FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles
Game
Game2023
Combat Mission Battle for Normandy
Developer Battlefront
Combat Mission Battle for Normandy faithfully recreates the experience of tactical land warfare in Western France during World War Two. From the Steam store page
183 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Sep 7, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
72
Fresh
130 positive · 50 negative
95% range 65–78%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 130 | 50 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
3 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
213 of 272 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 183 · most liked firsttoo expensive for a 14 y/o game. despite the steam release, it stills runs pretty poorly (as is usual for their games). the fact it's $159.00 for their entire bundle is pretty goofy. there's plenty of content in them, sure, but not for the asking price.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do NOT buy this game. I bought this game 25 years ago and thought it might be an updated re-release. IT ISN'T! I knew I was in trouble when I clicked on the multi-player button and was asked to manually type in my IP address and port number. Just like I did 25 years ago! There still isn't a tutorial, so you have to read the manual, like I did 25 years ago! When you hover over a button, nothing pops up to tell you what it does, so you have to consult the manual. Like I did 25 years ago! All…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So here's the thing.. I HAVE been recommending this to my friends. I watch battles on youtube. I love so many of the ideas that this game has brought to life.. but the reason why I'm leaving a negative review, and the feedback that I've gotten from my friends, and the frustration that I experience, is that this game runs like ♥♥♥♥, and it shouldn't. I appreciate that the devs are doing continuing work on their engine, but as we near the end of 2023, I would hope that any of their future efforts…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →HOO BOY THAT PRICE TAG
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ignore the low hours, I bought this game directly from the devs a good 8 years ago and have spent hundreds of hours enjoying it. This is an incredible game. I'd go as far as to say that all things considered, this is by far the best tactical level wargame I have ever played. However, it is CERTAINLY not for everyone. If you're expecting something along the lines of Company of Heroes, or Steel Battalion, or the Men of War series, this is not that game. This game is a hyper-realistic wargame.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've CM 1, 2 and 3 and really.... this doesn't look to have advanced much in 20 years. It does not scale well, controls are clunky, the interface is awful. If you ignore the awful interface, graphics and all the general lack of polish (and bear it in mind, that's difficult to do), the gameplay IS similar (and probably an improvement) to the old games - A good military strategy game. However, over £40 for this? No chance.. I've requested a refund. I'll play CM:AK until this drops to a less…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Doesn't work on AMD machines, had to fight with steam support to get a refund. Devs have known about the issue for over a year now it seems and don't intend to do any fix, and won't post a warning on the store page to let users know.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good game but can be frustrating and not sure the modelling is as great as is claimed. Morale is not well done. Pinned units fire back (why mark them as pinned then) where as fresh unpinned ones can just sit there and watch an enemy walk up to them and kill them. Not sure how that works. I know German tanks can be hard to crack but I just played a scenario where I slammed six 75mm shells into the rear of a Panther. All penetrations. The Panther was somehow still operational and killed the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Graphics as shown in video or JPG are not what the game is. It is dirty , clunky and pixelated. Not clear and smooth as they would indicate. When run on a high end system that supports any modern day game as of 2023, it is garbage. For the price of modern day games,not throwbacks it is unacceptable. 130$ is over priced. Even at $30 i would have been displeased. 20 year old graphics while being presented as modern is BS. Do not be fooled by the demo videos. They are misleading to say the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is hardcore. I am a military history nerd for 30 years and I know no other simulator that shows WW2 combat as realistic as this... Next to "Garviteam Tactics". They are so different that they complement each other, not compete against each other. You need to know real military combat tactics to prevail, nothing less. You need to know the weapons capabilities and limitations. If you don't you lose. If you make the effort, you get a very unique experience. All of a sudden, you really,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Like the other games they make. the game runs slow ( a bit better than the others) and the base game has almost no scenarios unless you buy them. The maps are also tiny. Was hopeful they had changed their engine to be more up to date rather than looking like something from 2005 but the game still looks like the others.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have played this series on and off since the original Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord released in 2000. Its technical pros and cons are well-documented at this point so this post will focus on what I think different groups of consumers should consider before buying. Wargamers: Buy a title covering a period of interest to you and give it a try. The only other series in this class is Graviteam (which I have also reviewed). As a wargamer you are used to paying a lot for games and also getting…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been a fan of the series since the original CM:BO released on demo disk for PC Gamer Magazine a million years ago. The game was originally licensed to be a PC version of Squad Leader and Advanced Squad Leader with later releases but Hasbro bought TSR... blah-blah-history. I bought the special edition pre-order of this game that came in the tin on pre-release over a decade ago. The game was, graphically, obsolete on launch but you don't buy these for the graphics you buy games like this for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sid Meier's Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition came out in 1998. Twenty-five years later, Battlefront can't figure out how to implement online multiplayer that isn't a form of PBEM (i.e. effectively offloading the multiplayer functionality to the user). This is not a complex, unsolved problem in the 21st century; nevertheless, Battlefront charges a premium price for its products only to fail at this basic hurdle every time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game runs really bad. Especially with the weak graphics this game has, I shouldn't be getting 15 frames on games where a more than normal map is being played on and I know an engine is a very big task to do for a dev team this size, but the game really suffers. I really want to like this game but there's just glaring problems that REALLY needs to be fixed in the game play. For example, the whole spotting mechanic isn't really easy to understand and sometimes just feels flat out unfair…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Before the Steam Release, i played CMBN a lot, probably a three figure hour count. Im glad it came to steam, because the battlefront website is hopelessly outdated and the servers are really, REALLY slow. The game itself is quite enjoyable, but also very clunky, with next to none quality of life features. Controls are bad, Graphics are bad, which i personally dont mind, but performance is also bad. Doesnt matter how good your PC is, the game engine is just to antique at this point. The AI is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Completely unplayable on modern pc's. DO NOT BUT THIS GAME! Until the developers fix the engine it is built on this game is wholly and totally worthless. Edit: Got it to work Finally, spent 12 hours creating a scenario and adjusted a unit to try out, and it locked me out of my scenario due to the fact that I haven't purchased a DLC, specifically the vehicle pack. Boo, Shame, and more choice words that would get me in trouble on Steam to whoever designed that "Feature"
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you want a game that will frustrate you and make you think, "maybe I should go do something else", this is the one for you. I played the first few Combat Missions years ago (the last one I played was Shock Force, 1 I guess) and not much has changed in 15 years. By far my biggest complaint is the lack of realism in how the units act and some insane spotting/targeting incidents. AI unis run around the whole map with no thought to their safety or whether it even makes sense. After a battle…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →NO, Combat mission is not worth $80. There is no universe in which this ancient piece of software that is held together with scotch tape and prayers is worth a AAA premium price. MAYBE $15 to $30 at most. The price isn't even the worst of it though..... If you plan on playing Multiplayer, I can't in good faith recommend Combat Mission (any game in the series) given how TCP/IP Multiplayer is STILL undermined by game breaking bugs (chiefly weapons teams losing their deployables) that have been…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This may be the worst game I have ever purchased. If you don't like flickering RUN the other way! I was not expecting AAA graphics, but they really should put into the store description a warning about the Developer's inability to even stop flickering while game is paused. Holly Cow! I was unable to find a way to play the game with my eye's closed to avoid the irritation. 30 FPS (and flicker) in 2024 and $60... I just as well have bought that dead mule a guy tried to sell me... He said it…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This series has so much unrealized potential and a greedy business model. Virtually 0 tutorialization for new players Bugs that have existed for decades such as audio breaking and never working again The complete inability to play anything other than 1v1 The audacity to chop content up and sell it in expensive chunks for a game that came out in the 2000's All round just not worth your time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Runs like crap and looks like crap, but there's nothing else like it. Great mod scene.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't let the cover deceive you. Graphics : Outdated Engine : Outdated UX, UI : Outdated Simulation : The best, nothing comes close. Content : Including the DLC, tons! Short Overview An excellent simulator, to my knowledge, nothing comes close to simulating battalion/company on a battlefield level as Combat Mission. However, the simulator/game is not for everyone. At times, it's clunky, performance may be atrocious. and it's highly advised to read…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It runs almost the same as CMx1 Beyond Overlord and they are asking for 60$ when not on sale. Complete clown behavior and I get the sense they hate "da normies xDDD". You'll be remembered as snobs when you retire. Beyond that, game is very in-depth and I do suggest you guys read some manuals if you decide to buy it. WW2 gameplay is generally a lot more noob-friendly if you want to start out with wargames. Just don't call yourselves "grognards", I think of the Ninja Turtles when someone uses…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →you can play as waffen ss in todays censored clown world
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →when you want to put high price for a game as a concept or idea that its good you need to make sure the game has good graphic good textures the game is very bad in everything i asked for refund
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really want to love this game, the concept is great and there are very few games like it, but there is so much anti-QOL stuff getting in the way that I can't help but shelve it. Most of this stuff is pretty well documented, though for me personally it's the abysmally small UI when playing in higher resolutions that breaks the camel's back. I legitimately have to play in 900p for legible UI, and that's a little bit of a joke. It has got me excited for the next proper instalment; CMx3 which…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game does not work properly with an AMD graphic card. After an explosion (arty/tank hit), a very agressive white flash pop on the screen, making the game impossible to enjoy. It's a damn shame because i had a lot of fun experimenting it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord back in the 2000's. This brings back memories.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →no amount of fiddling makes this game run well on a modern system. constant flickering, flashing, and crashing
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't let the price scare you away. If you have enjoyed any of the old school tactical hex and counter games, CMBN will be right up your alley. I would like to see the series go beyond 1v1 along with the ability to co-op against the AI.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the best WWII combat war gaming there is. It's like it was taken right off the miniatures war gaming table and put on your screen with the added benefit of hidden movement and no rolling. Great game though a bit long in the tooth and priced way to high.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Two fundamental problems frustrate me to the point that I hate to try to play this game, even though I'm happy to support the title with the purchase. First, it has the problem of having old code being ported to new technology with the result that it plays too unstable for me to enjoy. The stuttering graphics make it frustrating to interface with the game. Second, and this problem was inherent to the original: the AI regularly and spontaneously makes terrible decisions for your troops and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you are a wargamer, and willing to look past the rather dated graphics, the tactical elements of this game truly cannot be beaten. It is the definitive platoon-to-battalion level WW-II gaming experience. I have put thousands of hours in nearly all Combat Mission products from the first iteration (no longer on Steam). To say it is my favorite computer game-- given the time investment-- would not be an understatement. Having said this, it does not run as well on AMD graphics cards as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun, But expensive
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A lot of these issues with these games come down to the very peculiar way the designers want you to play through a very slanted, very loaded scenario against you. The scenarios are very "narratively" designed and you are expected to play the specific way the guy who designed the scenario expects you to. The campaigns are thus unplayable without save-scumming and the regular scenarios while better often come down a single key-hole play finding the "right" maneuver path and then winning…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought this and its DLCs (on sale) quite some time ago. I wasn't patient enough trying to learn and understand the game. I didn't pay enough calm attention to the manual (for which I now notice a "view the manual" link on the game's Steam page. I ended up making little use of the game. What a mistake. Long story short -- I recently tried again and this time spent some time with the manual. Suddenly, I get it. Sure, it's still a game that takes practice and needs to be taken pretty…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lot of content in-game and in mods (All-In-One Mod). And DLCs are good looking too. I bought this using key websites since its so expensive. I did not buy full price. Performance (this goes with any Combat Mission game) needs to be adjusted by you (you need to open NVIDIA control panel and MAKE SURE it is using your GPU when you run this game. By default it uses integrated graphics and runs poorly). But once you do that then you will be running the game just fine. Very good game. Addicting
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The realism and gameplay is amazing, the graphics look like they are from about 2006. If you want the best and most realistic ww2 tactical game out there this is the one for you, if you like graphics, this isn't for you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Save your money. The game has some serious flaws. It's basically a retooling of close combat, where you give your units orders, then watch as they disobey or cower. I do like the idea of individual units not following orders or being pinned, all of that. This game makes that the crux of the game. While you could see an enemy unit, you could not tell which of your units actually has LOS. A squad in a hedgerow is across from an enemy squad in a hedgerow, and you can see no reason why there is no…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ive seen lots of videos about this game and was very eager to try it. Spent 60 bucks and it wouldent even run on my computer. Spent 2 hours trying to get the game to run with community guides and youtube and i couldent. Its a ripoff 60 bucks for whats basically an steaming turd is pretty ridiculous.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nothing else like these CM games exist,they are the pinnacle of strategy games. I even retired from Arma 3 as its AI cant hold a candle to CM's AI and it cannot give the the tactical gameplay i crave,nor the realism. I know they are different genres,but being honest,we all just want a solid military experience,with authenticity and good AI,fluid systems and immersion...CM games give you that,and this particular entry, Battle for Normandy,is excellent. Must have.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a company/battalion-level combat simulator, where you mostly operate on the platoon leader level, i.e., your unit of operation is a team/squad. It plays very nice on a small scale, i.e., a (reinforced) company, but becomes tedious when the number of units grows to a battalion level. In that case, try playing it as individual squad mini-games and give yourself a rest after a couple of hours. It plays very slowly, a game hour of commanding a company normally takes eight hours of real…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →“Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.” - James Mattis This game, no, this warfare simulator is achieving perfection if you can go beyond the aging graphics. This simulator is so perfect that the battlefield conditions will make you have to change your tactics. Is the terrain too damp for a tank to pass there? is it too windy for my snipers to take a shot a 300m? brightness of the battlefield, etc... Caliber used, weapon system against type of unit. The spotting system alone is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A hardcore war sim really shouldn't be this much fun. The minute-long WeGo turn-based mode is a thing of genius, allowing you to enjoy the chaos at your leisure. With a bit of modding and a ReShade, you even start to convince yourself it actually looks quite good. I'm sure it's somewhat flawed and it's expensive, and the devs don't update it enough - all issues that if you've been playing it for 20 years have probably become major irritants, but coming to it fresh, I say again - it's actually…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There are some good gameplay mechanics in this game, wich make it very unique. It's just sad that it is so badly optimized, the controls feel sluggish, the sound and graphics are by this point more than a quarter century old and it doesn't support more than 2 players. I would rate it neutral if I could, but with the very steep prize for this dated gem I would tend to rate it negativeley anyway. I recieved a free steam key, because I bought the game some time ago, before it came to steam, wich…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Over a decade after release I still want another crack at these campaigns. There's no other game like that.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I mean, I don't think that Steam sells any physical media either. Granted, Steam isn't the only place to buy PC games, but I went looking in an earlier thread that was talking about the PS5 physical disc shutdown. I could think of one retailer, Matrix Games --- they specialize in milsims --- that still sold physical media. It looks like they shut that down last year, had a "last call" for orders for games on physical media.…
unlabelledView post →I really wanted to like the game, but it was not possible to get it to run decently on my high end gaming laptop. (Predator Helios 300, with i7-11800H, 32 GB RAM, SSD, Nvidia RTX 3070). Even turning the graphics to the lowest setting response was terrible. Hedges were appearing and disappearing all the time. Only 1 in 4 mouse clicks were registering, even when taking it slow and easy. I managed to play through the tutorial campaigns and the first campaign in France, but it was painful and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm completely overdosed on Western Front WW2 games - after Kelly's Heroes , Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, Steven Ambrose, When Trumpets Fade, and 6000 hours of Close Combat game series, my mind is numb. I only play Cold War, or WW2 Eastern Front games. But for anyone else who loves Shermans versus Tigers. CM Normandy is for you. This is where you can get battalion level tactical combat and a great community to battle with.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I tried to play it for about 30 minutes, but I started feeling sick from the screen flickering and slow response rate (for example screen rotation). I'm not sure what the developer is thinking, the FPS in this game is like I don't have a graphics accelerator. I asked for a refund. It's a shame I was hoping it would be good, but the performance is so bad that I can't stomach playing it. If you decide to buy this, prepare for low FPS.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you want to have some relaxing fun, do not play this game on single-player. Some missions and campaigns are very difficult and can be very frustrating. In real life attackers need roughly spoken a 3:1 advantage to win from a dug-in enemy. When in urban area's this goes up to 5:1 or even higher. A lot of missions don't give you those advantages, and as an attacking player you have to be extreme careful not to make mistakes. In single-player friendly artillery is mysteriously good at…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Possibly the best game in one of the best tactics series out there. A must play for anyone into tactical war gaming.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game with a high learning curve. But probably the closes to running real tactics.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Intro: Combat Mission Battle For Normandy is a tactical battle simulator that aims to simulate World War 2 during the period immediately following the Normandy landings up to September of 1944. This game originally released over a decade ago and since then has gathered a cult following within the Combat Mission community and it's not hard to see why. There is boatloads of content in a popular subject of military history. This is the first of the four World War II CM titles to come to Steam,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy is a deeply immersive tactical wargame developed by Battlefront and published by Matrix Games that seeks to portray World War II combat with an uncompromising focus on realism, scale, and battlefield decision-making. Set during the Allied campaign in Normandy from June to August 1944, the game places players in command of infantry, armor, and supporting units as they fight through hedgerows, villages, open fields, and contested towns. Rather than presenting…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The graphics aren't from this decade, but it's still a decent game. The AI is very independent. Also, I'm confident I've witnessed the troops in game shoot surrendering troops multiple times.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I recommend all Combat Mission games, since they fill perfectly their niche in the military simulation universe with remarkable depthness. I now own all titles and most DLCs from the year 2000 onwards, with the sole exception of Cold War, taking advantage of bundles and special discounts (by the way, make sure you do). Sadly full fluidity of gameplay and UI has decreased over time due to some technical outdatedness, more so with bigger, battalion sized battles. Still the game is playable. If…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been playing CM since it first came out. It was revolutionary back in the old days of Avalon Hill war games. This IS hands down the very best Tactical war game ever made. Is it antiquated by modern day graphics (yup), does it have a tough learning curve (you bet ya), the ai can be tough or down right stupid (depending on the designer of the scenario), you want to see a realistic battle (yeah your troops break/morale bankrupt). 10/10 hard core war gamer since the 70's.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →don't waste your money. Ridiculous price for this game! terrible graphics and terrible gameplay
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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