Get ArmA2: Combined Operations [Download]

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Armed Assault, the franchise with a pretty standard love/hate relationship factor. You'll love the free-form, gigantic sandbox that it has to offer, but you'll hate it at the same time for it's (unavoidable) bugs and complications.



Combined Operations is simply a package-deal with the latest "Operation Arrowhead" (Takistan, Zargabad, Desert environments) standalone expansion, as well as the original ARMA II (Chernarus) in the same box. The value is great, as you're basically buying the keys to a massive mil-sim amusement park, free to do whatever you please with not too many constraints. There isn't a good method in describing what kind of game this is if you haven't played it before. If you're used to Call of Duty and similar shooters, then you're in for a surprise if you play this game. It's a lot like the original Operation Flashpoint, except on a much grander scale, with more flexibility. I could spend a couple hours writing up an essay on what this game is, or I could just give a quick rundown on what one should expect.



PROS:

- Flexibility in doing what you want. Create your own missions, scenarios, dynamic environments, etc.

- Striking visuals with the proper hardware. (Proper, as in: Very nice rig, $2,000+) A lot of things going on at once, leads to amazing scenes.

- Community and it's modding counterpart is amazing. First thing one should do after buying this game, is visit [...] or the [...] forums.

- Extremely *massive* environments, with land-air-sea mobility. Jets, tanks, helicopters, armored humvees, the works.



CONS:

- Can be ridiculously complicated for first-time users, even for PC game veterans. Patience is a virtue.

- Quite a system hog, especially when the action is at it's finest.

- Large, open-world, sandbox environment = plenty of bugs that one has to come to accept with such an undertaking.



Overall, this is a game for PC gamer veterans and enthusiasts. This is not something you just jump into all the while expecting a simulation to be handed to you on a silver platter. Time and patience has to be put in to be able to get a great experience. Is that really a problem, or is it more of a quality? When typical gamers spend a large chunk of their lives dying-and-respawning in Call of Duty, with no change in pace and with little rewards... I would say it's a quality with it's own rewards. This is the kind of game you purchase as an investment, one that you will keep coming back to when you feel like trying something different. Making a new scenario, having a tactical battle online with others, etc.