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The recently-revamped Computer Games Online web site has posted a detailed preview of Combat Mission 2: Barbarossa to Berlin , the next title from successful "indie" developer Battlefront. According to the article this sequel will follow the path of most titles of this type, adding more detail, more realism and a new setting to the already-classic style of turn-based play the original Combat Mission offered. This second historical simulation of WWII ground combat will focus on the period between 1941 and 1945 on the Eastern front of the war, which was fought primarily between Germany and Russia. This horrific four-year battle created some of the worst carnage of the second World War and was very much a back-and-forth campaign, giving this sequel a much wider scope than the one-year length of the original game.

The addition of depth to the campaign will be accompanied by a tremendous increase in the game's level of detail and troop control, according to the preview. Here is an excerpt:

Beyond rules changes and numerous tweaks, Combat Mission 2 will include a host of new features, units, and equipment. Though buildings will remain limited to two levels, there will be many new types and shapes. You'll get real trenches to supplement foxholes and bunkers, and many artillery spotters will have to rely on field telephones, so if they move they won't be able to call in artillery any more. Though multi-turreted tanks such as the USSR's T-28 won't be in the game ("It ain't gonna happen," vows Grammont), you'll still have a huge variety of weapons, vehicles, and troop types to play with. The Hungarians, the Rumanians, the Finns, and probably the Italians will join the Germans and the Soviets, and you can expect an appearance by nearly every weapon system that any of these forces used in significant numbers.

Combat Mission 2 Preview at CGOnline

Review: Combat Mission

Battlefront.com

Combat Mission

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