StarCraft II is about sport, Supreme Commander about spectacle, but Company of Heroes is about stories. Playing it reminded me why the original was such an important RTS. This is no Dawn of War 2 experiment, it's an attempt to perfect the near-perfect and represent an aspect of WWII often glossed over in western media. Relic are RTS developers of formidable experience, however, and the three or four hours I spent with the multiplayer was reassuring. It's impossible to know how much or little those boosts will affect the action, and there's always a chance that a future DLC drop could inject imbalance or unfairness into the mix.

Intel bulletins weren't in place when I played the multiplayer, which leaves me with a hint of trepidation. “There's an opportunity to take this game just about anywhere,” said Quinn, cryptically. Game director Quinn Duffy describes it as “a great way for us to target little historical elements, a particular battle, or a particular time period and really dial into that experience.” These singleplayer scenarios don't even have to take place on the Eastern Front. New maps, skins and commanders are planned for multiplayer and a 'Theatre of War' mode will host standalone singleplayer scenarios.

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