There is also online support to test your management and wargame skills.Close Combat The Bloody First combines the classic tactical gameplay ofВ Close Combat with battles that take place inВ aВ variety ofВ three-dimensional landscapes, including rocky ridges, narrow valleys and dense villages. Replay Value: You have lots of gameplay options to choose from, such as playing as either the Germans or the Americans. It can, however, get a bit difficult at times. Units cry out in agony when they're hit and weapons sound frighteningly realistic.Д®njoyment: Because of the wonderfully done AI and scenarios, Close Combat is a very immersing and enjoyable experience. Sound: The sound effects and soundtrack are simply stunning. Everything moves realistically, weapons emit smoke and the explosions are great. Graphics: The battle environments are gorgeously detailed. Still, when you mix this level of realistic battle tactics and environments and an ingenious AI system, you've got a great game. There are a fair amount of scenarios but it just seems to go by too fast. My only complaint is that it could have been a tad longer. Cannon blasts go soaring through the air leaving a trail of smoke in the sky and a massive explosion when the target is hit. When a unit attacks, you'll see the smoke from the freshly fired weapon. Environments are carefully constructed to resemble forest terrain, beach and sand, water, bridges and so forth. The developers really put a lot of effort in creating realistic war scenarios. When a soldier gets hit, he will scream in agony.

The realism of the battlefield is outstanding.

Coming up with a decent strategy is necessary for victory. If you have the AI turned on, you should be careful as to how and where you move them. If you want to move a bunch of units as one force, then group them together. To move a unit, click on it and tell it what to do and where to go. Each unit has a level of experience that increases through action and improves their morale and effectiveness as the battles rage on.Д¬ontrolling Close Combat and navigating the menu system is very simple. Also, the more a unit fights, the more battle experience they will get. As such, it is up to you to make the right decisions in management and protect your troops in battle. While it is much easier this way (your troops feel nothing and therefore can attack on command), you really acquire an immersive feeling with the AI turned on. You have the option to turn off the realistic actions and behaviors.

At times, it will seem like you're controlling a unit of wimps because they are too afraid to go into battle or are so stressed out that they cannot do much of anything. If one of your units is in the heat of battle too long, they'll get stressed out. If you send a rookie unit into battle for the first time, they will most likely be very nervous and miss their targets. Your units are actually affected mentally by the things that surround them such as cannon blasts and the environment.

What makes this game so innovative is the computer AI. Spanning a six-week timeframe, you control either the German or American forces and try to win the war. It is a historically based war game in that it takes place on the shores of Normandy in 1944. Microsoft's Close Combat is quite the innovative real-time strategy game.

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