505 Games Arma: Armed Assault review

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Verdict:

Review Date: 18 Apr 2007

Price when reviewed: inc VAT

Reviewed By: Chris Finnamore

Our Rating 2 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

Arma isn't a standard first-person shooter.

You don't have a health meter, taking a bullet or two will kill you, and you're pretty much a goner without the help of your squad mates. This is a military simulation and must be approached appropriately. You often have to trek for miles between combat zones, and combat is usually carried out at long range against enemies who are little more than specks on the horizon.

The game is set on the fictional island of Sahrani, which is split in two, with a constitutional monarchy in the south and a communist regime in the north. You are a US Army soldier stationed on the island for training purposes. However, your exercises are cut short when the northern regime invades the south.

The game is split into missions. Every mission has a number of objectives, but it's up to you how you complete them. You can sneak in at the dead of night and blow up the enemy's armour with satchel charges, or steal a tank and go on the rampage. With so much choice and so much space, Arma gives you an almost unprecedented feeling of freedom.

Unfortunately, the game is blighted by being far too hard. Some of the missions would faze John Rambo, such as when you have to fight off a whole tank platoon with nothing but a rocket launcher. Your squad mates are grunts of little brain and, while they can shoot straight, they're partial to a bit of friendly fire when handling heavy weapons. Finally, the appalling driving AI will drive you up the wall as you wait for the rest of your convoy to stop crashing into trees and catch you up.

Arma: Armed Assault is an ambitious game, but it feels unfinished and it's too difficult to play for us to recommend.

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