Close Combat: Cross of Iron

Close Combat: Cross of Iron is remake of the fantastic CCIII: The Russian Front. Models of units are more crisp, explosions look much better and the sounds are awesome. The original game is still here and CCIII is highly regarded as being one of, if not the best CC game ever made. If you are a fan of strategy games, ww2 games or a CC fan this is a must have.

Campaigns are played over maps where if you win, you move ahead and if you are then defeated you go back to the previous map. This was changed in future CC games sadly, but this style of progressing through campaigns is very enjoyable as it feels like you are actually pushing forward into enemy territory or retreating back into your own. You will see signs of previous battles you fought on those maps, like craters from mortars or vehicles that were left in smoldering wrecks.

The sounds are incredible in the CC games and this remake keeps the sounds of battle alive. You will be able to hear individual weapons and actually feel the "oh crap" moment as you hear an enemy MG open up and then quickly find where it is and move your troops accordingly (and pray you didn't just lose a squad).

The other unique aspect to this CC is you gain points and use those points to allocating units to use. You can refit your units and upgrade them to better units and replenish loses. You will also have to rest units. This extra layer adds to some decisive decisions you will have to make. If you have to rest several units at once and don't have any anti tank units, you might find yourself in a tough spot and have to do your best to hold out or fall back a map then when those units are rested get them out on the battlefield to setup an ambush, crush the enemy and advance again.

One of the most loved features was every battle will have a commander unit.. you. You can name your unit and be on the battlefield. Like other units you can refit and upgrade to have a larger squad or even a command tank. Having yourself on the battlefield fighting with your troops adds some extra fun as you take extra care to make sure you survive but also contribute in each battle.

If there was only one CC game to pick, this might have to be it. The original classic game given a fresh coat of paint and improvements but keeping the feel of the original perfectly intact. I highly recommend Close Combat: Cross of Iron.

Update: After a few months of waiting the developers fixed the issue of this game not working on Steam. It now does work and I am enjoying reliving the good ol days of Close Combat III. Now that it works I would recommend this game as CCIII has always been my favorite of the series.

Original Post: Doesn't even run long enough to fall flat on its face. The "developers" have taken a great game from the 90s and repackaged it, branding it as their own and selling it without ensuring that it actually works on steam. No technical support afforded to steam users as their help webpage gives us a dead link and nobody seems to answer the forums. The Russian Front is my all time favorite of the Close Combat series, made by Atomic Games, and published by Microsoft Corporation. Did the repackaging team acquire the rights for this game or they blatantly stealing to make a quick buck? I honestly applaud the team for making it available on steam as i love the series, but for now they need to fix this ♥♥♥♥ if they think that they can legitimately charge $39.99.

Its hard to believe Close Combat III has been on my computer since 2000. I can't remember how many times i've re-purchased to keep up with my operating system. Nothing captures east front combat like this little gem and I have no doubt all the clicking will contribute to my future arthritic fingers. But i'll still be clicking away on this.

Thanks for keeping this little masterpiece current and available.