Company of Heroes is a revolutionary game in the real time strategy (RTS) genre. For so many years the formula had not changed, so by comparison, Company of Heroes is a breath of fresh air. This well crafted PC game will surely become an instant classic thanks to its fantastic gameplay and emphasis on strategy.

Company of Heroes takes place in World War II. The single player missions start with the D-Day invasion and end with the allies closing the Falasie Pocket. Through out the single player missions, the American Army deals with all kinds of terrain and all sorts of missions. Cities, hedgerows, even a German V-2 rocket base all appear, and each one requires its own strategy. The objectives range from encircling German forces, taking out several tough Panther tanks, to taking a heavily defended hill. One of my favorites is defending a hill from attack for a certain amount of time and then going on the offensive in the mission after it. They are so varied I was always wondering what the next mission would hold.

RTS games have not changed for years and Company of Heroes fixes this trend. It cuts out all of the fat in the system and leaves in the best parts of every RTS. First of all, there are no gatherer units in Company of Heroes. There are three resources: manpower, munitions, and fuel. They are given to the player over time as a trickle, which he must carefully manage. To increase the resources per minute he gets, players must capture and control points on the field. I greatly prefer this system to the alternative. At lets the player focus on combat, not on economy.

Also, this game puts the strategy back into real time strategy. For what might be the first time, cover actually matters. It saves your infantry from damage and lets them out fight superior troops. The days of rushing blindly are over too. A smart player with an inferior force can always beat a player who just tells his troops to attack with no strategy. Like in real war, numbers help, but superior strategy is better.

Another dimension which is added to combat in this game is suppression. Heavy fire will make your troops hit the dirt and fight poorly. If the lead continues to fly, they become pinned, which makes them completely useless in combat. However, there are ways to break it. Stop the source of the suppression and they will eventually recover. If you can not do that, then hit the all important retreat button. It makes the troops race back to your headquarters and allows for an easy escape from even the worst situations. If you are going to lose a squad in any situation, this will save your boys. Because troops train in squads, it is easy to reinforce the squad at the HQ, if they lost anyone, and then send them back out to fight again.

Tanks are also handled in this game very well. Like in real life the thinnest armor on the tank is in the rear, so it is important to protect your tank from flankers. Also, clever players will quickly find out that protecting infantry with a tank, and vice versa, is an excellent strategy. Tanks are far from invincible and are expensive to field, so keeping them in play is a must.

The Company Commander Technology tree is a great addition to the game. For both the American and Wehrmacht Army there are three choices, all of which force you to play that army a little differently to get the maximum effect. As you fight you gain experience which turns into points. You then spend those points on the tree, which gives you unique units, technologies, and abilities. It only has two sides, but you have to get the tech at the top before you can get the tech below, and of course, the coolest techs are at the bottom. The biggest tanks and most powerful technologies are found there.

While the single player missions in Company of Heroes are only as the Americans, the Wehrmacht army is playable in skirmish and online. Instead of being a clone of the Americans, they have a completely different gameplay structure. They rely on expensive, but powerful units, so strategy is a must. Also, the player has more choices of units, so he has to decide what he should field in that particular game.

The American Army has its benefits too. Their standard infantry, riflemen, can adapt to most situations. The number of men in a squad is always higher for Americans as well, which makes it is easy to build up a large army to overwhelm the Axis. Sherman tanks are also good at adapting to most situations if used properly. However, both armies are very well balanced and each has their charms.

Company of Heroes is a must have for RTS fans. It takes the tired, old RTS formula and streamlines it. It has an amazing depth, but still remains accessible to everyone. Savvy players will be able to keep peeling back the layers and find new ways to defeat their enemies. However, anyone can pick up the game with no experience, as the tutorials and campaign prepare the player well. If you want a fresh and highly polished RTS experience, look no father then this gem of a game. Its huge innovations will surely affect the RTS genre and change how these games will be made in the future.

Here are my top ten picks for Nintendo 64 games in no particular order. Disagree? Email us your picks.

Super Smash Bros.

It is hard to name a better party game. The mayhem of all of our favorite Nintendo characters duking it out for no reason is far better then it sounds.

Super Mario 64

This game revolutionized three dimensional platform games in so many ways. Its wide open and varied worlds are still fun to play up to this day.

Star Fox 64

Piloting Fox’s fighter though varied levels is great. Add in a branching map that rewards players for finding secrets and you have a game that lives on its addictive replay value.

Goldeneye 007

This game is a multiplayer legend. Up to four players could face off in varied maps and a wide range of game types. The single player is great too. Goldeneye is still popular today as a party game.

Ogre Battle 64

A unique RPG which is based around building units of soldiers by placing them on three by three squares in the best arrangements. With tons of units to choose from and a complex class progression system, it has plenty of depth and replay value. Also, its version of the story of a soldier betrayed by his nation actually works.

Paper Mario

An exceptional RPG which has a great combination of the Mario universe and an interactive combat system. Timed button presses and releasing the joystick at the right time deals extra damage and never gets old. The badge system, which gives Mario new abilities, makes it worth the time to seek out hidden treasure chests and save up money to buy more.

Mario Kart 64

Yet another multiplayer gem. Racing as your favorite characters from the Mario universe with a good selection of weapons is still unique and fresh to this day.

Pokemon Snap

Whether or not you like Pokemon, you have to admit that the premise works out very well in practice. Taking pictures of virtual animals is surprisingly challenging and addicting.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

Even if you cannot skate, you like this game. Flying all over levels busting out all kinds of crazy moves and collecting those tapes is just fun.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Arguably one of the best games ever. Its blend of great story, prefect controls, puzzle filled dungeons, and challenging bosses, is flawless. Defeating Ganondorf still gives me thrills years later. The sequel, Majora’s Mask, is also fantastic, but Ocarina of Time just beats it out.

Super Mario Galaxy is the latest in the long running saga of Mario, his damsel in distress, and the evil reptile Bowser. However, this new game manages to show that Mario is still a very relevant franchise. It is both innovative and fun.

Galaxy is once again a tale of Mario and his quest to save Princess Peach. However, the twist of the game is where it takes place. Instead of journeying around a kingdom, Mario must battle his way through a number of different galaxies in order to defeat the Koopa King. A galaxy is a level typically split into several planets, which can range from huge to very tiny. Mario must solve a puzzle or complete a task to continue to another planet, and eventually complete the level by retrieving a star. As would be expected, there are bosses at the end of some levels. The different galaxies each have their own theme and no two are alike.

The most interesting thing about the different planets is that they all have their own gravity. Even the smallest sphere does, which allows Mario to run on a planet in three dimensions, adding an exhilarating, although occasionally disorienting, gameplay mechanic. Players will find it fun jumping to escape the gravity of one planet to get into the grip of a second, or running underneath a planet to find hidden coins or level-up mushrooms.

Another gameplay twist is Mario’s new costumes. They give him new abilities that he must use to complete some levels. They range from the Bee Suit, which gives Mario the ability to fly short distances, to the Spring Suit, which allows him to jump far higher then he normally could.

Galaxy is a good display of what the Wii is capable of. The game uses the power of the Wii to create simple, colorful graphics that are also very smooth, clean and sharp. Galaxy also makes use of the motion sensor Wii controller. Players flick the remote side to side for the all-important spin attack. It stuns or defeats enemies and breaks objects in the world. Catapulting from planet to planet using star shaped devices requires the player to spin the star to activate it. These controls are tricky at first, but in a short time the player will not even notice they are doing them.

Galaxy is a great step up from the last game, Super Mario Sunshine. Breaking each galaxy into separate planets turns each level into bite sized pieces, compared to the intimidating levels of Sunshine. I found the giant worlds and labyrinthine tasks to be frustrating and overly difficult. However, Galaxy is still a challenge. If the regular galaxies are not difficult enough, the player can unlock hidden, secret planets, which have difficult challenges on them for more experienced players. On top of that, there are comets that randomly appear in some galaxies, which add a new challenge to that level. These include racing a shadow Mario to a star or collecting 100 purple coins. Also, there is the monumental task of collecting all of the stars in the game.

Anyone who owns a Wii will want this game in their library. It is everything we have come to expect from the Mario series and Nintendo. It shows what the Wii can be used to create in capable hands. Galaxy delivers an experience that is a perfect mix of old Mario and new technology. It will be appreciated by old fans and new players alike, as well as inexperienced and hardcore gamers.

The Nintendo Wii is the most difficult to find video of game consoles. I have personally looked for over a year before I finally found and purchased one. However, I am not at all disappointed. The Wii has tons of great features at a great price.

The most obvious feature of the Wii is the motion sensor controller. Trust me; it is far from a gimmick. In the right hands the controller can be used to create video game magic. It is an innovative way of interacting with your games. Also, the controller is completely wireless. Once controllers are synced with the Wii, they will instantly connect to it with the press of a button. You can even turn on the Wii remotely with the press of a button. The remote also has rumble and a speaker. All of these features make them a huge step forward in gaming. It is amazing how much Nintendo packed into such a small and economic package.

Another great feature of the Wii is its built-in storage. You do not have to worry about buying a memory card, which never seems to have enough space. The Wii divides this storage into blocks, which are just the unit of hard drive space. A game typically uses a few blocks and with 2200 available, the average user will have plenty of space.

The Wii also features “Miis,” which are virtual avatars that players can create in their image. They can be used in games like Wii Sports and Super Mario Galaxy to keep track of your stats and saves. Also, playing as your Mii in Wii Sports adds a level of emersion into the game.

The Wii also features what are called Channels, which can do all kinds of things. They are like television channels, as they have different options on each. For example, one lets you explore a globe and check the weather around the world. There is also a News Channel and that lets you surf the internet with a web browser based on Opera Web Browser. As Nintendo updates the firmware on the Wii, they add new channels to the system, constantly expanding the usefulness of the Wii.

I am also impressed by the look and feel of the console. Its shiny white exterior and shape are really slick looking. It lays down on its side, or on the edge in the included stand. Even though it has a fan, it is nearly silent. Unlike the Xbox 360, which has a large, loud fan, you will easily forget the Wii is on.

Finally, the price of the Wii is one of its best selling points. It is $250 for the console, which comes with the game Wii Sports. Games are just $50, compared to $60 for games on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The remotes are a little pricey, I have to admit, but they are filled with a lot of features in return. The remote is $40 and the Nunchuck is $20.

The Wii has met my expectations and exceeded them. Nintendo has built a console which is chock full of features and value. It may not have the high powered glitz of the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, but it makes up for that with charm. I predict that the Wii will continue to sell at an impressive rate and may become one of the most beloved video game consoles ever.