ArmA II

From Got Game
Price: $49.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.


Product Description

CONCEPT: The creators of Operation Flashpoint and ArmA: Armed Assault now bring the ultimate military simulator. Set in a fictional former Soviet republic, but inspired by reality and based on real-world landscape, ArmA II utilizes a third generation game engine that has been in sustained development for over ten years, and is used by armies across the globe as the basis for their training simulators. BACKGROUND: An elite Marine unit has been deployed to a former Soviet republic, whose political fate balances on a razor's edge. With the might of teh USMC just offshore, and as the Russians anxiously watch from the north, the five men of Force Reconnaissance Team "Razor" are trapped in a war not only for control of the country...but also for the hearts and minds of its people.




Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #403 in Video Games
* Brand: Got Game
* Model: 8042301
* Released on: 2009-07-20
* ESRB Rating: Mature
* Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP
* Format: CD-ROM
* Dimensions: .40 pounds

Features

* Player-driven story
* More than 70 weapons
* Over 100 different vehicles
* Massive online battles
* Game world of 225 square km

Customer Reviews

Excellent, though unpolished
The previous reviewer sounds like a bit of a disgruntled BIS fanboy, which is a shame. I avoided the original ArmA because it just didn't quite "feel" right in terms of controls, but this one is a keeper. Certainly not for everybody - it is extremely unforgiving (one shot kills); there are certainly performance issues, though I have resolved all of them through patient tweaking; the radio system still sounds robotic and generally awful; the AI still has some annoying advantages, such as being able to see through cover like grass, while you cannot; and so forth.

Despite these problems, I keep coming back to ArmA II. There really is nothing quite like it, well, anywhere. Playing a co-op mission with your friends is totally engrossing. The sound effects are generally excellent, the ability to move your head independently of your body is incredibly immersive, the graphics are very nice, the sheer scope of the game is tremendous.

As long as you know what you are getting into - a very hardcore and unforgiving milsim with some rough edges - I recommend this game. If you are used to, and want more of, the Call of Duty series, you should probably stick with that type of game.

Rewards those with patience
Arma II is the ultimate military sandbox simulator. Keyword being simulator. As stated elsewhere, if you go into this game expecting fast-paced arcade gameplay, you're missing the point. Though it does have it's flaws: robotic radio calls, game crashing bugs and trigger-laden campaign, there is simply nothing like it on the market.

I recommend reading the IGN review of ArmA II, or watching the X-play review of Operation Flashpoint Elite, if you want to get an idea of why fans love this game. It's simply a love it or hate it game, which I believe is more rooted in what type of gamer you are: sim-nut or mainstream gamer. If flying from VOR to VOR in a 2 hour real-time flight on Flight Simulator seems ridiculous to you, you're probably the latter.

Pros:
- Numerous usable vehicles in singleplayer and multiplayer: tanks,
airplanes, boats and even bicycles
- Unsurpassed mission editor
- Cooperative gameplay on user created missions or campaign mode
- Active mod community
- Graphics: some of the best photorealistic landscapes outside of Crysis
- Realistic engagement distances, 10km up to 20km with setviewdistance
- Ambient sound: stock sound finally as good as mods, speed of sound
accurately portrayed (sorry BF:BC, Opflash did it first)

Cons:
- Vehicle physics still need some work
- Talking animations very odd-looking
- Robotic...radio...calls
- Frustrating AI
- Game crippling bugs
- Singleplayer campaign too heavily reliant on triggers
- Steep learning curve for new players, controls etc.

Despite it's flaws, I love this game. I whole-heartedly recommend it. It may be hard for some people to justify paying $50 on a game that has a broken campaign among other things, but if you enjoy creating your own missions to play with a friend online and just general goofing around scripting and messing with a mission editor, this may be the game for you.

Pepsi challenge: create a mission with an airborne attack on an armored column at night, spawn as a civilian and try to survive a car ride throught the exploding tanks. Now tell me, for some reason that wasn't stupidly fun. Alternately, just Youtube Arma II and see if you find any of the user created videos appealing.

Cheers.