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Ironically, the name shows where the game fails most.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 16 / 31
Date: January 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I loved the series when it debuted - primitive, yeah, but fun nonetheless. CC2 moved the series a step in the right direction - music to the ears of fans of the genre. Fast forward to Invasion Normandy, and it's honestly hard to see what's worth playing anymore.

Gameplay: terrible. For a series which prides itself heavily on AI, this game has little, if none. Units will often hold their fire, even if an inferior enemy unit is cleary charging right at them. Line-of-sight problems plague the entire game, with areas of identical elevation and free of obstacles sometimes being impossible to fire at - it's sometimes even impossible to fire at an elevated position, which is otherwise visible.

Another thing - unit worth and accuracy. Units such as snipers, mortar teams, etc. are basically useless. You would think a sniper could easily pick off a stationary target, not hidden behind cover, at a distance of 50 metres - not so. Mortars seem to land in random locations, and, even if it graphically appears as though it would have taken out a whole squad, they're left miraculously unharmed. There are many instances where I will have an enemy scout unit surrounded by an entire platoon, and, although the maximum distance will be 30 metres, the enemy will be on an area of no cover (i.e. middle of the road), the nearly one hundred bullets per second raining down on them will fail to hit - and this pathetic little squad will STILL manage to take out enemies while under massive suppression. Not only that, but AT squads are nearly useless as well, since they have a tendency to miss 99% of the time, and the 1% where the round would hit, it will instead land on the other side of the tank - which is physically impossible, since in reality, rockets go in straight lines, and this isn't duplicated properly. The tedious 20-metre engagements between whole platoons for 10 minutes is so ridiculous, I feel like I'm fighting on a battlefield full of Gomer Pyles.

Still, passing the game is incredibly simple, ... and, somehow, inferior German forces. I found it hilarious in the invasion scenarios that there wasn't even any gunfire raining down on the beach, and that the Atlantic Wall could easily be climbed by the average person - STRAIGHT OUT CLIMBED.

I'm getting pissed off at this game just thinking about it. The last thing I need is to play a game where everyone's aim is about as good as an extra in a Schwartzenegger movie...

A Bridge To Far blew us away, now three games later...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: February 25, 2001
Author: Amazon User

...comes the Invasion of Normandy! As all World War II gamers have noted, the Close Combat series is as close to the "real thing" as it gets. Now that Close Combat V has arrived, a simulation is totally turned into reality. From the high firing-rate of the MG-42 to the moan of a wounded soldier, the sound effects will have you spinning in your chair. But the biggest feature and improvement of the Close Combat game is the graphics. Smoke effects, explosians, war machines, and even buildings and vegetation all make you feel as if you are looking at the battleground from a couple hundred feet. Play as the Germans and fight the numerous Allied forces, or side with the Americans and war against the stubborn and veteren German army. The one complaint, which may not be worth mentioning, it you have no 3D vision, so you can't tell when you are on a high hill or a low valley. Having an elevation window next to your curser would be a handy item. But enough of the complaint! As far as virtual gaming is concerned, nothing will come close to reality of warfare. The best historic game ever made, even educational at times, and most of all fun and exciting.

Vast Improvement over CC4

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Close Combat: Invasion Normandy may be the best game in the CC series. Thanks to more balanced gameplay (i.e. armor doesn't overpower the game as in previous versions), each battle is interesting and different -- even against the computer! In previous versions, it seemed the computer would put the same units in the same places in the same battles -- very boring. The AI has been upgraded for this edition.

The Battlemaker option has been fixed -- you can now pick and choose individual squads instead of picking unchangeable battlegroups. This feature allows you to design your own campaigns, battles and operations -- great when the preset battles get boring. To be honest, I haven't gotten bored of the preset battles (I've had the game the day after its release)!

Also, online gameplay is incredibly smooth -- this adds another dimension to those gamers who tire of the computer's AI.

Great game!

Into the hedgerows.... and the beaches, and the port, and...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: November 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

As a fan of all the Close Combat games since CC2 (Market Garden), I'm glad the system hasn't changed too much. I can't say I'm all that thrilled that it's mostly infantry now (IMHO CC4 had a good balance of infantry and tank battles), but that comes with the terrain: run a tank unaccompanied by infantry down a lane with hedgerows on both sides and don't be surprised when a panzerfaust hisses out and blows it up. The comment about the Fallschirmjaeger being unbeatable probably reflects the reviewer playing the Germans against the AI as the Americans --- play the Americans and the Airborne units are immovable, even by FJ's.

I may have a few quibbles (the devastating effectiveness of 80 mm mortars against artillery, for example), but as a deeply involving simulation of the difficulties of bocage fighting, this is a great game. Shame they don't have a Mac version....

Virtually perfect virtual warfare

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: November 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

As a fan of previous incarnations of Close Combat, I overlooked this latest offering when it was released. I only got round to buying it after playing a demo. This is surely the best version yet. I got the game 2 months ago and since then, it's rarely out of my CD-ROM drive! Whether you're new to Close Combat or you've played earlier versions, this game is a must have.

You'll panic with your troops when a well placed machine gun team ambushes your advance. You'll whoop with delight when a lucky mortar shot takes out an enemy tank. You'll be relieved when your troops survive a map relatively unscathed.

The initial learning curve is a little steep for new players, but the well written manual and simple tutorials should get you up and running quickly. Once into the game, you'll learn your lessons the hard way, from experience. The computer enemy AI is unforgiving to players who make rash decisions. Fortunately the multitude of possible difficultly settings mean you can find a level of play which suits you.

The only fly in the ointment is the Tank AI which occasionally messes up. However, as you soon discover, even a fast moving Tank travelling in the right direction is an easy target in the hedgerows of Normandy. So the glitch is only a minor one.

In combat the graphics are viewed top down. The clarity is excellent, allowing you to make the right decisions about the terrain first time everytime. The sounds in Close Combat are very good (invest in a good bass speaker). You'll learn to fear the sound of an MG42, unless you play as the Germans! The command screens are clearly laid out being easy to use and giving you all the information you need.

Truly a five star General of real time strategy.

Good head to head, crappy single player

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: December 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

After paying two online Grand Campaigns with two very worthy opponents, I have come to respect this game for what it is - a fun H2H game, but it is not much more.

The graphics out of the box are cartoon cutouts that look like they belong on a kids television show. Tank and AT guns simply look like they were copy and pasted from a comic book, which is horribly ugly to look at when you have the gorgeous maps you play on. Fortunatly, this can be solved with graphics mods for the game that greatly help and make the vehicles and guns look as they should, realistic.

As for gameplay, it is safe to say that any experienced player will have no challenge at all on single player. The AI is atrocious, and no mod can help this. The only wayto get any enoyment whatsoever out of this game is to find a good, reliable opponent online, and play the grand campaign, that is where this game is fun.

WWII grogs like myself will love this game, however, being a serious gamer the bugs detract from the simple play this gives. Since Atomic went out of business, the CC community now has to rely on third party patches and fixes to an extremely buggy game out of the box. If the CC series had actually evolved from its first installment, to now its fifth, then Atomic games might actually still be in business. This is a cheap knock-off of CC4, which was the absolute worst in the series, but can be fun when you find a very good opponent to play who is honest. Why?

Reenforcement bug in GC - unlimited reinforcements for American player... In my first GC, I had to go up about three times the American armor is should have, which ruined the game. Fix this by keeping a paper chart with your opponent so as not to ruin the game, because there wont be any patch for this.

Invasion Normandy returns to Close Combat's roots

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Close Combat: Invasion Normandy is probably the best recent title in the Close Combat series. It returns to Normandy, the battle ground for the first CC title. You are commanding either the US divsions invading at Utah Beach or the Germans trying to stop them. No Tommies in this one! Personally, I would have liked to have been able to control British troops as well. Invasion Normandy puts the emphasis back on infantry and returns the armor to its support role. For those of you who thought that The Russian Front had way too much armor in it, then you will be happy to know that in Invasion Normandy most of the missions have no more than two armored vehicles to each side. Of course at times there are more, but for the most part this is an infantry strategy game. In some of the battles between the airborne divisions there isn't any armor at all!

Game play is still pretty much same as compared to previous CC titles. During campaigns, you can now control your different battalions movements on the overall strategic map. This lets you move your battalions forward to take a new section of the Cotentin Peninsula and assign your mortar barrages, naval bombardments, and air strikes to battalions that you think will need them the most. It adds another dimension to the game and makes you think a little more. And sit back and enjoy the show when your naval bombardment comes from the 13in guns on a battle ship!!!

The graphics have been improved slightly since The Russian Front. I haven't played Battle of the Bulge, so I don't know how the graphics compare there. The AI is still...well the usual CC AI. The infantry AI has never been that all that bad. The armor AI has improved some in this game, but you still end up wondering, as you watch tank after tank get destroyed by some stupid blunder, if maybe the tank commanders aren't really Nazis at heart!

There are a few minor bugs in the program, but nothing catastrophic that I have seen. All in all this is a well rounded, real time strategy game, that is historically accurate and a whole lot of fun to play. This game ranks right up there with Age of Empires II as one of my favorite strategy games. It is definitely one of if not the best WWII strategy game out there right now. SSI made a smart move in aquiring the rights to the series as it fits right into the genre of games they produce.

I love this older strategy game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I had this game in 2001, but lost the media to it. Recently, I began a new search for the software developers to see if they have continued the line of WWII strategy based games. I also, played Battle of the Bulge but was upset with the game play. I found Invasion Normandy interesting and very captive. Although, comparing the game with current graphics it doesn't hold any water to any new stuff. But because this game was a favorite of mine I have re-purchased the game with the hopes if continuing my love for WWII strategy based games. If you love older 16-bit graphics, but yet interesting game play I highly recommend Close Combat: Invasion Normandy.

The real deal

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: March 08, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is truly awesome. One thing I would like to get strait right away is that this game is not world war 2 age of empires. This game is real. If you push your men to hard, they get tired. You have take hold of victory locations to win, not slaughter the other guys. Your men get scared, and sometimes don't follow orders. The move crouched on the ground. In age of empires, they are you. You click them and say "Move there" they do it immidiatly. In this game they are your men. Another thing people think is that this game teaches about world war two. It is not a history lesson. It is a game of strategy. And unlike age of empires, you need a strategy. Features of this game are multiplayer and scenario builder. That's right, you get to make your own battles. You also choose different invasions to play. This game is the best strategy game i've ever played

one of the best CC's in the series

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 17, 2000
Author: Amazon User

i just heard about this game last week surfing the web and couldnt believe that i didnt hear about it earlier! I am a die hard CC fan! bought every single one first day they came out and this definitely wasnt a dissapointment. Once again realism is unbelievable, sound is great...and i will never get old of its graphics. Its a classic. This game tends to lean more towards using soldiers instead of the massive tanks rushes in CC4 and CC3 so if you have been waiting for an awesome historical strategy game that is not just about tanks running though infantry....GET THIS GAME!! It is definitely worth it. PS: German SS sturmgrenadiers are unstoppable oh yeah that reminds me, this game has an RPG touch to it, units become veterans as campaigns progress and veteran troops dont panic as easily as "greenies" bUY THis GaME!!!

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