Close Combat : Cross of Iron

Bootie

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Here is a little look at Close Combat Cross of Iron from Matrix Games.

When you first start the .exe file you are shown a fine introduction movie explaining all about the battles of the Eastern Front... stirring stuff that makes you want to get stuck into the game and start fighting your own Eastern Front Battles straight away.

Once the interesting introductory movie is over its onto the main screen it is easy to navigate with clear sections to click on. Down the right are the main options but you also have sections to click on across the bottom of the screen. By right clicking on any heading you get a description of what that section is about. A handy option for those new to the game.

The starting point for any new recruits to the Close Combat Series is the tutorial. Guys who have played this even if it was years ago can pretty much disregard this area as it has the same mechanics of the earlier games.

It shows you the basics of movement, handling armour, issuing commands, launching assaults and how to monitor the morale and fatigue of your men.

I played Close Combat many moons ago and its like riding a bike. I did work my way through the training scenarios just to refresh myself but to be honest I didnt really need it. It is laid out in an easy to understand format. You really cant go wrong as the training involves you complete each bit successfully before progressing to the next exexercise, for instance if your told to crawl your men to a waypoint and you click on a wrong area it will tell you.

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At first the game was fun (new) and I enjoyed tinkering with the units etc but before long several things started to get on my nerves which I believe detract from my personal enjoyment.

* The graphics - Despite being an improvement over the original the tiny units are just as hard to see and God help you if your bazooka team runs amongst an infantry platoon and you have to find him in a hurry. Which leads nicely to my next moan.

* Battling the system - It all just seemed too hectic at times and devolved into a click fest meaning any thoughts I had of trying to tactically outclass the AI went into meltdown as I attempted to control 8 units at once who in turn were all under fire from the enemy and dying just as quick. I believe this game would be an exceptional game if they just slowed down, improved the graphics by possibly making them bigger or at least giving the units a base coin so that you can see them a lot more easily and possibly adding a wee go system. Games like this require some thinking and when you attempt to take time thinking in this game you lose... simple as.

Dont get me wrong the game is playable but with a background of CM where you have time aplenty it comes as a bit of a culture shock to get dropped into a game where you just dont have time to do everything you want. It sends the stress levels right up.

I really like the campaign system they have in place and the maps are fine but they need to make it easier to judge LOS. In one battle I set up 2 AT guns covering a road (so I thought)... a JPIV rolls out and then I realise the 2 guns are in a dip and cant actually see the road.

Another facet I really like is the 'Hero' awards at the end of the game... it shows you who your heroes and cowards were. A neat little touch... and also the fact that they carry experience from battle to battle.

All in all The Close Combat games by Matrix are fine, some people will love them... others like me will find them irritating due to my past experiences with the wargames I play it is just too much of a change of pace.

Im going to award Close Combat Cross of Iron 3 out of 5. Its a grand effort by Matrix to keep the blood pumping in the CC range of games and many, many folk will love this but it just wasnt for me.
 
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