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State of the Art

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 19
Date: July 31, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Rated 3 for fun, and 5 for overall value.

Prospective buyers are urged to check out the reviews of professional game reviewers for an indepth look at this game. I liked the game well enough to design several scenarios for it, which are included on this retail version, so take my comments with that in mind.

Combat Mission marks a new state of the art in computer wargaming. This game can best be likened to the old Squad Leader and ASL systems that many wargamers grew up playing from 1977 and on into the 1990s. Apparently some people still pull out the maps and counters and ten pounds of rules, but for many of us, CM is a fine substitute.

This game is superior to Close Combat and Steel Panthers in many ways. Firstly, the 3D world makes the action seem much less like a board game. Bear in mind the graphics are dated and clunky, but there are some pretty immersive effects as well, such as camera shake and tracer effects. The game itself is played, however, in simultaneous turns - an innovative method that was attempted by some board games but considered tedious. CC relied on real time which represented an unrealistic burden on a player forced to give orders to large numbers of units without pause; SP relied on alternating turns and allowed artificial methods of drawing fire and other "gamey" play. Both games relied on a dull top-down view of the proceedings.

Where CM shines is in replayability - with an ability to create random battles and maps at the click of a mouse. The scenario designer is given complete freedom to make use of any of the ingame resources to create situations of his choosing.

Drawbacks are lack of a campaign and no ability to import maps and men from one battle to the next with ease. Also, some interface problems, such as lack of convoy movement for vehicles.

Most realistic armour modelling ever attempted in a computer game, with realistic ballistics and penetration info.

Fully moddable sound and graphics, and can be done without special software of any kind.

Overall, the best tactical level WW II game on the market, and perhaps ever to see the light of day to this point in time.

Fantastic strategy wargame!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: December 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

CMBB continues the Combat Mission franchise on the East Front. It covers, as the name specifies, the German invasion of USSR in 1941 through the end of the war. With Germans, Finns, Romanians, Hungarians, Soviets, and Poles as the nationalities, and weak 1941 tanks through 1945 heavy tanks, and terrain from the Arctic Circle to Sevastopol, there is a lot of variety. Between having easily-made scenarios and computer-generated Quick Battles, it is difficult to see ever getting tired of the game.

The game itself is a WEGO game -- each side plots its move, then it is shown as a movie. A big battle could have a lot going on, so the ability to watch it from different angles and rewind is very useful. The game focuses on creating a realistic playable game. The game is rather simple to play, but at the same time it can be very difficult. So, it is more of an intellectual challenge than a reflex game.

An interest in WW2 history is optional, and certainly not necessary to enjoy this exceptional game.

This is for all who ever wanted to be a squad leader but didn't want to get shot at

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: September 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is the kind of game most die hard boardgamers from the 70's and 80's have been looking for. Anyone who's played Advanced Squad Leader will find all the elements that they've enjoyed in that boardgame in this PC game.
Real life tactics will win. Careless recon, poor flank security,
improper use of terrain, insufficinet prep fire, no concentration of force will lead to disaster.
Combined arms tactics are a must. Drive your tanks into a built up area without infantry support and see them get ambushed. Pre plot your artillary on likely avenues of approach and watch the enemy walk into your deadly barrage. Watch the tide of battle turn as a brave veteran
anti tank team takes out the enemies supporting armor.
Hunker down in a bunker impervious to artillary and blast away at oncoming Russian infantry masses. Watch your Tigers take out T-34's at stand off distances.
Make sure to keep a ready reserve, and sometimes you are short of troops and simply have to juggle the troops you have, rushing them from one threatened sector to another, but don't push them too hard or they'll break.
It's like fighting a real life tactical level battle from the safety of your chair.
This is a game for would be thinkers and tacticians out there.
Great Stuff.

Amazing Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin is a fantastic addition to the Combat Mission line of games started in Beyond Overlord.
This is a game for people that really love in depth WW2 strategy but aren't opposed to some nice eye candy too.
It's a balance between hardcore strategy and pleasure to play.
The format is going to be unfamiliar to those coming from the RTS clickfests. In the game you issue orders for the coming 1minute to all of your units (your orders can however cover time periods lasting much longer than that, but you'll get another chance to revise them in a minute).
After you've decided your orders you hit your go button and settle in to watch a 1 minute movie that let's you fastwd rewind pause replay and gives you a fully mobile camera to watch the action from any angle you'd like. The movies alone are worth the price of the game.
There's immense detail in the engine and the setup of units.
There are complaints that infantry is somewhat abstracted (you get 3 figures standing in for squads) Still, it's a tiny concession to processing power and you'll rapidly forget that there's anything odd about it.

The game play options include hotseat, Player Vs CPU, PVP over lan,tcp/ip or via play by email which should not be overlooked as one of the most enjoyable ways to experience this game.

It's a great game to get the younger (not young) gamer into playing games that rely more on skill than speed and a great game for the old grognard in everyone.

Cheers

Great

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The game is excellent, if your into the whole turn based strategy game elements. The historical accuracy is one of the highest aspects of this game, ranging from different values of armour depending on years and months as well as equipment for different nations and dates.

There are mainly two different play types. A scenerio, and an operation. A scenerio can have up to 10 to 40 turns of combat, meaning while a Operation can have between 1 and 100 battles! It is truly excellent for those who wish to play for days, or even half an hour depending on what you want.

Custom scenerio building is very excellent, giving even the most simple of you gamers out there the power to build an entire battlefield within the game itself. No extra programs, no extra hassles, just pure fun.

The action is intense and sometimes even scary when you watch your defense line crumble under a computers, or another players, attack. Or exciting when your chasing the enemy's troops back towards their own.

The manual is excellent, giving you a massive outlook on all of the hard work and dedication the designers put into the research. All of the pages are filled with detailed info and helpful hints. AS well, it explains some of the games concepts in a clear manner.

The graphics, while not on par with such high rest super games, are great for what the game is about. The main focus on this game is gameplay, not graphics. But even so, the graphics are still really good when you watch a battle between 40 soldiers and several tanks crashing into eachother.

It gives you so many options, and the skins for soldiers and tanks are very editable, as well as the sounds. Meaning that uniform nuts and bolt-heads will go nuts trying to reskin every detail into a simple .bmp.

If your still unsure, try the demo at www.battlefront.com.

Thinking, not action game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: January 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I agree with a previous reviewer that this game isn't a "shoot'em up game". He is also correct that this game has a lot of parallels to board/miniature games in that the emphasis is plotting your actions, and planning your attack. The game does take advantage of the computer to allow hidden units/movement and simultaneous execution of movement.

The graphics don't match the latest first person shooters, but they are very good. The emphasis in this game is on realism- tank detail is exquisite, with different tanks producing different engine noises. Squads react to not only enemy fire, but the presence of officer units.

The controls are awkward at first, but it didn't take me long to get used to moving entire platoons together. Usually, after my initial set-up and opening moves, I have to only make minor adjustments to unit placement and things move very quickly.

If you want continuous action, look elsewhere-if you want a more thoughtful study of the WWII tactical environment, this game is for you.

Excellent turn-based tactical wargaming

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: November 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The Combat Mission series is the best turn-based tactical level WWII simulation out there, hands down. What makes the game engine unique is the "we-go" design, where each side plots orders for their units and then the turn is resolved simultaneously, which can be viewed as a movie. The game has a tactical level artificial intelligence that allows for units to make intelligent decisions during the course of turn based on input from their environment. For instance, if you order a T34 tank to advance over the crest of hill and during the course of the turn the T-34 spots a Tiger tank in the distance, chances are the T-34 will quickly reverse behind the crest to save itself.

The level of technical detail is truely top notch and Battlefront took a lot of input from military experts and hard-core wargamers to develop accurate models.

The graphics are good, but not comparable to some real-time games on the market. But the emphasis of this game is realism, strategy and tactics - not arcade psuedo history shoot em up.

An excellent scenario editor provides longevity to the game and hundres of customers publish custom scenarios. Buying this game is money well spent!

This Is It

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is the best tactical level wargame for the modern period on the market. The only close rivals are East Front and the Close Combat series and CCBB is a huge advance over either of these.

My criteria for judging what purports to be a serious wargame is whether you can learn anything useful from it and whether what you do know about the tactics of the period can be employed to advantage. CCMB gets top marks in both areas.

Others have commented on how well armored conflict is captured.

I'm mainly into infantry myself, and here infantry and artillery get equally realistic and thoughtful treatment.

On the defense, fortications are available including bunkers, pillboxes, wire, and mines. Siting your heavy machine guns to fire across the front instead of straight ahead pays off. Platoon size counterattacks are often rewarded. Ambushes can be realistically constructed. You can impose fire discipline on your troops such that they wait until the enemy is very close instead of burning all their limited ammunition at 500 yards.

When attacking, you had better have flank security. You will appreciate the importance of having certain units "take the point" to avoid ambush. Fresh reserves can tip the balance for the attacker. There is a time to have some units provide covering fire while others cautiously advance. There is a time to flood the enemy's position with your troops in a headlong rush.

Realistic artillery tactics apply. You want to rush the enemy's positions before they can recover from a barrage. Go in too quick and you will catch friendly fire. Artillery can be bore-sighted (pre-registered)for instant delivery instead of waiting 2 to 10 minutes for the request to go up the chain of command.
Use your mortars to cover a gap in the defense the infantry can't reach.

On and on it goes. Strongpoint defense or continuous line ala Marine Corps in WWII? Watch green crews abandon otherwise functioning tanks. Shouldn't the captain be placed near the conscripts to steady them?

Advanced squad leader computerized with animation.

This is it. At last.

Man, is the AI in this game impossible or what?!?!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: July 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I never really thought I would buy this game. One reason is the I played the demo version and hated it. Why, bad graphics and boring gameplay. Well, as one previous reviewer mentioned, I decided to give the game a second look. I read and read reviews and researched because if I don't I usually buy a game I never play and therefore waste my time and money etc...

Now keep in mind I am not a tactical junkie. I am a RTS junkie meaning I play empire earth, total war series, age of empires you get the picture. So, I got bored with those games to but didn't know why? I mean they were fun and the graphics and ragdoll effects were out of this world but there was something missing and until now I didn't know what it was?

Now I know after going out on a ledge and buying this game. I got it really cheap so I though hey, even if I hate it I won't be out to much. Man, was I wrong! Nothing but praise for this rare gem! What was missing was a nearly impossible, shrewd AI that keeps you on your toes 24/7 or however long it takes you to finnish an operation or battle. Nothing compares to sending your men and tanks in just to find out they are getting slautered by a ruthless computer enemy! Yes, it's that good. This game is for the big boys, diehards and the like. I on the otherhand, am not one of those groups but I still enjoy competing with such a demanding AI that this game offers even if I get detroyed everytime it takes practice to get it right and that's how ever RTS or tactical, turn based game should be but somehow is not.

The graphics are better and better the more i play but that does not mean nothing when you have bad gameplay. That's what's wrong with the gameing industry these day's. They invested all there resources into cutting edge graphics and physics but miss it by a long shot when it come to gameplay. That's why you play the game not for eye candy or rag doll effects? Right?

Anyway, I will end this by saying if you like RTS or Tactical games then you will mostlikely hate this one because it is not a game it's a real battle fought in the greatest invation the world has ever known or will ever known when Germany smashed into the Soviet Union. One more note I will add, if you like FPS along with this and want to try something a little more up close and personal, then try Red Orchastra (a mod for Unreal Tournamnet 2004) I incompasses the major battle of Operation Barbarossa in online multilayer first person mode! Unreal T 04 is cheap now and you can probally get a used copy at the game store for nothing now. Then type in Red Orchastra in the search bar and click on the offical web site and download the latest version of the mod to your UR 04 game directory. You will see that it's basiclly like this game but in first person and fun as all-get-out. See you on the front lines!

Don't mind the graphics

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: July 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

When I played the demo the major turn off for me was the graphics, only three men to a squad was just one of the things. Well, after wasting my money on games like G.I. Combat I wish I would have just bought this game in the first place. Most of these other reviews are spot on; if you're tired of standard RTS wargames and want to try something different, BUY THIS GAME.

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