SEGA has announced an official release date for North America and Europe for the upcoming strategy game Company of Heroes 2. The game, developed by Relic Entertainment (previously owned by THQ), will be released for Windows PCs on June 25th, 2013.
The story takes place in 1941, on the Eastern Front of World War II. Players will take on the role of a Soviet Red Army commander, who will engage in ruthless frontline warfare to free Russia from the invading Nazis. Using the Essence 3.0 Engine, the game promises to deliver cutting-edge technology that will improve not only the graphical quality of the game, but the gameplay itself, as well. The new line-of-sight technology TrueSight will emulate the visibility of troops in real combat. TrueSight aims to better represent the visibility range of a unit, depending on both the current environmental conditions and the type of unit in question.
Another feature is the weather-simulating ColdTech technology. Weather conditions will factor heavily into the gameplay. Players will have action and movement penalties imposed upon their units, depending on the type of weather. When moving through deep snow, units will suffer a speed decrease. If units are left outside during blizzards, they may die of frostbite. Players can protect their troops from the bitter, freezing cold with bonfires—but that will increase the chance of enemy detection. Some maps will have frozen bodies of water that can be crossed, but beware—not only can players be attacked while moving across the frozen water, but the ice can collapse under too much weight.
To learn more about the game, check out the official Company of Heroes website and YouTube channel.
