Combat Mission, titles which are known for their line of top WWII strategy games, has not only produced a title with a new engine, but has turned the clock forward into modern-day warfare. The story takes place in the winter of 2008 where terrorists from all nationalities started making their move into different countries well before any talk of heightened security. Once they were in place they kept quiet and waited for their call. Soon tips were pouring in about suspect baggage and before long there were terror alerts. Now, with the sleeper cells already in place, security was nearly pointless.
You will be able to fight with tons of units comprised of machine guns, anti-tank personnel, mortars, tanks and other vehicles. You will also have the ability to call in valuable air strikes to soften up targets. The damage modeling is where the game really excels. Units can take different damage depending on where they are hit, which adversely effects what the unit will be able to do. For example, if a tank track gets damaged that unit will have a tough time moving around the battlefield.
Battlefields are mostly desert landscapes dotted with vegetation and structures. These, too, will affect line-of-sight and other target-finding abilities. In short, there are a lot of factors that determine outcomes on the battlefield. This is not a free-for-all where the most tanks win. Strategy fans will surely appreciate this attention to detail.
My personal favorite feature was the ability to play as a turn-based or real-time game. This made learning a difficult game a bit easier. A tutorial is much needed for new fans. Veterans will surely pick this up in no time despite some new changes. Visually the game looked damn fine for this style of game. Games of this genre usually lack the eye candy most titles require to sell copies. Strategy games have usually fallen short here, but I am happy to report that this game looks good. The sound effects, however, could use a little work but were realistic enough to immerse you in the game. I liked the voiceovers and the music.
Regardless of story and setting this is still a typical warfare strategy title. Sure it has its differences but we have seen many games like this before. It’s a blast to play and there is a ton of different attributes that will keep any strategy buff happy. I would have liked to have seen a better Multiplayer option than what is found in the current release. I said it before, multiplay is the life and death of a game … literally.
Gameplay: 7.0
I found that actually playing the game was a bit tough at first. Sure it gets easier but a tutorial sure would have been a nice plus. There is a ton of options that can be overwhelming, but gets easier with time.
Graphics: 8.0
For this type of genre the graphics looked great. It is no FPS game, by any means, in terms of jaw dropping graphics, but games like these usually look pretty dull. When you zoom in on the battlefield, you can see a ton of detail.
Sound: 8.0
Sound effects were hit and miss but the voices and musical score were as great.
Difficulty: Hard
This one is tough.
Concept: 7.0
Nothing really new here. Yes, it may be a change from a company that usually produces WWII games, but I’ve seen plenty of modern warfare games where terrorists are the main enemy. I did like the ability to either play turn-based or real-time
Multiplayer: N/A
More than two-player capability is talked about for future modules but currently only email turn-based play is available at time of review.
Overall: 8.0
Hardcore strategy fans will surely love this new title. Map creating abilities will add shelf life.
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