ARMA: Cold War Assault

Having gone into this game without any nostalgia filter, I think I can easily say the game's milsim core has held up in a lot of ways. For sure it's flawed and clunky in a way that almost any old game is, but what kept it worthwhile for me was the fact that the game is seriously committed to making you feel like you're on a battlefield. This is probably it's greatest strength, AND it's biggest weakness. Right from the start you'll be thrown into the kind of unglamorous, long-range firefights that have you crawling from cover to cover, taking potshots at enemies you can barely see and clenching every time you hear a bullet land near you. Controls are built around you feeling like a real soldier on a battlefield, which helps with immersion but can really take quite a bit of adjustment. If you're a pervert for this kind of immersive difficulty and want to feel like just another grunt on a battlefield then you're on board already, but it has problems, most of which revolve around level design imo. An example: one particularly infamous level has you separated from your squad and forced to rapidly navigate your way over whole kilometres of open country filled with enemy patrols. This kind of slog can still have a certain kind of realistic appeal and it's certainly a memorable experience, but all too often levels ask you to invest a lot of time in slow-burning tension, only for you to repeat it because an angry dot on the horizon put a single bullet through your back from half a klik away. It's the kind of irritation that comes up when a game is prioritising realism over fun, and while that might be what people buy this kind of thing for (I know I do) It'd be so much better if they just gave you the option to save more than once per mission! I still have to recommend it, though. In spite of it's problems and graphical limitations, it manages to be surprisingly immersive when things heat up.

There are missions that are very difficult and can only be saved once per mission, so you will progress only through trial and error, but once you get the controls and everything you can do with it will be a little easier, not easy. This game has the best campaign I ever played in a game. And the two other official campaigns, Red Hammer and Resistance, are very, very good too. The immersion, the tension, the feeling of helplessness and the realism is incredible. Obviously time has passed and the graphics are completely out of date but believe me that will be the last thing you notice when you play this masterpiece.

I've reviewed games very objectively before. This time I'm not going to be objective at all, I'm simply just going to say 'play this game'. For me it's a big deal that gog got this game. I already own this game a few times over as 'Operation Flashpoint'. Don't let the relatively small 420meg download fool you. This game is huge. There is almost infinite replay value in this game. The paths to success or failure are almost as infinite. It's true that the graphics may seem simple in some areas but thay are still stunning inothers. This game is hard because it is real. It is a simulator. To give you an example, if you want to pull off a successful long range kill with a sniper rifle, then google how it's done in real life and the same will apply to Arma. Range finding with your scope, adjustments for wind and elevation..it's all there, and the game doesn't even tell you this becuase in real life you don't get told that either...that's just the way it is. I could go on for a very long time but the game is too big to cover even a small part. You just don't know how deep this game gets until you're a few hours in and by then it's too late. The mod community is huge and dedicated and new content is always comming out. You could be playing user generated content for the rest of your life and still not play it all. Don't be fooled by the new Operation Flashpoint games....this is the real thing. This first Arma game along with the new Arma games by Bohemia Interactive took combat and made it more than just a game. You can take this game online and find servers filled with players. With the exception of Counterstrike 1.6 no other game has stayed this popular or relevant after 10 years. There is just too much in this game for me to elaborate on. My best advice is just to find out for yourself. I have to give it the maximum amount of stars. No other game has done wihat this game did, and they did it 10 years ago. I still find that amazing.

It's a bit miscategorized as an FPS. It was really one of the first good combat sims. Not outstanding graphics, but far more realistic combat than a typical FPS. The ability to hit distant distant targets is quite accurate, and the view of them from a distance very realistic, while the squad tactics are challenging to master. The challenges are varied, the map is simply beyond huge filled with NPCs that you'll likely never run accross during a regular mission, but are there just to add fun. There is hours of replayability on each level. The original game had FADE DRM protection and AFAIK was never broken, so thanks GOG for providing a version that won't require the CD! If you like America's Army of Falcon, etc. you should like this as well.

I want to emphasize something that I feel the other reviewers have left out in their reviews: the freedom ArmA gives you in carrying out the single-player campaign. The missions in ArmA ("Operation: Flashpoint" for those who bought it back in the day) can often be completed/solved many, many ways. Thus, some of the hardest parts of the game become the most rewarding as well. Here is one of many favorite instances (minor spoilers ahead, obviously): NATO is retreating after being crushed by the opening Soviet attack. Your platoon has been wiped out, leaving you trapped behind enemy lines. The sun has just come up and you've got to make it to the extraction point. Do you a) quietly make your way through the countryside, dodging patrols b) pick up your dead buddies' gear and try to shoot your way through to some friendlies c) sneak in the occupied town, steal a civilian's car and floor it before you get lit up. I'm sure there are options d), e), and f) too, if you're creative enough. I've got to say, though, that dodging tank shells in a busted up Lada gave me the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever gotten from a video game. And here's the thing: it didn't feel "game-y," like the developers had put that car there, just for that purpose. No, it felt satisfying and clever. The campaign is chock full of opportunities to use unusual angles, and that's what makes it so rewarding and fun to come back to. The black ops missions in particular encourage you to be devious. The "Resistance" expansion practically requires you to use your brain more than your trigger finger. I'm giving this a "high" four stars. Four because, and there's no point in denying it, this game has some rough edges, and not just in the graphics department. The enemy AI gets weird, dumb at close quarters (although it should be noted that 99% of the time you are shooting from 100+ meters away). Friendly AI often has the usual litany of friendly AI problems. The learning curve spikes steeply once (minor spoiler) you start commanding troops of your own. I say it's a "high four" because the overflowing ambition, the replayability, the character-driven story and the fine balance of tension and excitement put ArmA ("Operation: Flashpoint," excuse me) in the same category as Jagged Alliance 2 and GTA: San Andreas. A neutral thing about the game, as well. The in-game cutscenes have a very unusual, languid, "pan over the enormous landscape" feel to them that makes me think of classic westerns, David Lynch and - especially - Terrence Malick. It's a funny ambience, and probably just an accident of the game's engine, but I enjoy its strangeness. Has anyone else ever been struck by that?