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It’s hard to believe that nearly 3 years have passed since Company of Heroes first invaded our screens. Since then Relic released Opposing Fronts, their first stand-alone expansion in 2007 and now Tales of Valor in 2009.

Company of Heroes still maintains a large online following thanks to its easy-to-play-difficult-to-master nature. There is no shortage of custom maps and mods that have become available over the years as a result.

So, the question is what does Tales of Valor bring to the table that warrants another purchase?

Well, not a lot to be perfectly honest. The visuals have been ever-so-slightly improved, but are still pretty dated by today’s standard. There are only 3 new single-player campaigns that can be completed in roughly 5 hours or less and 3 new multiplayer modes as well as some new units and maps. Relic haven’t re-invited the wheel with Tales of Valor, the only noticeable addition to gameplay is direct fire, the ability to take over aiming and firing of your troops, in real-time. This doesn’t really represent a lot of value as the AI does a pretty good job of tracking enemy units on its own. During the time I spent playing Tales of Valor, I wasn’t able to find a scenario in which direct fire offered something that the AI couldn’t already do. A gimmick at best. There are 3 new single player campaigns featured in Tales of Valor. Each campaign is pretty short and can be completed in well under 5 hours. I’d recommend cranking the difficulty up as the missions are pretty easy and veterans of the series will have no trouble completing their objectives. Tiger Ace is inspired by the Battle of Villers-Bocage, you take charge of a Tiger, a fierce German tank that makes its debut in Tales of Valor. As you play through Tiger Ace, you’re assigned with primary and secondary objectives. Every time you kill enemy units you are awarded a small amount of XP that can be used to level up various attributes and abilities. World War II buffs can probably guess that Causeway is set around the events in La Fière. You take control of 2 elite groups of paratroopers, deep behind enemy lines. For most part you are heavily outnumber by the Germans, but the paratroopers superior training and equipment offers a generous advantage. Falaise Pocket is the last of the new campaigns in Tales of Valor. This time you’re back with the Germans, as you try and defend the French town of Falaise against an onslaught of allied assault. The key is to secure garrisons and slowly expand your defenses as the allied attacks become more and more potent. One of the best things about the original Company of Heroes was the captivating story, you almost felt a certain connection with the characters and it did a good job of immersing you in the struggles of World War II. That engrossing story is sorely lacking in Tales of Valor. I guess that can be expected in such a multiplayer focused expansion.

Relic has also offered 3 new multiplayer modes in Tales of Valor. Each offers something new that will probably be the main selling point for fans of the series.

Panzerkrieg is the much talked-about tank vs. tank mode for multiplayer. The goal in Panzerkreig is to capture control points. Each control point you capture will unlock different bonuses that benefit the entire team. To win in Panzerkreig you need to deplete your enemy’s points or destroy all their tanks. The rate of decay is dictated by how many control points you and your enemy are holding. The more nodes you control, the slower your point decay.

Stonewall is the co-op mode that allows friends to team up against the enemy. In Stonewall you must defend a town against wave after wave of enemy attack. Everything plays out as you would expect, resource management and unit recruitment all need to be handled carefully. This mode will be a good starting point for newcomers to the series as it allows you to learn the ins-and-outs of the game while having a buddy to look over your shoulder.

Finally there is Assault, which is Relic’s take on uber-popular DoTA. In Stonewall you control a single ‘hero’ character. You can choose from a few different types of heroes such as commando or medic. Each hero character has his own unique abilities which are pretty self explanatory (medic can heal, engineer can repair). Your character gains XP for every enemy kill. XP is then used to upgrade your abilities which enables a slight advantage on the battlefield.

Overall the amount of content offered in Tales of Valor is a bit light for an expansion pack. I think a ‘booster pack’ would better describe the amount of content in Tales of Valor. Even though you don’t need a copy of the original Company of Heroes to play Tales of Valor, I don’t think there is enough on offer to justify the price.

Fans of Company of Heroes will no doubt already have their copy on pre-order to take advantage of the new multiplayer content. Everyone else will probably want to think twice before parting with their hard earned cash. There isn’t a lot to play through during the single player campaign, the game engine is starting to show its age, and the engrossing story from the original Company of Heroes is sorely missing.

The Good

• New multiplayer content will satisfy fans of the series.
• DoTA..Er.. I mean Assault Mode is a good addition.
• Runs well on the modest rigs.

The Bad

• Short single player campaign.
• Direct Fire doesn’t offer any real value.
• Engine is really showing its age.
• Very multiplayer focused, may not appeal to everyone.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

Buy from Play-Asia $29.90

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