Most notable, you are restricted to a maximum of fifteen units per battle. Close Combat – Wacht am Rhein is also apparently easier to modify, as the developers have consolidated and simplified the ability to change unit attributes and scenario conditions.Īpart from the new maps, the rest of Close Combat – Wacht am Rhein suffers from the same limitations as the original game.
This is disappointing, considering that the previous Close Combat reboot came with better multiplayer support. This updated version does not come with the ability to search for active multiplayer matches, as you must know the IP address in advance. This, obviously, gives you a lot more strategic options as a larger area of operations would. This time around, you get more provinces to attack and defend (a total of sixty-four instead of the original forty-three) and a longer time in order to do so. The most apparent improvement made in Close Combat – Wacht am Rhein is the grand campaign, which is a lot like the original campaign, but grander.
#Spectromancer review series#
Since the mechanics of the Close Combat series are well established, I will focus mostly on the improvements made in this new version of the fourth game. It wasn’t bad then so it’s not bad now: disturbingly realistic sound design puts you right in the middle of the battle, although some of the spoken phrases do become repetitive after a while.Ĭlose Combat – Wacht am Rhein actually comes with the original game why you would want to miss out on the improvements is beyond me, but the option is there. The audio, as far as I can tell, is identical as before. The twenty-or-so completely new maps (plus some that have been improved from the originals) look the same their predecessors while this is not a bad thing (the hand-drawn 2-D maps look great), you would expect some sort of improvement almost ten years later. I certainly wasn’t expecting a 3-D version of Close Combat, so only minor upgrades is not unexpected. Personally, it looks outdated, not surprising considering Close Combat – Wacht am Rhein doesn’t include any significant upgrades to the graphics. Some people won’t mind the overhead perspective, while some will say that it makes it extremely difficult to see troops (which it does). Let’s go shoot some Germans! Virtually speaking, of course.Ĭlose Combat – Wacht am Rhein (German sounds cool) features some minor new graphics for the interface and some of the vehicles, but overall the game looks quite identical to the original version that came out in 1999. The Battle of the Bulge is represented here, bringing snowy conditions to the struggle of World War II. Close Combat III turned into Cross of Iron and now Close Combat IV has become Wacht am Rhein. Since Matrix Games got the rights to the original series, they have been updating the classic titles with improved compatibility and enhanced features. Probably the first tactical strategy game I played extensively, getting late in the game with 2000’s Invasion Normandy, the fifth (and final) game in the series. What say you? A good amount of new maps and other minor additions for an outstanding classic game: 6/8Īh, the Close Combat series. The Not So Good: New maps aren’t much better graphically, no new units, interface could have been updated The Good: Robust grand campaign, new maps, slightly improved AI, easier to modify Close Combat – Wacht am Rhein, developed by Strategy 3 Tactics and published by Matrix Games.