14 DAY TRIAL // Company of Heroes 2 was, for about four months after launch and again during December 2013, the game I spent about 15 hours a week playing and my favorite multiplayer experience, despite the fact that I tended to lose more matches than I actually won.
I returned to the game created by Relic and published by SEGA in the last week in order to try to familiarize myself to its mechanics before the launch of The Western Front Armies, once again pitting my skills, limited as they are, against those of other human beings.
What surprises me at every turn is the way Company of Heroes 2 matches have flow and how victory can be achieved even in what seems to be a desperate situation.
I played a recent match as the OKW, the new German faction, in which I managed to use my good starting infantry in order to dominate the early game, taking away 2/3 of the map from the enemy and taking out at least two of his US infantry squads.
Unfortunately, I created one too many squads early on, which limited my ability to deploy a structure quickly and meant that my enemy managed to have some Shermans on the field faster than I deployed my tanks.
I managed to take one out with hastily equipped bazookas, but my own squads were depleted and I ended up with my back to the wall, almost certain that I would be unable to mount a solid counteroffensive.
I gambled and did not reinforce my infantry in order to get to the 720 manpower required to finally deploy a King Tiger, who went out backed only by some engineers, who were there only to conduct emergency repairs.
I did not try to actually occupy a position with the mighty tank, but simply sent him towards the enemy base, trying to attract the attention of as many of his squads as possible.
My undermanned squads used the opportunity to secure some resources points, reinforce my troops and then back the King Tiger and finally secure a lead big enough to force my enemy to accept defeat.
The potential for surprises is one of the advantages that Company of Heroes 2 has when it comes to multiplayer.
Finally, I need to mention the new Public Games list that Relic has introduced, which makes it easier for gamers to find a match to join, especially if they do not particularly trust the matchmaking system of the core game.