By . Talal Musa . Published: . 10:46 EST, 25 June 2013 . | . Updated: . 14:58 EST, 25 June 2013 . Rating: . Price: £30 / $46 (RRP) Nobody does the art of war like Company of Heroes. And while this long-awaited sequel isn't quite the masterpiece it could have been, there's still plenty here for strategy fans to enjoy. For a start, Company of Heroes 2 shifts action away from Western Europe and focuses on the desperate battles on the Eastern Front. Conflicts where Soviet troops juggled a war on two fronts - against both Hitler's army and the unrelenting, merciless forces of nature. Frantic: When played on a powerful PC, you'll be treated to visuals that rank amongst the best for the genre . You'll watch your brave troops freeze to death in bitter-cold wind, fall through icy lakes, or be reduced to dust in milliseconds by heavily artillery fire. Company and Heroes 2 sets out to force-feed you a heavy helping of realism, and it largely delivers. It's a shame, then, that the slow-paced 14-mission campaign doesn't make the most of the ColdTech dynamic weather system. When working in tandem with the TrueSight feature - accurately representing your units' visible range, it makes for particularly tense moments. Many campaign levels feel slightly linear, with optional objectives randomly scattered around. It's only until the latter parts of the skirmish that you're given more freedom to build an unstoppable military force. Immersion is not helped by some of the worst cutscenes to grace the PC in recent years. Boasting googly-eyed soldiers and comically bad textures, they're in stark contrast to the game's undeniable beauty when running at maximal settings. Company of Heroes 2 rightly explores dark narratives such as friendly fire and punishment for cowardice, however, given how poorly executed the cutscenes are, the horrific message falls completely flat. Thankfully, away from the narrative is where this game's strengths lie. Along with its dependable multiplayer, the star attraction is the Theatre of War mode. Here you can take part in a number of different scenarios, from fighting battles in harsh environmental conditions to holding off wave after wave of advancing enemy troops. The lack of plot constraints means you can approach each battle how and when you like, without having to wait to try out some of the Soviets' devastating hardware. Relentless: Thanks to the game's Essence Engine 3.0, environments are destructive while character models remain impressive even when zoomed in on the action. Water, in particular, looks superb . Larger scale battles sometimes bring with them their more comical moments. Soldiers move around like a colony of ants - frantically running in circles and randomly going prone. However, most of the skirmishes are as grisly as they are memorable. Company of Heroes 2 was played using an Nvidia GeForce 680 GTX Sli set-up and EVGA Precision X software. For more information visit: geforce.com . Company of Heroes 2 is out now. Let us know what you think on Twitter: @DailyMailGames and on Facebook: Daily Mail Games.
Brutal, memorable gameplay focusing on a relatively unexplored conflict in World War 2 games .
ColdTech dynamic weather system works well when allowed to .
Theatre of War mode far surpasses anything in the campaign .
Poor cutscenes don't do some of the game's darker moments justice .
By . Talal Musa . Published: . 10:46 EST, 25 June 2013 . | . Updated: . 14:58 EST, 25 June 2013 . Rating: . Price: £30 / $46 (RRP) Nobody does the art of war like Company of Heroes. And while this long-awaited sequel isn't quite the masterpiece it could have been, there's still plenty here for strategy fans to enjoy. For a start, Company of Heroes 2 shifts action away from Western Europe and focuses on the desperate battles on the Eastern Front. Conflicts where Soviet troops juggled a war on two fronts - against both Hitler's army and the unrelenting, merciless forces of nature. Frantic: When played on a powerful PC, you'll be treated to visuals that rank amongst the best for the genre . You'll watch your brave troops freeze to death in bitter-cold wind, fall through icy lakes, or be reduced to dust in milliseconds by heavily artillery fire. Company and Heroes 2 sets out to force-feed you a heavy helping of realism, and it largely delivers. It's a shame, then, that the slow-paced 14-mission campaign doesn't make the most of the ColdTech dynamic weather system. When working in tandem with the TrueSight feature - accurately representing your units' visible range, it makes for particularly tense moments. Many campaign levels feel slightly linear, with optional objectives randomly scattered around. It's only until the latter parts of the skirmish that you're given more freedom to build an unstoppable military force. Immersion is not helped by some of the worst cutscenes to grace the PC in recent years. Boasting googly-eyed soldiers and comically bad textures, they're in stark contrast to the game's undeniable beauty when running at maximal settings. Company of Heroes 2 rightly explores dark narratives such as friendly fire and punishment for cowardice, however, given how poorly executed the cutscenes are, the horrific message falls completely flat. Thankfully, away from the narrative is where this game's strengths lie. Along with its dependable multiplayer, the star attraction is the Theatre of War mode. Here you can take part in a number of different scenarios, from fighting battles in harsh environmental conditions to holding off wave after wave of advancing enemy troops. The lack of plot constraints means you can approach each battle how and when you like, without having to wait to try out some of the Soviets' devastating hardware. Relentless: Thanks to the game's Essence Engine 3.0, environments are destructive while character models remain impressive even when zoomed in on the action. Water, in particular, looks superb . Larger scale battles sometimes bring with them their more comical moments. Soldiers move around like a colony of ants - frantically running in circles and randomly going prone. However, most of the skirmishes are as grisly as they are memorable. Company of Heroes 2 was played using an Nvidia GeForce 680 GTX Sli set-up and EVGA Precision X software. For more information visit: geforce.com . Company of Heroes 2 is out now. Let us know what you think on Twitter: @DailyMailGames and on Facebook: Daily Mail Games.
forces of nature. Frantic: When played on a most of the ColdTech dynamic weather system. When helped by some of the worst cutscenes to grace stark contrast to the game's undeniable beauty of War mode. Here you can take part in a number