Realistic strategic combat in the desert

Like most people, I’m not a huge fan of war but I guess it’s harmless enough on a computer and Combat Mission: Strike Force represents a good way to experience the strategy of desert battles. Although highly realistic, the game is incredibly difficult and you soon realise the perils of desert combat such as the fact there are few places to hide and a massive line of sight for the enemy.

The game features some several interesting options such as one-to-one infintary representation, land that changes when walked over, and partial artifical intellegence. Graphically, the set-pieces aren’t too impressive but the armies and weapons are represented very accurately. The sound isn’t amazing, which contributes to an experience that isn’t as immersive as I would have liked.

At it’s core, Combat Mission: Shock Force is a military simulation depicting a hypothetical near-future conflict in Syria following a fundamentalist coup d’état. As in Afghanistan 2001, the radical new government’s refusal to shut down major terrorist organizations and its’ regional destabilizing effect, compel NATO Coalition forces into action.

Combat Mission: Shock Force focuses on the actions of the US Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCT) and Heavy Brigade Combat Teams (HBCT) as they fight against Syrian Army Infantry, Mechanized and Armored units. Combat Mission: Shock Force also features Unconventional Threat forces such as terrorists, spies, suicide bombers, IED’s and other deadly tools employed in the asymmetric warfare of the modern day.

Along with the standard Red vs. Blue engagements typified in most wargames, Combat Mission: Shock Force also allows players to fight Red vs. Red (Syria vs. Syria) and Blue vs. Blue (NATO vs. NATO) battles as well.