Though not based directly on specific real-world operations or events, the game's missions are set in urban, Middle Eastern environments, similar to those faced by soldiers serving in Iraq at the time of the game's release. Players lead a four-person team through a series of realistically tense, dangerous missions. In the style of the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six games, and in the spirit of the successful America's Army PC game (and recruiting tool), Close Combat: First to Fight is a squad-based shooter, developed under the supervision of acting United States Marines and designed to present an authentic first-hand experience of modern combat with the Corps.