Combat Mission 2: Barbarossa to Berlin

If you don't own this game, you are not a wargamer. To this day, it is still an absolutely magisterial depiction of tactical combat that has never truly been surpassed. I've never found anything better, and it runs on a toaster.

Battlefronts finest hour! As deeply engaging now as when it was first released in 2002(?), if you just put aside the graphics (that look dated now) it still has deep and satisfying gameplay with nailbiting suspense. The replayability is unlimited due to the quickbattle system with generated maps. I am very happy that this game was released for Steam, Multiplayer (TCP/IP) was a chore but we managed by using Zerotier. I'd be willing to pay top money for this exact game with just updated graphics.

The best WW2 tactical experience out there and the most relaxing. I actually prefer these earlier CM games to the newer ones, I don't know why they just didn't copy the concept entirely across and just update the graphics? These are just easier to play and enjoy, also I like quick battles and they work perfectly in this, in the newer game (I only have Fortress Italy) I've played several quick battles where the map is devoid of the enemy, also once I set up a German defensive battle and I got given bunkers but there was nowhere to put them as I was in a valley and the objective I had to defend was at the top of the hill! I've never had that problem with the older games. Finally and most importantly lets compare like to like; CMBB gives you the entirety of the war on the Eastern Front June 1941 until August 1945, the new CM Red Thunder gives you one paltry operation in Operation Bagration just summer 1944! The newer ones are a rip off as they are not even complete and you have to pay extra for British or Waffen SS forces for example. Having these back is like meeting old friends again.

awesome game! try out 'all in one' mod which gives it a good facelift and pick the scenarios with good avg scores from theblitz site

The game is great, but this remaster, at this moment, is not. A bug that prevents targeting enemy units with tanks and false "playable" on steam deck (it crashes as soon as you hit play on a battle). Maybe buy from GoG instead, or wait until the bugs are fixed (if ever).

un buen juego solo recomendado a los wargames que le gusten las tacticas de escuadras maniobra emboscadas etc... truco pulsa f2 y activa los controles wasd y qe

I still got hooked playing this again after over 20 years! It is still so good!

Classic

I waited until I had played a scenario from start to finish before writing this review (no bugs detected). I own several Combat Mission (CMx2) titles — Red Thunder, Battle for Normandy, Final Blitzkrieg, Cold War, and Black Sea — all with their DLCs. In my opinion, they are better than the earlier Combat Mission games. For example, the chain of command is much better modeled in the newer titles. Here, it doesn’t go much beyond the platoon leader. In Final Blitzkrieg, I’m currently playing a PvP match where I moved my OE team forward in a jeep equipped with a radio. This allowed me to make contact with the enemy without being seen — only sound contacts from vehicles. Since the OE team is directly under HQ command, that information was quickly transmitted via the jeep’s radio through the entire chain of command. Within a few turns, all units under HQ were aware of those contacts, and this is visually represented in the game. None of this is modeled in Barbarossa to Berlin. Another detail: the only way to know whether a unit can see the enemy is by using the “N” key to cycle through visible targets. In the newer versions, this is handled much better — when you select a unit, enemies it cannot see simply don’t appear. These are quality-of-life features that greatly improve the experience. That said, Barbarossa to Berlin is still worth it because it covers a period not available in the newer titles. The resolution improvement is also welcome. I used to have the GOG version, and when zooming out the visuals looked quite poor. With this Steam version, it’s at least acceptable. In my case, I don’t use the WASD controls since I have a numpad and use 8-5-6-4 instead, which also lets me avoid the bug that prevents using the Target command with tanks. In short: it’s worse than the CMx2 titles, but what it does, it does well, and it’s still enjoyable. If you’ve never played a Combat Mission game before, I wouldn’t recommend starting here — I’d go with Battle for Normandy instead.

it's and old game, but the Steam game runs very well. Just as much fun as I remember it was.