Windows

Close Combat III: The Russian Front

Overall, this has to be one of the best strategy games I have ever played. The detail and historical accuracy were incredible, and the amount of historical information put into the game was very impressive. The gameplay allowed for realism and strategy to intertwine excellently, and still allow for a good time. The flaws in the game were very small and almost unnoticeable, and they never interfered with playing at all. I heartily recommend this game to any strategy and historical enthusiast and also to anyone who likes to command a good battle.

At first glance, Close Combat IIII seems a lot like Close Combat II, which in itself is not a terrible thing. The game runs comfortably on older hardware, and thankfully Atomic hasn't jumped on the "every game needs to be 3D" bandwagon that has become so pervasive in the industry. Graphically it looks just like Close Combat II with photo-realistic terrain and smoothly animated units.

But this is no game breaker--and belaboring a point about an interface snafu hardly detracts from the overall experience. Close Combat III is an excellent game, well worth your consideration.

Close Combat III bygger på föregångarens framgång, med förbättrad AI och detaljrikedom, samtidigt som många nya funktioner och förbättringar gör det till ett stort framsteg.

Close Combat III nos dá a oportunidade de participar deste conflito colossal tanto na pele de russos quanto na de alemães, em uma esplêndida mistura de estratégia em tempo real e genuíno estilo wargame. Há uma enorme seleção de batalhas, operações e campanhas à disposição, incluindo a Grande Campanha, que segue o curso da guerra desde a invasão da Rússia pela Alemanha em 1941 até 1945, quando o Grande Urso foi bater às portas de Berlim.

While CC3 fails to capture the ferocity of the Eastern Front, it does bring some improvements over its predecessor in game mechanics and AI. As the third effort in the series, CC3 comes across, ironically enough, as a flanking attack or maybe a holding action. Think of it as a lateral movement that gains a little ground. Still, ignoring the baggage of the series and reviewing only CC3 its ownself, we find a very good game. Chalk this one up as an imperfect but entertaining sequel.

Close Combat III est un excellent jeu dans sa catégorie, à savoir les jeux de stratégie réalistes. Ne cherchez pas le fun d'un Starcraft ou d'un C&C, Close Combat III est un jeu plus complexe, presque une "simulation de guerre", et d'autant plus jouissif une fois qu'on l'a maîtrisé. Plutôt destiné aux fans de wargames réalistes donc.

Voor wie voorbij al de middelmatige grafieken en soundeffects wil zien, belooft Close Combat III een zeer gedetailleerde en plezierige WOII sim, die zelfs de besten onder ons wel een tijdje bezig zal houden.

Um diesen hammerschweren Schlagabtausch wirklich zu mögen, muß man wohl ein historisch interessierter Militarist sein, dem es nichts ausmacht, sich für ein paar Wochen einzuschließen und zunächst mal ein paar ganz deftige Niederlagen einzufangen. Dann, aber nur dann findet man vielleicht Gefallen an der recht authentischen Wiedergabe kleiner Infanteriegefechte.

For those who have played the first two Close Combat games CC3 is essentially a mission pack dealing with a new, less interesting scenario. It does add many new troop varieties due to there being a new Russian army to play with, and a much appreciated waypoint feature. For everyone else, Close Combat 3 is a difficult, onerous, almost unapproachable game that fails to capture the drama of its subject matter or to take advantage of the intriguing elements of the Eastern battlefields. Besides, who would want to play as an idiotic, Stalinist Russian or a spiteful, goose-stepping German anyway? Give me some good old American elbow grease any day, god darn it!