Close Combat: The Bloody First
“No mission is too difficult, no sacrifice too great, because in the first place for every soldier is the duty to the Fatherland”
Close Combat: The Bloody First is the latest installment in the acclaimed Close Combat series and the first to feature the new Archon 3D engine. Combat Close: The Bloody First combines classic Close Combat tactical gameplay with battles fought across a wide range of diverse 3D landscapes, including rocky ridges, narrow valleys, and dense villages. The move to 3D also allows for an increased level of detail (e.g., specific types of ammunition used by each weapon are now modeled) with more realistic bullet movement and physics.
Following the career of the famous American 1. Infantry Division (always referred to as the “Big Red One”) Close Combat: The Bloody First visits the battlefields of Tunisia and Sicily for the first time, as well as covering the Normandy campaign.
With 3 melee slots, The Bloody First puts a lot of emphasis on the tactical level, making you command Company 1. Infantry Division (sometimes reinforced… and sometimes not!), leading your men through a series of related operations and battles from Longstop Hill in Tunisia to Mortain in Normandy. You’ll have to take care of your men, work out the best combination of fire and movement, know when they need armored vehicle reinforcements, and decide when to call in artillery and aircraft support.
You will command your troops in a variety of melee combat situations and will have to learn how best to combine the use of small arms, mortars, machine guns, armored cars, tanks, and anti-tank guns to achieve victory.
You must learn the art of attack and defense in battles such as Hill 350 and Kasserine Pass in Tunisia, Gela and Troina in Sicily, and Caumont and Marigny in Normandy.
Fighting across Europe from November 1942 to August 1944, you must overcome a wide variety of tactical challenges, such as commanding inexperienced soldiers under attack by seasoned veterans in North Africa who must take over the heavily defended city of Troina in the mountains of Sicily, storming their way through the sands of Omaha and into the “hell of hedges” in Normandy.
Settings
Tunisia – 5 operations with 14 battles on Longstop Hill, Sbiba, Kasserine Pass, El Guettar, Mateur
Sicily – 3 operations with 11 battles covering Gela, Nicosia and Troina
Normandy – 3 operations with 11 battles covering Omaha Beach, Bocage and Operation Cobra
Features
1 Grand Campaign, 3 Campaigns (Tunisia, Sicily and Normandy), 11 Operations and 36 Battles
Completely revamped 3D that gives a whole new look to the classic Close Combat gameplay. The new 3D engine allows for increased levels of detail (for specific types of ammunition used by each weapon) and more realistic movement and bullet physics.
32 all-new battlefield maps covering the rugged terrain of Tunisia (14 maps), the mountains and valleys of Sicily (11 maps), and the beaches and bocage of Normandy (11 maps)
For the first time, the Italian Armed Forces appear in an official edition
Over 50 different vehicles, over 300 infantry and heavy weapons teams, and over 100+ weapons, including for the first time American equipment from 1942-43.
All new graphics and effects
New sound effects
New terrain types to cover the jagged ridges of Tunisia and the rugged battlefields of Sicily
Historical organizations comprising 1. U.S. Infantry Division and its German and Italian opponents
Integrated multiplayer menu and match forums.