Opposing Fronts introduces two new factions, the British and the German Panzer Elite. Of course, what World War 2 title wouldn't complete without our friends from across the pond, but in your excitement for their inclusion, be sure you don't just group the new Panzer Elite in with the German army from the first Company of Heroes.

Each of the new factions has their own strength and weaknesses, and manages to mesh well with what has already been established. I've heard a few cries of balance issues from various people, and I'll agree that the Panzer Elite seem a bit overkill at times, but a lot of the over the top outcries just seem to be made up of typical internet whining that comes about when anything changes.

The differences between these two new factions are pretty much night and day. The Brits are definitely a more defensive group in the game, serving up the ability to carve out trenches and really root themselves in a location to whittle down the enemy forces that attempt to subdue them, but at the same time they can mount a decent offensive. Basically they're a tough group once they've started to establish themselves, and you don't want to be misled by small numbers if you encounter them.

On the opposite side of things, the Panzer Elite are offensively based, benefiting from quick attacks and early advancements outside of their central locations. If you're able to get a good group up and running early on, you can be a constant pain in the ass to your opponent from the start. It's not quite a "zerg rush", but an early offense seems to definitely be key in the online matches I played. That said, they're definitely weaker in defense, and you can't really dig in your heels for long stretches in large battles against your opponent without suffering heavy losses.

Everything you might have enjoyed from the first CoH's multiplayer format exists in Opposing Fronts. Fully destructible environments, incredible visuals, beautifully realistic sound FX, along with the basic deathmatch mode and the more strategic and nail biting scenario of capturing victory point locations.

The single player campaign is roughly the same length as the previous CoH title, which is to say unfortunately short. Opposing Front bounces back and forth between the Panzer Elite and British storylines, focusing on Operation Market Garden for the Germans and the Assault on Caen for the Brits. The story is solid, and presented well enough to be engaging even to those not completely familiar with the real world events. Opposing Front holds up the fine standard of dialogue and story that the first Company of Heroes introduced, and while nothing managed to really blow me away, I was definitely entertained by it.

Opposing Fronts is a solid entry into the fledgling franchise, and maintains the high level of quality introduced in the original. My biggest complaint is that even after a year not much as changed when it comes the visuals or character builds, everything pretty much looks identical to what we saw last year. However, it's a minor complaint at best since Company of Heroes was already at the top of its game in that department when it released, and compared to the other RTS titles on the market right now, that statement still holds true. I also have some slight balancing issues with the Panzer Elite, but I think in part they're the new flavor of the month (or months), and after a bit you'll manage to get used to how hard/quick they hit.

So fans of the original Company of Heroes should be mighty pleased with Opposing Fronts, and even if you've never played the original you can feel free to jump in at this point, but to get the full online experience you'll definitely want both titles. The two new factions add enough to the multiplayer experience to make it worth the price of admission, and the extra campaign missions are just icing on an already delicious cake.