The intense strategy game play makes up for what few areas are lacking and could well make this one of the best World War II games in recent history. It manages to stay true to history without doing so at the expense of an entertaining and fun game. This makes the game much more diverse with armor-specific battles, including the almighty Kursk, known as the greatest tank battle of all time. Close Combat III is as close to looking down a gun barrel as most of us want or are likely to get. These maps are three times larger than the other maps in the Close Combat series and are based on historic aerial photographs.
Battles take place in vast plains and cramped cities.
GameSpot Designer Diary GameSpot recently published an interview with Keith Zabalaoui, president of Atomic Games, where he discusses the history of Close Combat as well as the reasons behind the decision to have the Russian Front as the subject for the third game in the series. The new 2D maps are hand-painted and rich in detail. Houses, hedgerows, trees, and rivers affect troop visibility. Tanks with swiveling turrets prowl the roads for targets, while infantry busy themselves by diving for cover or loading weapons. GameSpot GameSpot discusses Close Combat III, and also interviews Keith Zabalaoui, president of Atomic Games.