Review | ArmA II
Format: PC | Genre: Simulation | Publisher: 505 Games | Developer: Bohemia Interactive | Release Date: 19/06/09 | RRP: £29.99
By Greg Giddens
Let’s face it: reality often sucks. Playing games is a great way to escape from the troubles of the real world and experience something entirely different. Fighting a realistic war will certainly be a different experience for many, but it’s unforgiving nature may be overwhelming for some.
//A unique experience
ArmA II is part of the niche genre of simulation games, and like the previous ArmA and Operation Flashpoint before it, allows you to experience life as a soldier during times of intense conflict. This time around, you’re in the fictitious country of Chernarus near Russia, where civil war has been raging for some time. The Chernarus government has asked NATO for assistance in quelling the pro-Communist rebels, and as a result the USMC is sent in with you as a serving marine. This is where the Red Harvest campaign begins.
A far more cinematic experience than its predecessor, ArmA II continually drives home the horrific reality of war. It’s a refreshing, if almost too real, account of what really happens in these battle zones. The close ties to reality create an effortlessly immersive atmosphere, and the magnificent sound effects really shine. The engines of the vehicles and the sounds of the ballistics are spot on, and it’s hard to explain the mixed feeling of fear and excitement as you hear the crack of a supersonic round whiz past your head.
Early in the game, I found myself under fire, adrenaline pumping. The moment an enemy soldier moved into sight, I fumbled around with the mouse and keyboard to ensure I didn’t miss my shot – because if I’d have missed, I’d be dead. Quickly, though, I was brought back to reality. Sadly, the majority of the voices sound awful, with terribly amateurish inflections ruining the atmosphere. It’s a real shame, because the script is well written, with excellent military terminology. ArmA II is a dynamic game, and the AI adapts well to that, but when your squad starts shouting coordinates of enemy troops, it sounds like a jumble of mixed sound bites thrown together.
These voice problems may plague the single player experience but, much like the previous titles from Bohemia Interactive, ArmA II has been developed with the community in mind. So multiplayer and user created content are primary sections of the game. From the menu you can choose to play through the aforementioned campaign, play an odd mission from the scenario menu, or play either online or over LAN. There’s also a Boot Camp tutorial mode and a sandbox mode called Armory, allowing you to play with whichever vehicles and weapons you like. Add to all that the massively powerful editor, and you’re free to create any experience you want from this military simulator.
This is where ArmA II begins to show its greatest strengths. Bohemia knows its target audience well, and the team has catered to such expectations. It’s certainly the title fans of the original, and of Operation Flashpoint, have been waiting for. This is a hardcore military simulator, and makes no concessions for players not used to this form of unforgiving experience.
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I must admit I am really looking forward to playing this game. I still have very positive memories of Operation Flashpoint, despite it’s flaws. In fact it appears that the chief flaws of that game, the voices and the squad controls, have not really been addressed.
I have heard worrying rumours that this may not make it to the 360, which would be a shame. The Xbox version of OFP retained many of the good points of the original game, but made it slightly more accessible but refining and simplifying the more clumsy elements. It’s major weakness was the delay in making the transition, resulting in a game with disappointingly obsolete graphics.
What I do not like about this review is that it seems to imply the reason for its low score is that the game cannot appeal to a wide enough audience, that the goal of a game is to be liked by the biggest majority. Its an obviously niche game that sets out to accomplish something, and after reading this review I am still left unsure as to how well it accomplished it.
All I really got from it in the end was that the voices could be redone… i have no idea how much of a success most of the game mechanics were (except for the ai, which got a positive nod). The reviewer should have admited they were unable to appreciate the game and let someone else do it, or review it in a way that more could be taken from it.
,YGS
YGS: The score is 70%. It is not, in any universe, a low mark. That’s a 7 out of 10, a 4 out of 5, a “Buy” rather than a “Don’t buy.” If you have a look at our mark guidelines, you’ll see that next to 70-79% it says “You’ll enjoy this, so long as you don’t expect perfection.” I’d say the review makes that pretty clear.
I think you may have misconstrued Greg’s comments a little bit. While he does point out that the very nature of the game is going to be a hurdle for many, he goes on to mention the cumbersome controls and poor tutorials as barriers to the entertainment. They’re problems that Greg felt were pretty serious in the face of what is, ultimately, a very solid military sim. Hope that clarifies things a bit.