Sega and Relic have just unveiled their next Company of Heroes 2 standalone multiplayer release. The British Forces brings with it the new infantry, team weapons, vehicles and commanders, straight from Churchill’s greatest. To accompany them, eight brand new maps will be added, all portraying historical battlefields of old.
“The British Army has been one of the most requested factions since we first announced Company of Heroes 2 three years ago.” said Greg Wilson, executive producer at Relic Entertainment. “The British were a major player in WWII and we are excited to bring their unique makeup and overall tactical doctrine to the Company of Heroes 2 battlefield. Finally, every player – whether they are new to the franchise or a long standing fan – can play The British Forces and have a compelling multiplayer experience with an army that can certainly go toe-to-toe with every other faction in the game.”
Here’s what’s included in the game:
- Unique Playstyle: Experience a unique tech-tree that challenges the player to balance the constant trade-off between mobility and defense – basically giving you two factions for the price of one. Surprise your opponents with your development choices and an open end game configuration.
- Distinctive Units & Abilities: From the Churchill Crocodile flamethrower tank to the RAF glider, this new faction introduces new gameplay mechanics with a range of 15 one-of-a-kind units. Meanwhile, the new commanders’ abilities revolve around impressive staged events making the most of air raids and artillery.
- Army with Character: An international cast of actors from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and New-Zealand bring the units to life, with accents ranging from the posh elite to the working class. The writing of the units’ audio cues was also given special attention in order to ensure the various regional differences – and rivalries – among the British subjects stand out.
- Impoved Mo-Capped Animations: The battlefield comes to life like never before thanks to motion-captured data for the most common animation set (SMG), that will also update all of the previous armies’ animation systems.
- New Maps: Eight stunning new maps enhance the extensive collection of pre-existing Company of Heroes 2 maps as well as thousands of community created maps available on the Steam workshop.
- Intense Online Combat: Feel the unprecedented ferocity of frontline strategic warfare and engage in visceral battle with adversaries from across the globe.
The standalone package is due out September 3rd, and priced at £9.99 / $12.99. If you plan on picking it up, then know that pre-orders will net you 10% off, and that’s raised to 20% if you already own a Company of Heroes game.
In other news, Sega has been spotted registering and updating a Dawn of War 3 website domain, and Relic are seemingly involved too.