It plays a lot like Dawn of War (The originals, before they decided to take out base building. (WHY). I'm not going to write a full review, but the game doesn't say much about Russians, it doesn't hate Russians, it doesn't favor    I must say that I'm surprised at all the 10 star reviews.

    Company of Heroes 2 is a solid game 3 years later. It is NOT the best game. It is NOT the worst. It plays a lot like Dawn of War (The originals, before they decided to take out base building. (WHY).

    I'm not going to write a full review, but the game doesn't say much about Russians, it doesn't hate Russians, it doesn't favor Americans or Germans'. (At least the English Version, though I can't imagine they changed it that much in other languages.).

    My complaint is that the vehicles they give you originally are just kinda the base ones. No Hetzer's, no heavies, not even a bloody KV1, let alone a KV2.
    Mods change all that. I refuse to say "This is RELIC'S IDEA!!! :DD" No. It wasn't, Relic allowed workshop in, workshop did good work for the game. The relic unit comps are far superior then the actual unit comps you get from base game.
    I think people were overly hyped because it's a relic game, relic makes good games, like DOW I. But DOW II was a bit of a dissapointment, and yet it gets supremely good reviews. This is kind of the same thing. Unit comp is so basic that it's dissapointing.    … Expand
  29. KarolLeP
    Sep 8, 2016
    5
    Campaign is great, but SEGA's DLC policy RUINED this game in multiplayer mode. Typical Pay2Win... I paid for this game once and I demand fair multiplayer gameplay.
    I bought this game and what i got? 40-50% of the finally product.
  30. Basilone
    Sep 11, 2013
    7
    Multiplayer: I've had fun in my 400+ matches played so far, but there are some questionable design choices. Blizzards mechanics are unrealistic and terrible for multiplayer. The Commander system has really degraded from the depth and uniqueness of the original. There are these things called "Intel Bulletins" which can be unlocked and work similar to perks in a CoD title by buffing certainMultiplayer: I've had fun in my 400+ matches played so far, but there are some questionable design choices. Blizzards mechanics are unrealistic and terrible for multiplayer. The Commander system has really degraded from the depth and uniqueness of the original. There are these things called "Intel Bulletins" which can be unlocked and work similar to perks in a CoD title by buffing certain units. Most of these bulletins are absolutely useless, everybody good is using the same 10 which is really stale and pointless. But aside from that, the core gameplay is pretty good.

    Campaign: This is why the game has a 1.6 user score. Though the missions are pretty fun to play, the plot is just terrible. It should be called Company of War Criminals, because rather than focus on the heroism of the soldiers (there are some instances but few and far between) the whole purpose of the story is to demonize the Soviets. I know the Soviets did some bad things, but even the Russians wouldn't go burning down farm houses with their own citizens inside still inside to "deny the enemy". This franchise is not about war crimes, but if they were going to go that direction they should have showed both sides of the coin. A Russian commentator made a video exposing the campaign for the piece of crap it is, and after it went viral the user score plummeted in hours.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m4SCUaBHS8

    Theater of War: Missions you can play cooperatively or singleplayer. I was skeptical at first but they are quite fun, they are like a full campaign minus the propaganda.

    Patches: They are actively patching the game and have really been listening to feedback.

    Audio: Great, as usual for Relic games.

    Grahpics: The textures haven't improved that much since the original, but they did add a ton of detail to the particle effects.

    DLC: $100 worth of DLC just 2 months after release, with much more to come. And I thought EA/Activision were pirates.... #dafuqwereyouthinking

    If I were to take in to account the horrid campaign, CoH2 would get a 4/10. But since multiplayer is what makes or breaks this game, I give it a 7/10. Two steps forward and three steps backward from the original, but luckily CoH1 was the highest rated RTS of all time so we are left with a "decent" game.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

57
#57 Best PC Game of 2013
6
#6 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
19
#19 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 82 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 70 out of 82
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 82
  3. Negative: 2 out of 82
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 7, 2013
    85
    Company of Heroes 2 is curiously forgettable as single player, even though cliched horrors of war and overdose of fake accents try their best. As a multiplayer it shines, although beginners usually think otherwise. [Aug 2013]
  2. Armchair Empire
    Sep 10, 2013
    80
    Relic Entertainment cleared the hurdle the original game set as far as I'm concerned. Tweaking, remoulding and teasing out the underlying systems of the original, and then layering things like cold weather, may not set the world on fire like the original Company of Heroes did but it's still a solid strategy game and with the right support and continued release of content I can see it living on for quite some time.
    Read full review
  3. Shacknews
    Aug 23, 2013
    60
    Everything its predecessor was: an intense and enjoyable RTS that gives you the feeling of really being an armchair general. It is just unfortunate that after waiting so long for a sequel, it doesn't offer too much in the way of innovation.
    Read full review
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