Close Combat-esque games?

[Azael]

The Close Combat series is one of my all time favorites. I've never been a huge fan of standard RTS games where you win more by superior building strategies than tactics. Few things are as tense as seeing a Panzer column advancing and only having some infantry to stop them, praying that the tanks don't have any support with them that will spot your AT-guys before it's too late.

What I'm looking for is similar games, not necessarily set in WW2 although that's a preference. If the game has a strategic overlay like the later games in the series, or Dark Crusade, even better. Graphics and such isn't really important, as long as the games don't look like complete dogshit or are so maxed out that my poor GPU will die of shock trying to load them.

 

[GeneralSamov]

Sudden Strike

Note: link appears to be down.

At any rate, it's a RTS, dunno about the latter incarnations, but in the first you were supplied with a limited supply of vehicles, soldiers and artillery, and you had to make the best use of it. You had special units like the officer, who was able to see further than anyone else, but was very weak, so you had to defend him up adequately. At any rate such unit made it possible for snipers/srtillery to shoot at a longer range than their line of sight. From time to time you were supplied with reinforcements, but all in all meticulous planning and strategy was required, and fights were tight.

hm, I guess that's very modest, but I played it last about 5 years ago. I can however guarantee you that it's pure awesomeness.

 

[DemonKing]

Have you tried Company of Heroes?

It has quite a few Close Combat like elements - squads instead of individual units, machine guns pinning/disrupting enemy forces, buildings you can occupy for cover, different rear/side/front armour on vehicles etc.

It's a bit faster paced but my 36 year old reactions can manage the micro quite well (unlike in Warcraft 3, for instance).

 

[Caveman]

Combat Mission series!
http://battlefront.com/index.htm

/thread

 

[Jason]

Armored Brigade
Firefight
maybe even Take Command: 2nd Manassas

 

[Ratatosk]

Combat Mission series!

Seconded. Especially try this one: Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin

"...is a 1-2 player, hybrid turn-based/realtime 3D simulation of WWII tactical warfare on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1945."
"...with 3D lines of sight, misidentification of targets, enemy detection by sound, advanced armor penetration systems, unit morale and leadership effects, ..."

 

[Gildamere]

Combat Mission series!

thirded...

Get the Combat Mission Anthology. It has Beyond Overlord, Barbarossa to Berlin and Afrika Korps. When you've finished them all in a few years, get Shock Force for modern combat.

 

[Ion Flux]

I've been playing Close Combat: Invasion Normandy lately and I was thinking the same thing as the OP. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[mlc82]

There's some new CC stuff at www.matrixgames.com.

 

[Azael]

I've tried the Combat Mission games before, but they didn't make a big impression on me, but maybe I should give them another chance. Close Combat is one of those type of games that I actually prefer in real-time over turn-based. Downloaded and tried Firefight. Seems a bit rough and unpolished compared to Close Combat, really impressive for a one-man project though and I'll probably play around with it some more. Company of Heroes is too much RTS and not enough RTT, in my opinion. Fun game, but it's not really in the same category as Close Combat.

Will take a look at the other suggestions, thanks.

 

[Annonchinil]

Take Command Second Manassas is a great game but reminds me more of Sid Meir's Gettysburg than Close Combat.

For Combat Mission; the game is not actually turn-based but uses a WEGO system where you and your opponent issue orders and then both of them play out at the same time for one minute, with the process then repeating. I can't praise the games enough but suffice to say that on some maps the battles start of slow, taking several turns for the action to begin. Out of the demos I found the one for Afrika Korps to be the most fun.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Conquest of the agean: http://cota.matrixgames.com Seems to be a 1st rate tactical engine but otherwise bland and inaccessible.

Also, this seems to be a company run by assholes who dont give a fuck about their fans input.

 

[barker_s]

Sudden Strike 1 and 2 are pretty good on multiplayer. I used to play it with my flatmates on LAN.

Also, Ground Control was pretty neat as far as I remember. No resources, no base builing, only the squads assigned to your dropships. And since they already released number 2, GC1 is free (you can download it from fileplanet).

 

[buccaroobonzai]

Squad Assault West Front
http://www.squadassault.com/

Theatre of War
http://www.battlefront.com/products/tow/

and Faces of War is fun, but not exactly like CC. It does have some really cool missions, like in the Commandos game, but is a tactical squad RTS game.
http://www.facesofwargame.com/

 

[Korgan]

By the way, is Close Combat: Cross of Iron worth getting? I've seen some positive reviews, and I loved CC5, so I regret the fact that I can only get it without removing anything from inventory in Russia.

 

[buccaroobonzai]

Theres also a Close Combat Modern game out as well, I hear it has no campaign, but you can select single battles and play multiplayer.

 

[Burning Bridges]

By the way, is Close Combat: Cross of Iron worth getting?

I don't think so. CC5 + total conversions seems to be the best you can get right now, though the AI still sucks. There is going to be a remake of the Battle of the bulge (CCIV), and this might be worth waiting for, but as long as they don't completely rewrite the AI I'm not interested anymore.

Too bad there are legal problems in the way of remaking CC2 Market Garden which was, imo, the best in the series.