Several years ago now, I remember reading an obscure article in the old gamer magazine, "Strategy Plus" about my Marine Corps enlisting the aid of id Software to create a training tool for their war-fighters. The article came and went with little notice. Fast-forward to a couple of years ago with the U.S. Army's "America's Army," designed for a lack of a better term, a recruitment tool. Today, we now have 2K Games', "Close Combat: First to Fight", an action-oriented, first-person 3D shooter game proclaimed to be based on a training tool for the United States Marine Corps.
INN, The International News Network complete with
Ticker.
A look at the box art lets one know that this game is about the Corps. It portrays a sharp looking Marine NCO with saber, and infantry on the move in the background. Looks nice, but going by what my ole pappy used to say, "It aint what's on the outside that counts, it's what's under the hood." I know looks can be deceiving. Several games, both FPS and RTS have tried to capture what it takes to be a Marine. The most recent that springs to mind was "Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault." EA Games tried to hook you with a wanna-be R. Lee Ermy drill instructor and an amazing animated cut-scene of the silent drill team performing in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial. However, all have fallen short.
Enter "Close Combat: First to Fight." Again, this game proclaims to be based on the tool used to teach young Marines. Everything from the box art to the manual, to the three CD's screams this one is for real. So, with game in hand, I decided to take it for a spin and see if, for once, somebody could get it right.
Charlie Team ready to move.
I'll say right now that as a former Devil Dog, I had my doubts. I was prepared to be disappointed. I dropped the first CD into the drive and let her spin up and started the install process, during which I did something I usually don't do—I read the manual. By the end of disk two, my opinion had begun to change and after the install process was done, I was ready to be blown away. You see, upon reaching the back of the manual, in the credits, is a list of nearly forty Marines, recently returned to the US from combat operations overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. These Marines, from Lance Corporals up to one Major, had all been sent by the Corps to assist in one way or the other in the creation of this game. Also included was a thank you showing the company's respect and admiration for the individuals they got to know as Marines.
Members of Charlie Team on the prowl.
The installation of the game is straightforward. Three CDs packed full of Marine Corps goodness. Once installed and manual read, it was time to open up the hood and see was underneath. While the game loads, you are treated to an animated cut scene describing the events unfolding in Beirut, Lebanon as described by INN's (International News Network) embedded reporter, Amber Wolfe. It seems the prime minister had to travel to America for surgery and while the cat was away….yadda yadda yadda.
Once the cut scene finishes, you are brought to the main menu. Here, you have tutorials, single player/multiplayer options, profile management and profile creation. One thing right here about the tutorials, you need to watch each one as they will show you how to act as a team leader, and how to operate with the MAGTF (Marine Air/Ground Task Force) pronounced MAGTaF.
You play as a young lance corporal leading a team of three other Marines. This is where it starts getting real interesting. The game centers on the team and uses the Marine Corps acronym RTFA. Ready is the rifleman of the squad; Team is you, the team leader; Fire is the automatic weapon, or SAW gunner; Assist is the assistant gunner. Each team member has his responsibility whether it's covering a certain sector during a movement phase or his spot on a dynamic entry. Each member will engage targets as they become visible in his sector and will warn you of threats and their location.
A View to a Kill, M-4 Style.
The team, you will find out, is the most important thing in the game. You have to take care of your team. Lose that SAW gunner early in a mission and you will not have one available till you finish that level. Get a team member wounded, you either apply first-aid yourself, or if he's incapacitated, you have to call for a corpsman to evacuate him to the rear. Get a man killed, mission over. Kill civilians, mission over. Kill an enemy combatant that is trying to surrender, mission over.
Everything is command driven and it's easy to call air strikes or mortar fire while engaging the enemy. You simply put your target reticule on what needs to be shot or destroyed, right click and hold, and four boxes will appear. You have the option of calling for Cobra attack helos, 81mm mortar fire, or for sniper support, depending on what support you have on-call. Team commands are given in the same way and include the dynamic entry commands of "take down", "frag and take down", the "go to" command, very helpful if that technical vehicle that just rolled will be useful in defending the team, and a "comply" command. Use the comply command to tell the enemy to give up. Usually doesn't work, but sometimes a wounded enemy will take it to heart. All the normal movement for you character are the standard FPS keys and they are mappable if you so desire.
Tellin my SAW Gunner TAZ to cover an alley.
Speaking of the enemy, they vary from your basic radical fundamentalist, to splinter Lebanese military, to Syrian army to Iranian special ops folks. Each has their strengths and weaknesses. A radical may have no training what so ever but will keep attacking in the face of heavy machine gun fire. One of spec ops guys may sit and wait for the perfect time to spring that ambush. The AI is very good, but as in all games does have it flaws. For instance, you may be in a stairwell and have some enemy soldier race by you without firing a shot, but for the most part, probably ninety-five percent of the AI act as near as realistic as possible.
The campaign encompasses the struggle to regain control over the embattled city of Beirut. Each level takes you to a different section of the city. The terrain is what one might expect in a besieged city. Rubble, bombed out buildings, damaged vehicles sit idly on the side of the road or even down into the city's sewer. Each sublevel is treated as a "checkpoint" with certain operational goals that must be obtained. If you're told to clear a building, miss one room and you can't advance.
After each level, you are treated to an AAR (After Action Report) that judges just how well you did. It will list any medals and awards as well as rate your mission and overall leadership ability. Listed with you are your teammates and how well they did, included how many enemy troops the eliminated, ending health and their own ratings in their individual skills. Once you hit the advance button to move on to the next mission, you will see the latest news from INN including their "ticker" telling you about the latest flooding in Texas, the price gouging at amusement parks, etc. Some of the missions have you chasing high priority targets. There are five of these high priority targets and are represented by the four aces and one joker.
Stacked for a Frag and Takedown.
Graphically, it's not stunning or mind blowing, but is well done in representing a war-torn city. The sound is a little off but where the game may fall short in those two areas is more than made up for in the other phases.
All in all, this is a fine game. It stresses the teamwork involved to be a successful component of the Marine air/ground team. It gives a glimpse into what it takes to do what those young warriors do day to day and is a fine tribute to those warriors.
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