The Company of Heroes series’ second standalone expansion pack, Tales of Valor, adds brand-new campaigns, gameplay modes, and online missions to the real-time strategy formula that made the original game so successful. But while the series’ last standalone expansion, Opposing Fronts, was a welcome addition, Tales of Valor may leave a few players scratching their heads.
Tales of Valor features three new single-player campaigns that highlight lesser-known battles. In the “Tiger Ace” campaign, you take control of a Tiger tank crew from a highly decorated panzer group and face off against the British 7th Armored Division at the Battle of Villers-Bocage. In “Causeway,” you’ll command two squads of the 82nd Airborne as you fight for control of the La Fière Causeway on D-Day. Finally, in “Falaise Pocket,” you direct the Wehrmacht in holding off advancing Allied forces.
The main focus of Tales of Valor, however, is its online multiplayer mode. The online component features three new missions. The first, “Operation Stonewall,” charges up to four players with defending a small town from an overwhelming AI force. “Operation Panzerkrieg” supports two to six players in a large-scale tank demolition derby of sorts between some of the most impressive armored units used by both the Axis and Allied powers during the war. Finally, “Assault” is an all-out brawl for battlefield supremacy.
Tales of Valor’s online component is excellent, but the single-player campaign leaves something to be desired. It is linear, heavily scripted, and although the gameplay has been heavily modified from the original in some areas, the new features hinder the experience rather than enhancing it. The new Direct Fire Control feature, for example, allows players to maneuver individual units, aim, and fire in real time—but diminishes your units’ abilities to react to changing battlefield conditions, and doesn’t add much to the gameplay as a whole.
Overall, Tales of Valor doesn’t bring much to the table. Sure, it has new content and some unusual gameplay modes, but for the most part it’s just the same formula that made the original Company of Heroes such a success. As a standalone expansion, Tales of Valor does not require that you own the original game—but if you haven’t played the original, you may be better off with that. On the other hand, if online multiplayer is what you’re looking for, Tales of Valor will be right up your alley.
Originally published in the July 2009 issue of World War II. To subscribe, click here.
