Close Combat

aka: Advanced Squad Leader, Beyond Squad Leader, Close Combat: Prenez le commandement de véritables soldats, Close Combat: Take command of men who act like real soldiers, Project X
Moby ID: 1964
Windows Specs

Description official description

Close Combat is the first installment of Microsoft's Close Combat series that bases its power more on strategy than real-time battling. You're placed as the battlefield commander as you command your troops in Normandy. Choose to play as either Axis or Allies.

Spellings

  • クロース コンバット - Japanese spelling
  • 戰鬥神將 - Traditional Chinese spelling

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Screenshots

Credits (Windows version)

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MS Joint Chief of Staff
Theater Commander
Top User Ed Sergeant
Aide de Camp
Engineering Command
Point Tester
Content Commander
Major Print Designer
Lieutenant Editor
Point Writer
Combat Writer
Boot Camp DI
Production Master
Help Medic
Combat Engineering
Combat Testing
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 77% (based on 15 ratings)

Players

Average score: 2.9 out of 5 (based on 12 ratings with 1 reviews)

Retarded doesn't even come close...

The Good
The rat-tat-tat of machine gun fire... That about covers it.

The Bad
Everything. It astounds me that self-proclaimed strategy "Grognards" rated this game so highly. There's about as much Strategic depth in this game as there is in a game of tiddly-winks. Where do I start? The AI is absolutely inane. I'm not talking about the realistic simulating of morale, but more specifically, the pathfinding and combat AI. Units will get lost even in the open, taking the long way around. Units will walk right into enemy fire, and pause when they are within grenade range. Your units are lucky to hit ANYTHING at all when just attempting suppressing fire, yet the computer AI has those heat seeking bullets from "Fifth Element"

The Bottom Line
It amazes me that retards who consider themselves "Wargamers" find this game good. I may not have memorized the difference between the range of an MP40 from that of a Garand but I know what strategy is. I didn't need this game to teach me the idea of suppression fire and flanking is. Real world strategies don't work in this game, anyone who says they do is either a liar or a moron, or both. Laying down suppression fire only results in wasted bullets. Enemy AI that is supposedly suppressed has the ability to pick off my guys one by one.

Even though Atomic Games claims their AI doesn't cheat, which sounds like a load of dung to me, the game is obviously slanted in the AI's favor. When playing as the Americans you have a huge disadvantage in accuracy. As the Germans, you're almost always outnumbered, with more Allie units than you would of received had you played the Allies.

Furthermore, enemy units have the ability to pick off tanks from over a football field (or two) away with little or no cover, your units stand helplessly as your armor is destroyed effortlessly. I have never ever shot a panzerschreck, or a panzerfaust in my life, but I can assume as much that if you did shoot one from over 100m away, it would not be an easy shot at all. Nevertheless, the computer nails the first shot EVERY time, and that's all it needs.

I think programmers who make retarded games like this should be lined up and flogged. And flogged twice when you have retarded people singing praises of a clearly inferior game.

Windows · by Anonymous Gamer (161) · 2002

Trivia

Development

The concept of Close Combat had been in the works for a long time. The basic game design already existed as Project X at the time Atomic Games was working on the V for Victory games for Three-Sixty Pacific, Inc., later became Advanced Squad Leader and Beyond Squad Leader when Avalon Hill wanted them to do a Squad Leader video game, and it was eventually called Close Combat when Atomic Games teamed up with Microsoft.

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Close Combat: First to Fight
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Released 2000 on Macintosh, Windows
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Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 1964
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by MAT.

Macintosh added by Scaryfun.

Additional contributors: Sciere, jean-louis, Paulus18950, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger.

Game added July 16, 2000. Last modified September 29, 2023.