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ArmA: Combat Operations

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8.1 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 27 critic reviews
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Based on 61 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Atari / 505 Games

Developer: Bohemia Interactive

Genre(s): First-Person Shooter

Players: 100

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: May 8, 2007

Summary

(Also known as "ArmA: Armed Assault") ArmA is a first person tactical military shooter with large elements of realism and simulation. This game features a blend of large-scale military conflict spread over large areas alongside the more closed quarters battle. The player will find himself thrust in the midst of an engaging and expanding storyline, fighting against smart, aggressive enemies who will continually provide a challenge over a massive landscape. [Bohemia Interactive]

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

2404.org

Aside from mission parameters and available equipment, you really can do anything you want in ArmA.

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Gaming Target

If you’re tired of the unrealistic nature inherent in titles such as "Battlefield 2" or the "Call of Duty" series and crave something more authentic, Armed Assault just may be what you’ve been waiting for. Put simply, you just won’t find anything in the simulation realm comparable to this addictive game.

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PC Format

Far from flawless, but you have to admire the sheer ambition and scale of the game. I'll be playing this at home for years. [Mar 2007, p.58]

Pelit (Finland)

ArmA: Armed Assault is "Operation Flashpoint 2007" in both the good and the bad. The good far outweigh the bad, though, and I can hardly wait for the game to be properly finished. For a game of this calibre, I will gladly endure and finance the beta testing. [Apr 2007]

PC Zone UK

Love it or hate it though, you simply can't argue that Armed Assault is one hugely accomplished modern combat simulator. If that's what you're looking for, you won't be disappointed. [Mar 2007, p.60]

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GameShark

If nothing else, Armed Assault can be considered just short of being a “flawed masterpiece”, desperately in need of the proper time and development to shine the way it truly should.

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AceGamez

A hardcore first-person combat simulator that will have any genre veteran smacking their lips in delight. Sure it's far from perfect, but it still offers a remarkable gaming experience that will occupy many hours of our gaming lives.

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Eurogamer

An essential purchase for anyone interested in war simulation or tired of the contrived drama that fills mainstream military shooters.

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Strategy Informer

Armed Assaults comes with all the bells and whistles any gamer would love in a combat simulator, despite some really poor choice of menus, texts and questionable briefing presentations.

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PC Gamer

Even if you have the skill to complete the single-player game, you'll have only scratched the surface of this thorough war simulator. [Aug 2007, p.62]

GamingTrend

You get the full spectrum of war from armor to aircraft and snipers to squad leader. Sure, it's got a few shortcomings. But it is also the most complete and perhaps even the best combat simulator out there.

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GameZone

This is not the type of game that a casual player would want to pick up and jump in to. Though essentially a shooter, the game is billed as a strategy title for a reason.

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GamingExcellence

When it comes to first-person wartime simulators, it doesn't get much better than ArmA, but considering the lack of games with this level of realism, that's not saying a whole lot.

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IGN

ArmA's adherence to realism and accuracy in terms of weapons and world design is highly commendable and hopefully will inspire other developers in similar directions. It is undoubtedly one of the most realistic military shooters available. On the other hand, that's hardly a justification for such unforgiving difficulty and it's certainly not supported by the game's visuals.

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AtomicGamer

An "easy" difficulty in the single player campaign might have helped make the transition towards the realism in this game a little more accessible, but as it is, be prepared to break a couple of keyboards in the process of learning how to succeed in ArmA. Once you do, though, this game is certainly worth the price of admission.

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Game Chronicles

Some of the features may feel like a throwback to the original Operation Flashpoint, and many of the mechanics may overwhelm more casual shooter players, the sheer amount of extra content and military accuracy make ArmA: Combat Operations difficult to not recommend to a military enthusiast or fan of the Flashpoint series.

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PC Gameworld

A very good tactical simulator that will appeal to all players, at all levels.

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Gamers' Temple

ArmA is probably “too real”, and too frustrating, for most FPS gamers.

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Games Radar (in-house)

For the patient, the willing, and the people who know exactly what "Flashpoint" and its fans are capable of: go buy ArmA. View it as an investment for the future, because by the time PCs and Bohemia manage to catch up with the game engine it’ll be just as important as Flashpoint’s.

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PC Gamer UK

ArmA will get better; at the moment, it's too broken to wholly recommend. [Mar 2007, p.80]

GameSpot

ArmA is a challenging and immersive game of modern warfare, but one packed with plenty of frustrating moments and flaws, as well.

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GameDaily

Despite spectacular graphics and strong attention to simulating real-life combat weaponry, ArmA: Combat Operations falls victim to some major bugs, one of which causes those graphics to fall apart. Additionally, the weight of its complicated menu system slows down the game's pace.

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Computer Games Online RO

In the end, I can’t really tell what was Bohemia Interactive thinking when it released this game. What were they after? Was it financial success? It’s hard for me to believe that they actually thought that such an unpolished game would enjoy any kind of success.

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1UP

ArmA is a game best left to guys who know how to disassemble a .223 rifle.

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GameSpy

For the hardcore military buff, ArmA's attention to real-world detail is unmatched; comparing it to something like "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" is like comparing "IL-2 Sturmovik" to "Combat." If this concept scares you, then run away: ArmA will eat you up and spit you out before you can figure out how to aim your M-16.

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Worth Playing

There are so many things going for Armed Assault: Combat Operations (ArmA) in terms of presentation, concept and effort. Unfortunately, it slips up in so many ways that affect the gameplay to a serious degree that it turns what could have been a great military combat simulator into a test of patience.

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Edge Magazine

Its problem is what the missions ask of you: they are simply too tough. Trained soldiers would and should mutiny when asked to carry out the tasks AA routinely asks of you. [Mar 2007, p.84]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 61 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

John D gave it an8:
A pretty solid game that works much better than what most people say (at least for me...). The game is complicated for someone who is use to arcade-style shooters like CoD or Battlefield and will take MUCH practice to get use to. Overall, it is a pretty solid FPS. Yeah, the graphics could be better, but if games were only bought for graphics, I would of gone out and just bought a painting of a soldier holding a gun.

C D gave it a0:
There are WAY too many controls. I'd say there are at least 3 functions to a key, and they are awkwardly positioned, so much so that you'd have to have 3 hands to run and go prone and track a moving target when it only takes the 2 you have in games like Call of Duty and Battlefield. Reassigning the controls is a complete waste of time, because there would be something ELSE that would be awkward to get to when you need to fast. Overall, unless you have 3 hands and can memorize a whole keyboard's worth of commands, don't buy the game.

Mario T gave it a9:
Out of the box the game was kinda bad.. but since then things gotten alot better, patch fixed many of the bug, and the community ran with it, making truely awesome mods for it now.. if your only looking for single player play... this isnt your thing.. this game really shines when played online in a structured manner, which is where the action is at, missions which might take anythign from 20min to 3 hours, is where the immersion factor really draws us in, this is a SIMULATOR, not a arcade game.. keep this in mind. The ACE mod is a fan required mod for this game, after that.. its only a matter of finding the right server to play in, hooah!

Chuck L gave it a10:
Armed Assault is closest war simulator ever done. It doesn't matter, it has many bugs with physics and such, but it's not the point. The point is to make player know - how it is to be a soldier on battlefield, commander in tank, or pilot in a plane. Game has very interesting storyline, the oportunity to download addons is great. Of course some things have remained from Operation Flashpoint, but this also gives the feeling that it is really the sequel to previous OFP. Only we can wait for ArmA 2 and well hope it will have previous "spirit of the game".

Pete H gave it a10:
I love this game! I play it all the time and I did buy it from Steam. I have modded this to suit all my (and my pals) needs, we added zombies for friday night games. Anyway, I would HIGHLY recomend this game for ANYONE who wants to play a fun, realistic, war game.

Adam D gave it a10:
I really like ArmA. This is a realistic game, so only tactical gamers will enjoy this, in this game, there is no run-jump-shoot-die-respawn (although there is respawn at some CTF type maps) but the game is 90% about coop, and it is unforgiving. It might have bugs, but no game is perfect right!? I personally enjoyed (and still enjoy) every moment playing this game, and modding it with its wonderful community.

Sam K gave it a9:
ArmA is pretty far from perfect with clumsy framerates, inconsistent graphics and awkward controls. It's extremely bothersome to command 18 troops to board different vechicles and sometimes it's even more troublesome to get them to move properly in formation. Trucks move too slowly and HMMWVs move too quickly. I also remember times where a particular soldier refused to stay in the truck, jumping out and going on foot every time I told all of them to move. It also dosen't help that the learning curve is so steep - 70% or so of mainstream gamers will likely give up even before they finish their first mission. The extreme difficulty sometimes add to the fun. It's extremely satisfying to (finally) successfully down a man at 200 meters with an M4. But you can't blame Bohemia Interactive studios for that - they do not have support by big name publishers such as EA or the newly-formed Activision Blizzard. Right out the box, at version 1.0, the game is a nightmare. I can't remember how many times the game simply crashed to the desktop because I tried to swim across a small lake. Watching how your computer computer struggles to drive a truck out of a tight corridor - causing you many deaths - is no less than frustrating. Thankfully, the game is being kept alive in a similar way to how Blizzard's Warcraft III is kept alive - through community-made content. You could always find some great mods or someone online to play with - and the best thing is, due to the inherent "inaccessibilty" to the game, you will find very few, if any, whiny prepuberscent players to spoil your experience.

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ArmA: Combat Operations

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What The Critics Said

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