As an avid gamer I have been playing computer games for the past 15 years or so. I vividly remember days spent on my 486 playing Warcraft II wondering how a game could possibly be more enjoyable. I guess I have always been drawn to strategy games the most, I don’t know what it is, maybe just an urge to try every possible approach to beating a computer. Anyway, it is far more exciting than chess.
Over the years though, there have only been 3 strategy games that have really kept me playing more months on end. Firstly, Starcraft. It was about 5 years ahead of its time with strategies still in use in today’s popular games. For example, who can forget the irritation of playing as Protoss and being on the receiving end of a Zerg rush 5 minutes into the game or as the Protoss, using the Arbiter Tribunal to cloak 4 reavers and leave them waiting for intruders at the entrance to your base. Still the most balanced game I have ever played, it was truly up to your skill and there could be no excuses when you lost.
Secondly, Command and Conquer Generals. If this game had a crowning moment it would be the instant when you blew your opponents power to smitherines using your nuke and rushed into his base with every last unit you had. There were so many ways to conquer your enemy. One of my favourites was simply camping in your base and trying to destroy your enemies income source. It was the first strategy game I played where you could generate your own resources without having defend those pesky mines.
Then of course comes Company of Heroes and most importantly the latest release: Tales of Valor. Never before has defeating your enemy been such a mammoth but addictive task. Never mind collecting ore, all you need to do is secure points and the resources will come rolling in. This game focuses heavily on micro management of individual units. Not something that I usually enjoy but in this case most of your units can take care of themselves. This is as close as I can imagine it is like being a general in WWII. Set up your men in their positions, capture territory and defend it from the enemy. The downside of this game though is that in Tales of Valor the team the British will always win if you give them enough time to set up. This is done by using a little upgrade called overlord, which allows their artillary to fire on a given location every time enemy movement is detected. Unfair? Not if you enjoy playing as the Brits. All-in-all I can’t remember ever having enjoyed a strategy game this much. Every time I play I constantly find out new techniques and I have been playing for several months already. Besides, nothing beats beats blowing up a bridge occupied by a group of Panzer tanks
So, is Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor the best strategy game ever? Until Starcraft II it very well might be