Combat Mission: Shock Force Preview

As far as extremely technical strategy titles go, Battlefront has developed some of the deepest games in the genre. Now, their latest title in their Combat Mission series, Shock Force, will take the series to a hypothetical near-future, where Syria has been overthrown by terrorists and is now locked into a conflict with the US. The game will provide more than just a new scenario for the series, as it makes some fundamental new additions, like real-time gameplay, that change the pace of the game substantially.

The campaign in Shock Force will be a story-driven affair, a first for the series. The campaign mode will follow the US’s side of the war in its entirety, allowing you to discover the scope of the conflict as well as the ramifications that your set of missions will have on the whole war.

Shock Force will retain the familiar interface of previous titles in the Combat Mission series, meaning that fans won’t be lost this time around. A key difference in the game’s overall structure is that you can know select individual units instead of groupings, giving you a lot more control over your battlefield strategy than in previous games. Each member on your combat unit will have their own sightlines and morale ratings and such, making for an even deeper experience than in previous Combat Mission games.

Additionally, the game will be playable in real-time as opposed to the standard turn-based atmosphere. This speeds things up quite a bit, adding a new level of intensity to the series. However, traditional Combat Mission fans will still be able to play the game in turn-based mode if they want.

While the game isn’t quite up to the scope of the new crop of next-gen PC games, the graphics engine has been substantially improved in Combat Mission: Shock Force. The vehicle models showcase a lot more details than ever before, with a variety of moving parts and internal animations adding to the realism. The maps still looked a bit on the plain side, but the engine showed a large amount of promise, and the terrain details could be cleaned up before the game ships.

Combat Mission: Shock Force is a welcome departure for the series, adding a new real-time element and storyline focus that could earn the franchise some new fans. The new modern combat theme adds a new level of intensity for the series as well, meaning that fans should have something to look forward to this July.