The fall game-release deluge is now one step closer to beginning. Today THQ's Company of Heroes became the first major game with a September release date to go gold. Rated M for Mature, the game is now on track to ship on September 14 for the PC for the suggested retail price of $49.99.

　　Developed by Relic Entertainment (Homeworld, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War), Company of Heroes is a real-time strategy title set in World War II's European theater. Its single-player campaign follows a company of US GIs as they press into Nazi-occupied Europe. The game's multiplayer mode will let up to eight players battle it out with a variety of weapons and vehicles as either the Axis or the Allies online or over a LAN connection.

　　Company of Heroes is powered by Relic's brand-new Essence Engine, which the studio has built from scratch. It features next-generation graphical effects, like high dynamic range lighting, normal mapping, dynamic lighting and shadows, and advanced shader effects. The game also uses Havok physics technology and sports totally destructible environments.

　　For more on Company of Heroes, check out GameSpot's series of previews of the game.