12. Company of Heroes. 20 Best Classic PC Strategy Games

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As you can easily see, the 1990s were abundant in of classic RTS games. With the turn of the century, however, the market became saturated, developers were less likely to use this formula, and the number of mass-produced clones of Warcraft and Age of Empires dropped dramatically. There were still some gems in the vein of the third part of Age of Empires, but the genre definitely required a massive overhaul. It got one in the form of Company of Heroes.

To this day, I remember the first time I've watched Saving Private Ryan and a Company of Brothers. These works revolutionized, in my eyes, the television and cinema vision of World War II, adding a touch of terrifying realism to it. A similar phenomenon occurred in video games, where Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and the original Call of Duty re-imagined the conflict from first-person perspective.

In the real-time strategy genre, similar work was done by Relic Entertainment, which, by creating its version of Company of Brothers, turned the formula upside down. There was no literal collection of resources now. Instead, we captured strategic points, for which the command supplied us with points that could be spent on acquiring subsequent units.

By eschewing classic solutions, the creators offered real depth in tactical skirmishes. The soldiers under our command could hide behind cover, flank the enemy or panic under heavy fire. In addition, we could call in air support or artillery fire from outside the map. Physics was also impressive. Tanks could tear down fences and sappers could blow up bridges. Although the battles were relatively small in scale, it was impossible to deny them dynamic, so that every appearance of heavy equipment (tanks, artillery) on the stage caused chills.

Company of Heroes was a bold game that was not afraid to destroy established pattern and introduce innovative solutions. It was one of those experiments that revolutionized the field for years to come. Unfortunately, the industry at this point was not as interested in RTS games as it used to be, and there not many developers followed in the game's footsteps.