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Req.: P3 500, 64MB RAM, 16MB Video Card, Win 95/98/ME/XP/2000, 1.2 Gigs of
Hard Drive space Reviewed On: P3 667, 384 MB RAM, 3D Prophet FDX 8500 LE, Soundblaster Audigy, Win 98SE | |||
Intro  For
the vast majority of its history, wargaming has remained fairly inaccessible to
novices, newcomers, and the casually interested. The imagination-fueled dynamics
of hexes and squares and abstract numbers remained the staple of the genre for
many years, which has largely ensured that only the most dedicated fans and the
most knowledgeable grognards could truly find themselves absorbed. However, very
recently, a small game called Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord changed all
that, heralding a new and brilliant age in wargaming with its 3D visuals and highly
accessible style. In very little time, it found itself a colossal fanbase, with
old-time genre veterans and curious newcomers alike losing themselves in the highly
acclaimed tactical masterpiece. Its sequel, Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin,
maintains this very same spirit while trying to improve on the greatness of the
original.Gameplay: 8.5/10 Spanning the years between 1941 and 1945, this new Combat Mission shifts the focus from the Eastern Front to the West, and casts its eye primarily upon the historic conflicts between Hitler and Stalin, as Russia attempted to shore up its defenses against Germany's surprise push into their country. With more than fifty missions that cover smaller excursions to such monumental battles as Stalingrad and Kursk, there's certainly no shortage of potential scenarios to choose from. In fact, fans of the first game will find more urban skirmishes and more diverse weather patterns to contend with, though if this isn't to your liking, you can always use the Quick Battle option, which once again enables you to tailor a battle entirely to your liking. There's certainly no shortage of available gameplay opportunities, and if that wasn't enough, you can also take to playing live opponents via email or TCP/IP, which nicely expands the overall replayability. As it worked wonders within the original Combat Mission, it's great to see that Big Time Software decided to preserve the core gameplay mechanic. For those who weren't fortunate enough to play the first one, Combat Mission abandons the traditional "I-go, U-go" turn-based system, where each player takes their turn right after the other's, in lieu of a "We-go" system. This new system is somewhat revolutionary in that both players can give their orders to their troops in an advanced planning phase, and once both players have confirmed their orders, the men try and carry out their instructions as best they can within 60-second segments, where you're left to simply watch and hope for the best. That means that you have to sit above the battlefield, unable to directly affect your men for another 60 seconds, and watch as they attempt to follow orders, scouting terrain, engaging the enemy, and so on. Once the smoke has cleared and the time is up, both sides may once again pass orders along to their troops and the cycle begins again. Thankfully, you're able to review a turn before moving on, repositioning the camera around the battlefield at will. This enables you to see exactly what's happened, which is important as numerous events can and often do occur simultaneously. It's a brilliant system that manages to allow for an incredible level of tactical depth while lending an unprecedented degree of cinematic style to the wargaming proceedings. It makes the genre accessible and fun to those who find their eyes crossing at the mere mention of hexes, without dumbing anything down, and that in itself is an amazing accomplishment. It's important to note that while you can give orders to your men, there's absolutely no guarantee that things will go as planned. Since both armies are carrying out their orders simultaneously, your men will react to while trying to adhere to your orders, though the game's specifically designed "TacAI" will have them acting relatively realistically. This means that even if you've ordered your men to advance up and over a hill, don't surprised if they turn tail and run when they suddenly find themselves under attack from a few well-entrenched platoons and a couple of mechanized divisions. This TacAI is one aspect that's been improved upon for the sequel, and it's a large part of what makes Combat Mission such a joy to play. It works really well and realistically in reacting to the sudden threats and surprises that regularly make up battlefield incursions, which is crucial to the overall experience, as you essentially spend the entire game watching your men reacting: to your orders, to the enemy, to the constantly evolving battlefield. The AI works in other important ways as well, from the way in which your men might misidentify a vehicle off in the distance, or that the presence of a high-ranking officer will boost the morale and response time of your less experienced soldiers. It helps to bring a huge helping of realism that is far too often missing from similar titles, and - thanks to such changes as the increased effectiveness of machineguns -- is only that much more so with the advent of Barbarossa to Berlin. Returning Combat Mission fans will discover a series of new commands at their disposal, and while these might not seem terribly important at first, they eventually come together to bring an invigorated and different flavor to the proceedings. For instance, armored vehicles may now "shoot & scoot", which allows them to advance to and scout a particular area, then reverse to a presumably safe location. It doesn't sound like much, but it's a useful tactic that was hell to implement by hand in the first Combat Mission and can make quite the difference here. Another appreciated addition is the ability for units to cover firing arcs, which is a surprisingly invaluable resource, as it enables you to designate specific areas for your men to monitor to help scout or defend against enemy incursions or simply to set up ambushes. You can also encourage your soldiers to trail enemy vehicles, or even to take to the sewers in city combat scenarios. The new tactical opportunities are both subtle and remarkable, and help to make the game as memorable as it is. This
is just a small sampling of the changes that have been implemented since the first
Combat Mission, and to run through the entire list would take up far more
space than can be used here. Between adjustments to artillery, armor penetration,
fatigue, defense, vehicles, weather, and much, much more, Combat Mission: Barbarossa
to Berlin feels like a distinct and separate game from its predecessor. It
possesses superior command and tactical improvements, and often proves to be both
straightforward and complex in equal, appreciable measure. Special mention must
also be made of the game's thick, brick-like manual, which, in today's age of
smaller, compact packaging, is a true god-send. It covers virtually imaginable
aspect of the game and its interface, and goes on for hundreds of pages - which
makes the lack of an index (an expanded table of contents is unfortunately insufficient)
somewhat of a nuisance. Considering the intense effort put into making certain
aspects of the game as historically accurate as possible, it would have been great
see some sort of encyclopedic description of the various vehicles or something
along those lines. As it stands, anyone who isn't a hardcore wargaming enthusiast
will have great difficulty distinguishing one type of tank from another, and will
have no way of knowing what's appropriate to send into certain types of combat.
And despite the extensive list of missions, it also would have been great to see
some sort of campaign mode. When you think of the sheer amount of changes that
have been made, however, these problems seem rather inconsequential, as they fail
to detract from the fact that this is very much a terrific game.
Graphics: 8/10 Sound:
9/10 Overall:
8.5/10 [ top ] | |||
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