Publisher: THQ
Developer: Relic
Minimum requirements: Windows XP or Vista; SSE capable processor, 2.0 Ghz Intel Pentium IV or equivalent or AMD Athlon XP or equivalent; 512 MB RAM, 1GB MB RAM required for Vista; DirectX 9.0c compatible 64MB video card with Pixel Shader 1.1 support or equivalent and latest manufacturer drivers
Genre: RTS
Release date: Available now

Having missed the original Company of Heroes when it was first released, I was pleased to get a chance to play the newest expansion, Tales of Valor, as the original got such good press. Still set in World War II, it follows the military exploits of both Allied and Axis units in the weeks and months following D-Day. While there are a few new units and gameplay features, the expansion focuses primarily on some new single player missions and multiplayer modes.

While the engine is almost three years old, it doesn’t look it. For the listed system requirements, Tales of Valor looks pretty good. Wehrmacht half-tracks look and sound just right, while American engineers complain verbally with some choice words for situations they don’t like. (The game earns its Mature ESRB rating for adult language.) Between the sound engineering and the visual artwork, the game feels fairly immersive whether you are quietly building your base or pounding an enemy position with mortars.

While I must confess that I was at first skeptical of RTS as a format for a game set in World War II, Tales of Valor won me over. For those unfamiliar with COH, resource gathering is not accomplished via civilian units and resource nodes; instead, various parts of the map have control points. Your forces can claim them and begin automatically generating manpower, munitions, and fuel, assuming that the control points are in supply. These resources are used to purchase new units, upgrades, buildings, and they also are consumed when existing units use their special abilities. This mechanic forces players to budget for both new units and the needs of existing units, which is a sensible way to structure a World War II game.

The content of is split between three single-player campaigns and three new multi-player modes. The single-player missions for the most part involve small-unit actions minus the resource gathering and unit production parts of the game. You are given limited units and supplies and are sent forth to accomplish objectives. The multiplayer modes include classical skirmish modes, along with the new Assault, Panzerkrieg, and Stonewall modes. While I felt distinct affection for the armored combat offered by Panzerkrieg, I can see many gamers wanting to cultivate their cooperative urges by teaming up to defend a position against hordes of AI opposition in Stonewall.

The catch to all of this content is that there is not that much of it. The single-player campaigns won’t take you more than a few hours to get through. On the other hand, there is plenty to do in multiplayer, and it is this dichotomy between single-player and multiplayer that governs the entire title. A quality multiplayer experience in any RTS depends on the quality and quantity of both maps and gameplay modes. Tales of Valor wins high marks from me on that front, but the single-player missions, in addition to being a bit short, lack considerable depth. They only really explore the combat side of the game, rarely making use of the resource gathering aspects of the title and the ability to build a World War II army to your liking.

Like other titles by Relic Entertainment, COH: Tales of Valor is a stand-alone expansion. This means that you can just purchase the expansion and enjoy its content without purchasing the original game or the other expansions. While the engine is the same, only content from Tales of Valor is available, although the game’s menu will tease you with content from the original and the first expansion. The content is still a bit sparse, even at $29.99, and it is because of this that I feel the need to offer a split-decision in my review. If you have never picked up Company of Heroes before, this stand-alone expansion may disappoint you. On the other hand, players who just can’t get enough of COH and its multiplayer will definitely want to pick up a copy.

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