The story behind ArmA 2 is both cohesive and coherent, making perfect sense each step of the way, but the most impressive thing about it, is its ability of adjusting to our decisions. Basically you are a highly trained US Marine named Cooper, sent along with the Razor team into the fictional state of Chernarus to support the democratic government in its struggle against the communists insurgents. The political context is complex enough to make you wonder about every action and frequently you'll be left out wondering if you're supporting the right side.

Since there are 5 different factions fighting for power, you'll be forced to take sides more then once and sometimes your actions can influence the fragile balance of power and lead to unexpected alliances. Of course the communists are essentially the bad guys, and during the campaign you'll encounter enough situations where the "reds" are guilty of war crimes, but the nationalist partisans are no saints either and there are few things they'll refrain. You are given the opportunity to decide if certain side missions are worth taking, but risking the lives of your teammates to aid civilians or unveil atrocities committed by one faction will unlock new features.

Furthermore there are multiple ways of tackling each problem, as you can either resort to strategic air strikes that will neutralize a target swiftly, but endanger the life of civilians or take chances and destroy the objective with a satchel charge.  Depending on your approach more missions become available and winning the hearts of the locals has certain advantages on the long run. Interesting enough you'll encounter fewer civilians then expected even for a war-thorn area, so when you do run into one in distress, it's quite hard not to postpone the main mission and try helping him out.

In the early stages of the campaign you are only concerned of staying alive and lead your squad through the huge battleground, but as time goes by, more complex tasks are being handed out to you.  Since the AI is very competent and realism is the main attraction in ArmA 2, avoiding an untimely death is a huge challenge and the casual shoot and run approach is not going to work. Most of the time you'll be crawling through thick grass, or trying to find cover at all time, shooting just a few rounds in the critical moments.

{pagebreak}

No matter how careful you are and regardless of your sniping skills, death is something you'll come across very often and for the less patient gamers it can quickly become frustrating. If you are hit by a bullet in a vital area than you'd better pray the last save is just minutes away, but a less devastating blow will only leave you crippled and incapacitated. You can be healed by a teammate and you can also return the favor if you're the last man standing after a short and brutal exchange of fire, so be aware to stick close to your squad.

It is possible to control each member of your team individually and except for a couple of awkward moments they'll react to your orders in the appropriate manner. If you are smart enough, you can issue effective commands that will see your partners flanking unsuspecting hostile forces, and the AI is competent enough to make each action challenging. Occasionally the marines will fail to react to a imminent threat, while reaching the extraction point and quickly embarking a rescue helicopter is not something they're very proficient at. Don't rely too much on their driving skills either, since vehicles of any sort are puzzling the marines and unfortunate accidents are bound to happen suspiciously often.

Combat itself is very demanding and miles away from nowadays shooters, with large scale and unscripted battles that never play out the same way twice. Aiming itself is quite challenging and revealing your position is not something you can afford, so spraying bullets toward an enemy task force is not reasonable. Running and shooting at the same time is possible but the result isn't even remotely satisfying, since it's virtually impossible to even spot a hostile soldier while moving, aiming being downright impossible.

During the latter acts you'll play an increasingly important role and more troops become available to command, which takes complexity to a whole different level. By this point one should be familiar with the intricacies of ArmA 2, but without a proper knowledge about using the map, things can quickly turn sour. Terrain plays in important role as well so instructing your forces to make a short detour instead of exposing themselves to enemy fire by walking the more direct route will have multiple benefits.

Even if you somehow succeed in overcoming all the obstacles and master this complex military simulator there are some things that you can't control and may ruin you entire mission. Bugs are something you don't want to come across after completing a string of objectives, but when they do strike, there's no choice but reverting to the last saved game. Since a single scenario can take up to a few hours on higher difficulty, watching in horror how the game refuses to acknowledge an accomplished task is simply mind blowing and frustrating as hell.

{pagebreak}

Conclusion:

ArmA 2 is not a revolutionary concept that will lead to countless replicas and draw huge crowds, but a well crafted, sophisticated game that proudly inherits the legacy of the original title. If you think you can deal with the sheer complexity of this tactical shooter, then investing time in uncovering its hidden value will inevitably pay off and reward you with some awesome moments.

Gameplay: 74

Beside the consistent campaign set that can take a lot of time to complete, ArmA 2 scores high on replayability as well, thanks to the Armory mode and the powerful editor. If you are skilled enough to complete the singleplayer, more challenges await ahead as you can complete a series of mini-missions in the Armory, unlocking powerful vehicles and devices. You can also create complex scenarios using the editor, inserting any number of units and even play with a different faction.

Graphics: 82

If you've got a computer powerful enough, then setting the visual effects on high all around will allow you to enjoy some of the most beautiful landscapes on the market. Everything looks authentic and detailed, including troops, vehicles and buildings but the highlight of ArmA 2 is the vivid countryside you are allowed to explore without restraint. It is even possible to roam freely and witness the beauty of the scenery through a critter's eyes, running for his life in a desperate attempt to elude poachers.

Sounds: 75

The sound effects are good enough not to hurt the game and the music is terrific, greatly enhancing the experience, but voice acting leaves a lot to be desired. Your own troops are speaking an awful English and the way they deliver information is simply horrendous, but the most annoying comments are those uttered loudly on the radio.

Multiplayer: 80

Cooperative campaign is a nice way to deal with the some of the lengthy, tedious mission which require constant planning and a huge amount of patience. Far more exciting is the Warfare mode, that adds a little RTS flavor by presenting players with the opportunity of base building and vehicle construction. The online experience is really the final frontier and since there's only a slim chance for inexperienced players to make it so far, it's the best way to put your skills to test.

Hardware: 73

ArmA 2 looks absolutely gorgeous and it's only fair to say that everything comes with a price and performance is severely impaired by setting details too high. While adjusting the visual features in a reasonable way not to hurt the gaming experience too much is within reach, dealing with some frustrating bugs is beyond any of us. No only your whole progress is lost, but the loading screens take a lot of time as well.