Company of Heroes 2 beta goes live

The closed beta for Company of Heroes 2 went live yesterday, giving pre-order customers a chance to try out a variety of online features ahead of the game's June launch.

To accompany the announcement Sega and their recently acquired studio Relic Entertainment have released the following map descriptions, to give a taste of what's in store, as well as a handful of news screens showing off the terrain we can expect to see.

Pripyat
The Pripyat River and the marshes that follow its meandering course was an obstacle to the German advance into the Soviet Union in 1941, and a similar problem when the Soviets finally returned in 1944 during Operation Bagration. In the intervening years, partisan forces waged an effective campaign behind the lines using river crossings and forested areas to blunt the military advantage of their enemy. Seizing key territory objectives is the key to this strategic area.

Kholodny
'Kholodny' translates roughly in Russian as 'the cold one'. Several villages in Russia and the Ukraine share variations on this name, but all are in parts of this vast region where temperatures can reach fatally low levels. Many of the Isbas (small wooden farmhouses) in this area have been destroyed in prior conflicts, so shelter is at a premium. Keep your troops alive by using cover, fire, and half-tracks.

Rzhev
One of the most brutal battles of World War II, "The Rzhev Meat Grinder", cost Soviet forces more than 1 million soldiers both dead and injured.  Both combatant armies will struggle to keep their infantry alive in the bitter cold, where blizzards and ice are treacherous. Control the battlefield and flatten the Rzhev Salient once and for all.

Oka River
The headwaters of the Oka River start near the ancient citadel town of Orel where they flow east until they merge with the mighty Volga, eventually passing Stalingrad, the site of one of the largest battles in human history. The Oka is a beautiful sight in winter, but its fragile ice can doom friend and foe alike, and the bitter cold can take a toll on the unprepared...or unwary. Reaching the enemy is impossible without crossing the Oka at some point - Battlefield resources are distributed on both shores.

Steppes
The temperate steppe is a region of rolling grasslands, small stands of trees, and scattered villages. From time immemorial, vast armies have clashed on the expansive plains that cover wide swaths of Eastern Europe, turning this region into one of history's greatest killing grounds. Armor can move rapidly across the gently rolling terrain, slowed only occasionally by shallow rivers. Players are challenged to hold resource points on this large open map where forces are spread thin.

Moscow Outskirts
The German army reached the outer suburbs of Moscow on December 2nd, 1941 and were allegedly able to spot the spires of the Kremlin some 20km away. Heavy winter snows indicated the arrival of General Winter and cases of frostbite and exposure deaths increased dramatically in the German Army. Moscow was spared, and the course of the war permanently altered. Cold weather dictates strategy on this map - keep your troops alive by using cover, buildings, and fires.