ArmA II: Operation Arrowhead

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 223 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 165 out of 223
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 223
  3. Negative: 24 out of 223
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  1. GeoffWTF
    Dec 19, 2011
    7
    Where to begin, ill start like everyone else and say that you need a pretty decent computer to run this game. im running an i5 650, hd 6870, 6gb of ram and i have to turn settings down to medium to get 40fps. Now on to the game, ArmA 2 and operation arrowhead has great potential to be a great game, unfortunately its it plagued by things like bugs, mentally retarded AI, terrible soundWhere to begin, ill start like everyone else and say that you need a pretty decent computer to run this game. im running an i5 650, hd 6870, 6gb of ram and i have to turn settings down to medium to get 40fps. Now on to the game, ArmA 2 and operation arrowhead has great potential to be a great game, unfortunately its it plagued by things like bugs, mentally retarded AI, terrible sound effects, a terrible physics engine and clunky controls. The addition of an artillery computer changed artillery and mortars from completely unusable to overpowered destruction(yes the aforementioned could be fixed by mods but this a ArmA review not an ACE review). The single player story line is absolutely terrible but it serves its purpose. Most public servers are filled with hackers or people who have no idea what they are doing and end up blowing everything up or killing them selves. But lets say you install ACE and JSRS, ignore the bugs, bad AI, find a clan server that has dedicated members. Once you do this, Arma 2 will be the best gaming experience you will ever come across ever. The rush you feel when you strafe an enemy convoy with an A-10 or the satisfaction you get when you snipe an enemy officer from 2000 meters away is unmatched it any game. ArmA 2 could have been a great game but sometimes the bugs make it almost unplayable. This is why im giving it a 7 instead of a 10. Hopefully Arma 3 will be better… Expand
  2. kingzardoz
    Mar 14, 2011
    5
    So many great ideas in this game but its just so damn buggy. I wish more games included this kind of shooting realism except with more polish. Required prone shooting at 300 yards, single shots required at +50 yards, necessary use of cover, 2 shots and your dead, I love this stuff but its just not polished at all. Why is the mouse so jittery? Why do the enemies sometimes run back and forthSo many great ideas in this game but its just so damn buggy. I wish more games included this kind of shooting realism except with more polish. Required prone shooting at 300 yards, single shots required at +50 yards, necessary use of cover, 2 shots and your dead, I love this stuff but its just not polished at all. Why is the mouse so jittery? Why do the enemies sometimes run back and forth in the open? I think if the industry really wants to revitalize the FPS genre some developer should take some ideas from ARMA II and perfect them.… Expand
  3. XaleX
    Oct 3, 2010
    6
    Where to start... Well first of all you need a very powerful computer to run this game if you want to play it on normal settings or higher. It seems that the game is very badly optimized to perform well on normal computers. Ingame even 1 tree or a bush immediately makes you lose 10 fps let alone going in to a village with buildings and props. Other sandbox games do not have this issue atWhere to start... Well first of all you need a very powerful computer to run this game if you want to play it on normal settings or higher. It seems that the game is very badly optimized to perform well on normal computers. Ingame even 1 tree or a bush immediately makes you lose 10 fps let alone going in to a village with buildings and props. Other sandbox games do not have this issue at all, for example farcry2 and fallout3. Those game I can run on max settings with atleast 40 fps, ArmA i am glad if I get 15 fps. Going in to a village or an area with vegitation I get maybe 5 fps at times (dualcore,3gb ram, 500mb Gcard). So yeah, this game is for the elites that own a NASA computer. ______Single player missions are buggy and boring_____Multiplayer mode is not that much fun either to be honest, but it can be great if you play it with some guys you know on a closed server. The public servers are a mess in general, and 9 out of 10 servers play missions where you fight against NPC's, not pvp. The NPC's are rubberbanding when they move, making it very unrealistic. There are also some annoying bugs where you keep bouncing on rocks and stuff___ Now what I do like is the editor where you can create your own missions. But unfortunately the editor is very user unfriendly, because it requires you to learn a whole script language first before you can create a nice and complete mission. If you are up for that challenge to learn the scripting then you will be disapointed even more, because all the tutorials and guides are all over the place on many different websites. So you will have to spend many hours searching on how to script specific stuff, and you have to spend a ton of hours reading the guides before you can even do the basic stuff. And not to mention that a lot of the script coding you can find are mission examples of how to use the code, so you are left clueless and have to figure it out on your own._______This game has the potential to be the best ever, but currently fails at so many points that I can not give it more then a 6.____ Optimize the game and make it playable on normal computers instead of the lagfest slideshow it is now. It ruins the experience completely.______ps, the rating system is messed up here. If my rating shows as a 10 or something, it should be a 6.… Expand
  4. Hudson633
    Aug 15, 2012
    5
    I didn't think very highly of the Arma 2 engine, due to it being quite user-unfriendly and buggy. I wasn't interested in the content of this mod, only in getting DayZ mod going. For the price I wouldn't have bought it otherwise, although I am happy with DayZ and do recommend it for that reason, at least until DayZ goes standalone.
  5. DaKrazeeDude
    May 2, 2013
    7
    ArmA II: OA (and ArmA II as well) is a very special game.
    On the one hand it's filled with bizarre bugs, lacking animation and strange AI.
    But on the other hand if you manage to overcome these it's amazing. Massive scale warfare that REQUIRES YOU TO THINK, unlike many shooters these days. It is a simulator therefore as real as possible, so don't expect it to be easy. Hop in with a    ArmA II: OA (and ArmA II as well) is a very special game.
    On the one hand it's filled with bizarre bugs, lacking animation and strange AI.
    But on the other hand if you manage to overcome these it's amazing.
    Massive scale warfare that REQUIRES YOU TO THINK, unlike many shooters these days.
    It is a simulator therefore as real as possible, so don't expect it to be easy.
    Hop in with a server or friends, learn a bit on the mission editor and you'll get an experience no other game can deliver.
    Looking forward to ArmA III.    … Expand
  6. jacksos101
    Oct 27, 2016
    6
    The realism brought to the table by Arma II is to be respected, however the user interface presented by Bohemia Interactive is severely flawed and clunky to use (as with their other games). Technical bugs are rife and missions can be frustrating due to this.
  7. Tilt1k
    Feb 5, 2019
    6
    Campaign in this DLC is horrible one of the worst campaigns i have ever played. On the other hand it adds a lot of new stuff and map, and Arma in desert is fun.

Awards & Rankings

82
#82 Best PC Game of 2010
49
#49 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
62
#62 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 29
  3. Negative: 1 out of 29
  1. Cheat Code Central
    60
    Operation Arrowhead is a realistic combat simulation game that still suffers from a variety of technical bugs, just like the original. There is a great amount of fun hiding under the surface, which requires patience and time to find and appreciate.
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  2. Gamervision
    70
    I'll end with this, if you're willing to put the effort in, and the realism aspect sounds like it will appeal to you, the $30 price of Arma II: OA is an easy entry into the series.
    Read full review
  3. Everyeye.it
    70
    Despite some annoying bugs, Operation Arrowhead shows a few interesting improvement in the ARMA II formula. And is still the more realistic war simulator available.
    Read full review
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