

The levels are vast–hundreds of kilometers in size–and the game’s architecture supports dozens of players, vehicles, and aircraft simultaneously so aerial support, heavy weapons coverage and more are all part of the tour. Most of ARMA II’s real action takes place in multiplayer mode, where cooperative teams can employ small unit tactics and other military strategies against one another. Climbing ladders, utilizing inventory, and operating vehicles are all examples of obscurely designed mechanics that feel more like add-ons than actual core code. Other game mechanics are equally poorly implemented.
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There’s a general imprecision to the controls and sluggishness to movement that pervades Bohemia’s 3D engine and makes game interactions feel like your computer suddenly skipped two upgrade cycles.

Not all of that challenge is due to the gameplay, either. The gameplay found here is of a specific flavor and the difficulty level an order of magnitude more challenging than a traditional FPS. That translates to a lot of mission for your money, but keep in mind some of the content shipped in 2009 when ARMA II was initially released.
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Czech developers Bohemia Interactive have been dabbling in this field for almost a decade following the debut success of Operation Flashpoint, and ARMA II: Combined Operations ($33, free demo) is their most recent marketplace deployment.ĪRMA II: Combined Operations has a realistic look that makes the imprecise controls all the more frustrating.Ĭombined Operations bundles several releases under a single title, including ARMA II and the standalone Operation Arrowhead expansion. Insurgents sit in for aliens and narratives spring from newspapers instead of novels, all in the service of “realism.” Realism means different things to different people, however, and hardcore players have long wished for a game that combines a multiplayer military tactical approach with the level of detail seen in proper simulations. Gameplay in these titles focuses on tactical teamwork and army culture, turning away from the more fantastical elements of modern action gaming in both story and implementation. Military cover shooters have become a genre onto themselves in recent years, thanks to the success of franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield.
