Based on the solid gameplay of Company of Heroes, this expansion can't possibly disappoint the fans, and is a must have for anyone who missed the chance of trying the original. With a few worthy additions regarding units and gameplay improvement, Tales of Valor fails to provide enough content to keep players connected for more than a couple of hours, which is of course disheartening. To cut to the chase, we've got just three chapters, each containing only three missions that can easily be completed in just over 9 hours.

While it might feel like and overstatement to call the few scenarios a campaign set, they provide enough variety to make the entire experience exciting and help the gamer getting accustomed with the new features before trying the multiplayer. You'll shift between commanding a small expeditionary force dispatched to secure key points following D-Day, to defending a small town in the Falaise Pocket in order to provide a corridor for the retreating German forces.

Perhaps the most exciting chapter is the Tiger Ace, a set of missions where you assume the position of a tank crew trying to assist the Wehrmacht in its attempt of conquering a small French town. It may seem like a trivial mission to control a single unit but in reality the opponents are using terrain and any obstacle with great efficiency, desperately trying to stop you in your tracks. Tension mounts after each mission and gets the player deeply immersed in the uptight atmosphere of urban warfare.

Speaking of troops , there are just a couple of new units introduced as replacements and they function pretty much the same as their counterparts with only a few improvements in terms of mobility and firepower. Tales of Valor has a solid tutorial that explains virtually everything , from basic moves and tactics to the most subtle details about the new additions, so I'd strongly recommend against skipping it.

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Completing each mission will not unlock achievements of any sort, but instead you'll be awarded medals for accomplishing side quests and dealing with issues that suddenly appear in extraordinary circumstances. It may not be a real boost to the short campaign set, but to some extent these small rewards can increase the game's replayability by tempting players to return to the same mission again.

Due to the short nature of the campaign set it's pretty difficult to get involved very much with either side, and although the central characters that missions revolve around are convincing, you'll barely have the time to remember their name. Cinematics are original to say the least, basically they are nothing more than paintings with a narrative read aloud, but they are so well crafted that create the appropriate atmosphere. It's only fair to say that Relic managed to extract an astonishing amount from this scrap, and that cinematics make a strong contribution in providing cohesiveness to the story.

The skirmish is the first step to the real challenge of competing against a human opponent and thanks to a remarkably capable AI, these trials are quite challenging. You can either aim for complete annihilation of your opponent or just for controlling strategic points, the whole experience is just as exciting thanks to the numerous approaches available.

With just a couple of units to control and with base-building and resource gathering playing a minor role, it's vital to outmaneuver the opponent and constantly harass him. Building fortified positions and reinforcing troops is paramount, but victory can be achieved just as easily by striking a decisive blow to the enemy base when it's most vulnerable.

Having so many actions to fulfill and with micro management being your main concern, it's most unlikely that innovative features such as Direct Fire will ever be used. Basically you are given the chance of manually directing your artillery or tanks, instead of giving orders and then focusing on something else. Thanks to the competent AI, troops behave just as expected and in most cases your interference would only hurt the offensive.

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Conclusion:

If money is not of the essence than there is no doubt that this standalone expansion is a worthy addition to any RTS collection and definitely a must have for any Company of Heroes enthusiast. On the other hand the lack of content and the few innovative features make it pretty hard to recommend given the costs.

Gameplay: 82

Tales of Valor benefits of the same solid gameplay that brought the success for Company of Heroes, fast paced and focusing on tactics rather than encouraging long tedious fights. With just a couple of units under your command, a handful of reinforcements and always concerned about the lack of munitions, even a minor success feels like a major victory.

Graphics: 85

Relic did a terrific job in recreating the war torn Europe and every setting looks as close to the real thing as it gets. Maps don't look flat and uninspiring and the attention paid to details is obvious if we take a closer look to the units as well as the animations. Explosions are not as frequent as you'd expect in a World War 2 strategy game but they are nonetheless impressive, while cinematics make a strong impact despite their simplicity.

Sounds: 84

The music is simply outstanding and the orchestral bits fit in nicely even in the most intense firefights, while sound effects for machineguns, cannons and artillery rounds are just as effective. Being forced to order the same type of units frequently, it's inevitable to hear the same lines being uttered but luckily this chatter is appropriate and doesn't become annoying.

Multiplayer: 89

Without a doubt the multiplayer is where Tales of Valor shines, and the three new modes introduced by Relic should provide plenty of hours of excitement, despite being limited to a single map for each. In Panzerkrieg each player commands a single tank and is supposed to find and destroy the opponent's armored vehicle while Stonewall pits players against waves of incoming enemies that must be repelled. Finally the Assault is a fierce fight between two sides controlling enforced positions, with enough resources and structures to make sure it keeps you busy for a while.

Hardware: 85

The game runs smoothly even on high details and this is the way it's meant to be played as long as you own a powerful computer. Loading times take a bit too long but in the end you get to appreciate these brief moments of peace, before commencing a new blitzkrieg.