COMPANY OF HEROES: TALES OF VALOUR

Reviewer: Quercus Review Date: 26/06/2009 Score: 60% Okay, technically this "TALES OF VALOR", but I'm not about to start using Americanisms in spelling now, so you'll just have to put up with it. If you are American, please just pretend the "u" isn't there. Tales of Valour is the second expansion to the fantastically good (lots of Llamas) Company of Heroes game. I cannot stress how good Company of Heroes is. Equally, I canot stress enough that the subsequent management of the game franchise has not lived up to the original. I suspect this is because many of the original team behind the game moved on after it was released and a different (and apparently less talented) team have since been responsible for the franchise, patches and expansions. The first expansion (Opposing Fronts) introduced two new factions and a few new maps to the original game. The factions were innovative and very different, but they are also deeply flawed (especially the British) and need to be seriously reworked to fit in with the style of the original game. So, what does the second "stand alone" expansion give you for your money then? Well, not a lot to be perfectly honest. Tales of Valour is a strangely complicated beast, much like a mutant seagull/badger hybrid would be. Presumably the hybrid would be called a badgull or seager or something equally silly. It would probably also hope to look like a badger with wings, rather than a seagull that lives underground. Um ... anyway, back to the review. Tales of Valour contains three "mini" campaigns (each has three missions), some more multiplayer maps and a handful of replacement units that you can use instead of the default ones for that faction (two for each). It also boasts (if that is the right word) a number of different game modes called "Operations". Mini-Campaigns: These are fun (if you like the single-player missions), but seem to be over all too quickly. They do introduce a new game feature (direct fire), which allows you to aim and fire using your mouse directly rather than just leaving it up to the game itself. This function is only available in these campaigns and with one of the new game modes (Operation Panzerkrieg) and although novel, isn't done as well as Men of War. New Game Modes: There are three of them, each with a single map, which is a bit rubbish. You can only play these modes if you own ToV yourself. Operation Assault: Here you have a base structure and units you can send to the enemy base to destroy it. There is no normal building and you control a single "hero" unit in the game, with the rest presumably being controlled by the AI. It seems similar to the Dawn of the Ancients mod for Warcraft 3, but not nearly so good (according to those who have played both). Operation Stonewall: This is a skirmish style map where you defend a village against successive waves of enemy troops. It is designed to be played as a co-op defence scenerio, but the difficulty just gets frustrating as you struggle for resources to fend off the enemy from all directions. Operation Panzerkrieg: In this mode you control a single tank and capture nodes around the map. You reduce the enemy's victory points by killing their tank or by controlling more of the map. Experience within a game can be spent on upgrades for the tane. This is probably the most fun of the new game modes to play but the tanks don't seem terribly balanced so again, it can be very frustrating. "Replacement" Vehicles Anyone with the ToV expansion can customise their army by replacing one of two (predetermined) vehicles with the new ones introduced with this expansion. Some of the vehicles are useful additions but you have to decide whether or not to use them before starting the game. It would have been nice to have both available within the game until one or the other is chosen. It also seems that again, the balance of these (and what they replace) is somewhat variable. The T-17 and M18 are good replacements for their American counterparts, but the Staghound and Kangeroo are bizarre replacements for the british Command Tank and Cromwell respectively - especiallya s the Command Tank veterancy benefits are not given to the Staghound. The same is true of the Axis units - the Wehrmacht replacements (Schwimmwagon for motorcycle and Geschutzwagon for Stug IV) are fair enough, but the Panzer Elite Hotchkiss is expensive and weak compared to the Panzer IV IST it replaces. The impression I get from this collection of features is that ToV should have been two or three content packs downloadable for a small fee, rather than being bundled together and sold at the price it is as a full expansion. For all its flaws, Opposing Fronts was a proper expansion and was worth the money. ToV is almost as expensive and is definitely not worth the same. However, before you go running off and shouting "skunk!" at your surprised neighbours, there is a caveat. One thing Tales of Valour does do well, is it allows anyone who buys this (and only this) game to have access to all the existing factions in multiplayer CoH games, as well as the fiddly bits from ToV itself. This is where it does represent a good deal to gamers, especially those who aren't that bothered about the single player campaigns from the original game or the first expansion.