ArmA II

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 639 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 427 out of 639
  2. Mixed: 103 out of 639
  3. Negative: 109 out of 639
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  1. Budget_Security
    Jan 4, 2014
    6
    If the CallofDuty & BattleField series leave you hungry for something much more realistic, try ARMA. However, it does have many flaws, including an overly complex difficult interface, advanced but very inconsistent and cheating AI, and a lot of serious bugs. The singleplayer is somewhat broken (if only they would do it like in the original Operation Flashpoint). Multiplayer was once theIf the CallofDuty & BattleField series leave you hungry for something much more realistic, try ARMA. However, it does have many flaws, including an overly complex difficult interface, advanced but very inconsistent and cheating AI, and a lot of serious bugs. The singleplayer is somewhat broken (if only they would do it like in the original Operation Flashpoint). Multiplayer was once the main appeal, but now few people play online, and it was always very vulnerable to hacking. But there is still nothing quite like ARMA. Graphics are excellent, but you need a very powerful PC for smooth gameplay.… Expand
  2. Scuba
    Apr 20, 2013
    10
    This game is one of the few that I'll always remember playing. While there is obviously the army simulation of arma, this game's main feature is that it allowed the community to take the code and mold it to whatever they could imagine. This is a game with about 50 games inside of it.

    While Arma is a bit clunky, and it is slow paced at times (you can't play this game like battlefield 3    This game is one of the few that I'll always remember playing. While there is obviously the army simulation of arma, this game's main feature is that it allowed the community to take the code and mold it to whatever they could imagine. This is a game with about 50 games inside of it.

    While Arma is a bit clunky, and it is slow paced at times (you can't play this game like battlefield 3 or cod. You need to think and move smartly), the game is still beautiful to look at even today, in 2013. The graphics aren't the best, but I've found myself completely immersed and having to look twice since it looked so realistic (This is on full settings.).

    Now we have arma 3, with outstanding graphics, but issues with fps and such.    … Expand
  3. kodeee
    Dec 12, 2012
    3
    I LOVED Cold War Crisis and was very excited to play Arma 2, but I'm extremely disappointed. Still has the open ended aspect and the potential to feel very real but the gameplay kills it. Friendly units run into things and get lost, or are impossible to give effective commands to, especially in combat situations. NPCs are useless. "hey helo pilot, there's a group of enemies down there.I LOVED Cold War Crisis and was very excited to play Arma 2, but I'm extremely disappointed. Still has the open ended aspect and the potential to feel very real but the gameplay kills it. Friendly units run into things and get lost, or are impossible to give effective commands to, especially in combat situations. NPCs are useless. "hey helo pilot, there's a group of enemies down there. mind hovering a minute so i can shoot them with the minigun mounted on the side here?" Nope, no command for that, just gonna drop you off in the middle of a bunch of **** shooting at you. Not to mention I just spent a hour reloading saves trying to sneak up on a group of enemies sitting around fires next to their tents, but as soon is I get anywhere near them they start shooting through the trees and bushes and kill all of my team before i can even get a good look at them, and this was once I resorted to putting the difficulty on recruit! WTF. I love the "get shot once and you're injured or die" aspect. I'm not saying it's too hard, the AI just ruins it. You'd think that these issues could be resolved considering the game came out years ago. I too was hoping the negative reviews were just being too critical, but they're accurate. If your getting this for the campaign, DON"T. I miss cold war crisis, arma 2 is somehow a big step backwards. If those asses are gonna turn out another arma like this let em stay in jail in greece… Expand
  4. SittinginBasket
    Jan 1, 2013
    5
    Let's start off with controls. There is a difference between complex controls, and overly complicated and messy controls. If the controls were all organized logically, then a player's first impressions and ability to get into the game would be vastly improved. However, not only will you be forced to constantly check your control settings, but you will simply have to learn how to do everyLet's start off with controls. There is a difference between complex controls, and overly complicated and messy controls. If the controls were all organized logically, then a player's first impressions and ability to get into the game would be vastly improved. However, not only will you be forced to constantly check your control settings, but you will simply have to learn how to do every single thing in the game by yourself, as the tutorials are extremely sloppy, slow, and unclear. Controls that make sense are even more important when the movement in the game is sloppy and to be honest, just complete **** There is a difference between realism and sloppy movement. You will never feel in control of your character, and will be constantly reminded that you are controlling a game character who can't seem to move properly, as if it has physical disabilities.

    Also sadly, in a game that prides itself on realism, physics in the game also feel sloppy, vehicles are sloopy, graphics are sloppy (could be justified by scale of world), firearms and weapons sound like paintball guns, AI troops seem to be complete idiots, the list goes on.

    This game truly is for the dedicated player who does not mind sinking hundreds of hours into the game, just to play a sloppy game with no real entertainment value other than as a bland and boring shooting gallery. If you aren't willing, stay away.    … Expand
  5. retep686
    Dec 7, 2013
    5
    The game itself is a great idea, had lots of potential, and for a simulation, pretty good. The game offers a variety of actions that make you feel like you have more control over the game. However, it is not well done. On top of choppy movement, the game has some optimization problems, and plenty of bugs. The game is DX10, but a DX11 gpu still has problems with it. After poking throughThe game itself is a great idea, had lots of potential, and for a simulation, pretty good. The game offers a variety of actions that make you feel like you have more control over the game. However, it is not well done. On top of choppy movement, the game has some optimization problems, and plenty of bugs. The game is DX10, but a DX11 gpu still has problems with it. After poking through other reviews, it seems that the game was released too early, which is a shame because it could have become so much better than it is and could have had so many problems fixed. Unfortunately, I would not recommend you buy this game.… Expand
  6. Osmium
    Jul 30, 2013
    5
    Still no major improvements to the good old Operation Flashpoint. AI is still abysmal, graphics are not really that great. Controls and interface are not good and haven't really been improved. The singleplayer campaign is unbelievable slow and tedious. Operation Flashpoint with some good mods is still almost as good as this game released some ten years later. Disappointing.
  7. BallisticChickn
    Mar 2, 2014
    2
    My rating is for the game- WITHOUT- any mods. WITH mods that fix the game the rating would be a 5.

    It's better than Arma 3... But what isn't? This is still made by Bohemia Interactive, a studio that is either profoundly lazy or terminally incompetent - pick one. Consequently, BIS produces software that can't ever be called "finished" and depends on legions of modders - not just to add    My rating is for the game- WITHOUT- any mods. WITH mods that fix the game the rating would be a 5.

    It's better than Arma 3... But what isn't? This is still made by Bohemia Interactive, a studio that is either profoundly lazy or terminally incompetent - pick one. Consequently, BIS produces software that can't ever be called "finished" and depends on legions of modders - not just to add content - but to actually FIX the game into a playable state. Arma 2 has a massive community which, over the years has turned Arma 2 into a unique and almost functional experience that, when it works, can be really fun.

    BUT to get that good experience you will have to install a LOT of mods that (mostly) fix the AI and realism problems. Then you'll have to add any game expanding mods on top of the fixes and you'll end up with a massive directory set - all of which is going to have to work together with the native, bug-cursed half-as*ed crap code that Bohemia barfed onto the game disk. You will be spending HOURS just trying to troubleshoot an outdated poorly implemented code on an unoptimized game engine that was out of date the day this was released.

    This is a game that, if undertaken by a half-competent studio, would have been revolutionary and amazing. After years of being worked on by modders this game really does have some brilliant and incredible moments, but those are fleeting when compared to the fixes/bugs/crashes you will spend more time sorting out. BIS and the Arma series is so enraging because they are SO close to something that works and that would be totally revolutionary, but instead of finishing the job they did it half-way and left players to fix their work. And as talented as the modders are- there is just only so much you can do with mods laid on top of the core code and using the horrible markup language.

    If you are willing to put up with the constant troubleshooting between game errors, glitches and mod conflicts just to get this thing to run and work halfway decently. And if you can tolerate the numerous bugs, glitches and occasionally game-killing design flaws, then you WILL have some amazing experiences.

    Honestly, even though I've put literally thousands of hours into this series, I can't really say that I recommend it. Especially since I'm older now, and just don't want to spend the few weekend hours I've got free to fix Bohemia's mistakes. If you've got the hours to sink into it, or you're satisfied with building really simple missions then give it a shot- it's FAR better than Arma 3 (but that's not hard) and really cheap.    … Expand
  8. theRobot
    Mar 22, 2014
    4
    If you're an octopus, you're going to like this game. Otherwise you probably won't be able to get used to the controls used in this game.

    Seriously, for the first time I saw an FPS that had so many controls binded, that some of them were unable to be placed on the keyboard and had to be binded as combos (double shift for example). Additionally, I've had no fun while playing this game.
  9. keefbaker
    Oct 14, 2013
    4
    This might be great if you wanted to be in the army but due to an accident with your balls and a lobster you can't. However, I wanted a good single player experience... Instead I got some of the worst voice acting ever, some really robotic radio chatter and the desire to throw myself out of the window.
  10. lord_joshi
    Jun 27, 2013
    0
    The game seems terrifying bad to me. The controls are outdated, the physics and AI are quite weak. Dialogues and video sequences can't be skipped. And the worst thing: Really annoying bugs everywhere. I won't ever buy any game from Bohemia Interactive again.
  11. behastie
    Mar 5, 2013
    4
    I really wanted to like this game; I really would like to play a good realistic military simulator. Unfortunately, confusing controls, bad AI and a lack of tutorials kept me from doing anything that I would consider engaged enough to count as "playing." Maybe I'm too mainstream for this game, but I just don't see why you need a specific button assigned to hopping over a fence. I couldn'tI really wanted to like this game; I really would like to play a good realistic military simulator. Unfortunately, confusing controls, bad AI and a lack of tutorials kept me from doing anything that I would consider engaged enough to count as "playing." Maybe I'm too mainstream for this game, but I just don't see why you need a specific button assigned to hopping over a fence. I couldn't get the AI to do anything resembling normal behavior. Very buggy. 4/10… Expand
  12. Liquidlizard
    Jan 5, 2011
    7
    ARMA II is a game for people who are into real action. But the problem with this game is that there are too many controls. It is way to complicated compared to any other first person shooter out there. You have controls for flying a helicopter, plane, car, boat... anything. They need to separate all of the controls into separate columns. There are controls where you need to push 2-3ARMA II is a game for people who are into real action. But the problem with this game is that there are too many controls. It is way to complicated compared to any other first person shooter out there. You have controls for flying a helicopter, plane, car, boat... anything. They need to separate all of the controls into separate columns. There are controls where you need to push 2-3 buttons just to do one action. Another thing is, when you fire the weapon, it is not very realistic at all... I have no idea if it is just my PC or what, because all the gun does is barely nudge when you fire it... like a little jolt. Above that... I would say this game is pretty realistic and fun.… Expand
  13. theUn4given
    Feb 22, 2013
    2
    I am a hardcore old skool Operation Flashpoint fan but this game makes me sick.If you dont have enough time to finish the game at least make sure the mission triggers work.
    You will find that even the first tutorial and the first mission are very hard to finish simply because they are buggy as hell. They are too complex for the medieval mission system to work. First missions should be    I am a hardcore old skool Operation Flashpoint fan but this game makes me sick.If you dont have enough time to finish the game at least make sure the mission triggers work.
    You will find that even the first tutorial and the first mission are very hard to finish simply because they are buggy as hell. They are too complex for the medieval mission system to work. First missions should be immersing, rewarding and easy to complete. Not like this. The engine is very slow and choppy and it prevents you from enjoying the GFX.
    I have no good things to say because I didn't get far enough to see them.    … Expand
  14. parpabico
    Aug 31, 2013
    3
    What's the point in making something that doesn't work properly? Like a ferrary with an engine that stalls every 100m, that's exactly what arma 2 is. Controls are horrible, I cannot believe they couldn't have done a better job with the controls. The whole scheme reeks of utter irrationality. Gameplay is practically absent, a silly sandbox experience, online is broken as well. HorriblyWhat's the point in making something that doesn't work properly? Like a ferrary with an engine that stalls every 100m, that's exactly what arma 2 is. Controls are horrible, I cannot believe they couldn't have done a better job with the controls. The whole scheme reeks of utter irrationality. Gameplay is practically absent, a silly sandbox experience, online is broken as well. Horribly optimized engine to put glazing on this "cake".… Expand
  15. thewillothewisp
    Feb 19, 2014
    2
    I signed up just to warn you about this game. Every single thing about this game is broken. Don't expect anything to work as designed. You might spend 500 hours messing around with 3-rd party mods that address a portion of the design flaws in this game, all the while you have to ask yourself, when does the fun start? If you enjoy experiencing hundreds of glitches and bugs, then youI signed up just to warn you about this game. Every single thing about this game is broken. Don't expect anything to work as designed. You might spend 500 hours messing around with 3-rd party mods that address a portion of the design flaws in this game, all the while you have to ask yourself, when does the fun start? If you enjoy experiencing hundreds of glitches and bugs, then you might find fun in this game!

    Most of the actual fun of this game is theoretical, as you imagine what it could be like if it were fully realized.

    I wouldn't hold out much hope for Arma 3 either, as a vast number of the flaws from this game carry over into Bohemia Interactive's newest game. They are either incapable or unwilling to address the problems.    … Expand
  16. Grunt0311
    Dec 23, 2009
    10
    This is by far the best tactical sim out there it has something for every one. First person shooting, RTS and a modding community that brings anything and everything to the table. the graphics are top notch and the attention to detail on the smallest things really makes this game great. As a former marine grunt who served in Iraq this game is the closest you can get to real combat without This is by far the best tactical sim out there it has something for every one. First person shooting, RTS and a modding community that brings anything and everything to the table. the graphics are top notch and the attention to detail on the smallest things really makes this game great. As a former marine grunt who served in Iraq this game is the closest you can get to real combat without serving.… Expand
  17. KyleW.
    Nov 8, 2009
    10
    Best "game" I have played in a long time. Game has slight problems when it first came out but knowing how big of a game this is it's understandable also the developers have always updated the game to the point that it runs flawlessly on some lesser computers. Last thoughts are. Game isn't hard, because it's not entirely a game it's a simulation. Simulations are Best "game" I have played in a long time. Game has slight problems when it first came out but knowing how big of a game this is it's understandable also the developers have always updated the game to the point that it runs flawlessly on some lesser computers. Last thoughts are. Game isn't hard, because it's not entirely a game it's a simulation. Simulations are supposed to be hard...they are simulations.… Expand
  18. Incorruptible
    Apr 26, 2011
    10
    If you are looking for a COD clone, stay away. If you are looking for something similar to the travesties named "Dragon Rising" and "Red River," stay away (and kill yourself shortly afterwards, for shame). ArmA 2 is none of these, and will disappoint you immensely. The simplest way to review ArmA 2 for the PC is to look at its long and distinguished heritage.

    Bohemia Interactive Studios    If you are looking for a COD clone, stay away. If you are looking for something similar to the travesties named "Dragon Rising" and "Red River," stay away (and kill yourself shortly afterwards, for shame). ArmA 2 is none of these, and will disappoint you immensely. The simplest way to review ArmA 2 for the PC is to look at its long and distinguished heritage.

    Bohemia Interactive Studios (BIS), the designer, made a name for themselves in 2001 with the ground-breaking Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis (hereafter referenced as "the original Flashpoint"). The original Flashpoint was a PC gaming triumph; it was a battlefield simulator of an unprecedented scale. No longer were players bounded by invisible walls and boundaries - if you saw it on the horizon, you could head there, if you saw a better position or approach to a target, you could use it. You could command or simply be a cog in the war machine. One enemy (or friendly, for that matter) bullet in the right place would end your brief career. Combined arms operations became a reality. You could fly, in fixed wing or rotary wing aircraft. You could drive tanks, cars, trucks, go-karts, mountain bikes and almost any conceivable type of vehicle. You could use an immense variety of weaponry. The revolutionary AI operated totally sans scripting, and would often prove (in the hands of a cunning mission designer) your undoing again and again. And this was simply the vanilla game.

    The Crown Jewel in the original Flashpoint's crown was its "modability." The game itself was ported with the most powerful mission editor seen at that point in gaming, allowing almost infinite replay value - want to create D-Day? Go for it. Paradrop yourself and your buddies behind enemy lines to whack some HVTs? Easy. Huge tank battle? No worries. This was compounded infinitely (again) with the advent of the Oxygen 3D tools, which allowed the burgeoning community to port their own models into the game.

    The community work was small scale at first - a retexture here, config change there. However, merely a blink of an eye later, with logarithmic speed, a burgeoning source of creative output was realised. The most appreciable thing about the modding of the original Flashpoint was that it was ACCESSIBLE to ANYONE. Tutorials sprung up on basic modeling and texturing, which allowed even new players to put their dreams into the game. New vehicles, new weapons, entire armies, never-before-seen islands and terrains, unique scenarios, both PvP and coop (and all mixtures of the two!) and no less than entire modifications were spawned out of the minds of the community. There was a goddamn Lego Wars mod, and a ROFLcopter, for Christ's sake. Cold War Crisis became THE benchmark of what a game imbued with a passionate community could become. Mods are still being produced for the venerable engine of 2001 even today.

    Apart from modding, another hallmark of the original Flashpoint (hah, there I go again) was the outstanding community support. BIS, an independent developer, maintain a professional stance with their products, and are renowned for supporting their games and listening to community suggestions. They do not suddenly fade away or abandon their works, unlike many a modern studio.

    ArmA 2 was released in 2009. It is the spiritual successor to the original Flashpoint, and I don't refer to the abortions produced by Codemasters, who own the Operation Flashpoint name and nothing more. I don't mean "spiritual successor" in the way that Bioshock was to System Shock, and how the continual intellectual depredations and hardware limitations of the console crowd have degraded that franchise. ArmA 2 is the essence of Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis packaged for modern technology. The limitless potential remains potent; the mission editor more powerful than ever, the community immensely strong, still producing content of a quality that is second-to-none, the campaigns and scenarios fresh and engrossing. When PC Gamer stated that "Only boring people get bored with the ever-evolving ArmA 2", they told a truth more profound than ever.

    ArmA 2 is not a game - it is the latest iteration of a way of life. I bought the original Flashpoint when I was 14, and still played through the original campaign not a year ago. I am now 24, and the latest brainchild of BIS has yet to let me down.

    For God's sake, if you are not in one of the unfortunate categories listed at the beginning of this spiel, and are remotely interested in military operations, do yourself a favour, and download ArmA 2 and its DLC packs today.    … Expand
  19. Agera
    May 20, 2011
    10
    Ignore the people complaining its too much of a simulation and too complicated. This is not **** Call of Duty or **** Battlefield. This is a SIMULATION, bullet drops, gasoline, you need to play SMART and with TACTICS. Use a mic', join a squad. HAVE FUN! THIS GAME IS AWESOME, HELL YEAH!
  20. JoshQ
    Jun 26, 2009
    6
    The weapons and ballistics are phenomenal, the scale of the map is great, the maneuvering is immersive, but it lacks the depth of most other games. It's exactly what it says, a simulator, there is no epic storyline or great atmosphere. This and the length time between action, the lack of gore animations, among a lot of smaller things is why this game isn't as fun as it could be.
  21. Chromium
    Aug 18, 2010
    10
    ArmA 2 -- let me put it this way. If you ever wanted to play a combat game that would be bigger, more involved, more dynamic and customizable than anything you've ever imagined, ArmA 2 is it. Having played the game for over three hundred hours at this point, I can safely say that there isn't a finer battlefield simulator around.

    The true gem to ArmA 2, however, lies not in the game    ArmA 2 -- let me put it this way. If you ever wanted to play a combat game that would be bigger, more involved, more dynamic and customizable than anything you've ever imagined, ArmA 2 is it. Having played the game for over three hundred hours at this point, I can safely say that there isn't a finer battlefield simulator around.

    The true gem to ArmA 2, however, lies not in the game itself, but in the community of modders and 'teams' of players who group up to do battle on a regular basis -- such as Shack Tactical. Even after the campaign and single missions are well over, you're a few forum posts away from finding a group of people who like the same multiplayer things you do and having hundreds of hours of fun.

    At least, I know that's how it went for me!    … Expand
  22. syscrash
    Dec 31, 2009
    10
    With the new 1.05 update. This game is insane! The graphics are better then Arma1, AI has finally improved! This game is like a BF series game on steriods. Has a huge learning curve and is not for ADHD kids who just want to run around and FPS all day. This game takes patience and time to learn. But once you learn it you will have a total blast. The best part is the modding community which With the new 1.05 update. This game is insane! The graphics are better then Arma1, AI has finally improved! This game is like a BF series game on steriods. Has a huge learning curve and is not for ADHD kids who just want to run around and FPS all day. This game takes patience and time to learn. But once you learn it you will have a total blast. The best part is the modding community which makes the game grow even more. This is not your typical military simulator where you play to your round ends. Arma2 has no rounds, it is just one massive war fought over a beatiful landscape. Take off from aircraft carriers and insert a sniper team up in the mountains or make an assault with armored tanks. You make the choice and the opitions are endless. You can't just run around and play this game BF style. You need to use tactics and think real life. You need to use cover and concealment constantly. You also need to play as a team.… Expand
  23. andytimber
    Jun 26, 2011
    4
    ArmA II is a strange beast. It looks gorgeous, possesses an incredible coolness factor and can be highly immersive and engaging at times. But ultimately it's a false friend. A friend you simply cannot trust. You cannot trust the AI of your buddies, you cannot trust the mission triggers and you cannot trust the insanely complicated control system. On top of all, It crashes every 30 minutesArmA II is a strange beast. It looks gorgeous, possesses an incredible coolness factor and can be highly immersive and engaging at times. But ultimately it's a false friend. A friend you simply cannot trust. You cannot trust the AI of your buddies, you cannot trust the mission triggers and you cannot trust the insanely complicated control system. On top of all, It crashes every 30 minutes (even with the latest updates installed). Sorry Bohemia. I really wanted to like that game but it's simply too ambitious for it's own sake.… Expand
  24. Enzio
    May 20, 2012
    3
    The good: Incredible graphics, massive maps and vast array of beautiful vehicles and hardware
    The bad: Terrible single player campaign, awful input lag, shocking voice acting, mindless voice script written by schoolkids (subtitles riddled with typos), broken or inexplicable events in missions... Prepare to fail a mission because something happened miles away which you have no idea about,    The good: Incredible graphics, massive maps and vast array of beautiful vehicles and hardware
    The bad: Terrible single player campaign, awful input lag, shocking voice acting, mindless voice script written by schoolkids (subtitles riddled with typos), broken or inexplicable events in missions... Prepare to fail a mission because something happened miles away which you have no idea about, or you didn't find an item or say the right thing to someone an hour earlier... W...T...!

    Surely the worst thing is the interface. To call a helicopter to your location and get it to travel to where you want to go requires psychic powers. If you do get the helo to come to you, make sure all your squad get in, the AI aborts getting into vehicles if the person and the vehicle aren't in perfect sync. Finding out how to do it will require forum help or a youtube vid - unbelievable. Otherwise you'll find yourself sitting in the helo with your squad with no way to instruct the pilot where to take you.
    Honestly, the interface is appalling and unintuitive, much like ARMA was and Op Flashpoint before that. The new flashpoint games didn't review so well, but I played one of those too and was so pleased that the menus work and the missions were actually interesting. It wasn't as ambitious as ARMA2, but I played it through... I've tried that with ARMA2 a few times, but always got sick of the interface or stupid scripting. I went back with a much faster computer today, for a third go. Loaded up the old saves and it still looks great. Two hours of frustration later I'm venting on the internet. Save me.    … Expand
  25. stigp
    Jan 4, 2010
    9
    You have to see it for what it is, the wast majority of people will not enjoy this game. But for those longing for its unforging, nervwrecking, realistic gameplay and teamwork, there is a goldpot at the end of the rainbow in this game.
  26. Dekko
    Feb 7, 2013
    9
    Arma II to me is the pinnacle of PC gaming. Enthralling, nerve-shredding militaristic game play in a huge, open, real-world environment. The modding community is massive and there are some terrific mods to tweak all aspects of the game. Really excels in multiplayer and the editor is very powerful. Has been patched by the developer, so no more excuses! Can't recommend it highly enough
  27. Oroneill
    Jul 8, 2012
    2
    Okay...where to begin.
    This is one of the worst engines and platforms I have ever seen in the history of gaming. The controls are terrible, the physics are mediocre, the character movement is horrifying, the lack of a jump button makes me think Mario never happened, and to top it all off, the graphics are extremely sub-par for when this game was released.
    The sheer amount of controls    Okay...where to begin.
    This is one of the worst engines and platforms I have ever seen in the history of gaming. The controls are terrible, the physics are mediocre, the character movement is horrifying, the lack of a jump button makes me think Mario never happened, and to top it all off, the graphics are extremely sub-par for when this game was released.

    The sheer amount of controls is silly. There are much simpler ways to accomplish an experience that is just as dynamic as one that only gets there by making me use a hundred different controls to do everything.

    DayZ was the reason I bought this game, but it is unplayable because the designer decided to use the worst platform in FPS history. Huge waste of money.

    If someone tells you this game is good, take that with a sixty pound grain of salt. That person is most likely looking for a complex immersive experience and are grasping at the few straws that made this game unique.

    I tried playing single player, and it is even worse than multiplayer. Extremely boring and slow paced, 2003 graphics, choppy, error prone moving objects...just overall an incomplete game without really any shining qualities to make it worthwhile other than the potential of DayZ.

    I'm running this at maximum maximum graphics on a fairly modern PC bought in August 2011. 16 gigs of ram, 1 gig GeForce 560, quad core 3.1 ghz intel i5.    … Expand
  28. HF2
    Jun 5, 2011
    10
    This is a must for all who love war sims or ex servicemen who miss the old days. Completely believable war sim game, ideal for myself as the action is thought out and executed using tactics rather than running around in a linear corridor like most so called war games which propose to be realistic but never are. This game is great.
  29. NehJ
    Aug 1, 2009
    10
    One of the best games ever existed. Only for true hardcore players and Bohemia fans. This is probably the best game ever, almost as good as Operation Flashpoint. Don't always whine about the bugs, try to live with them. They are easily fixed. I know i know, not for all players, but those who really need an realistic game to play. Fantastic.
  30. NickD.
    Aug 4, 2009
    10
    Ignore the people complaining its too much of a simulation and too complicated. Its a simulation it's suppose to be complicated. Why would you buy a simulation if you wanted an FPS? 90% of the people voting low on this game are ignorant kids.
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Awards & Rankings

61
#61 Best PC Game of 2009
14
#14 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009
45
#45 Most Shared PC Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 38 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 38
  3. Negative: 0 out of 38
  1. Gamers.at
    72
    It's a shame the developers obviously didn't have enough time to finish ArmA II properly before they shipped it: There are many bugs in the game and the AI's actions mostly just don't make sense at all. One piece of advice: Get patch 1.01 – with it the game is at least moderate fun. Still, we hope that some further patches will follow and fix ArmA II's major flaws so that it will finally become the great game it could be – next time, however, we'd like to see the game finished by the time of its release!
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  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    70
    The vast and open world of ArmA II offers an incomparable army experience. You only need to accept its slow pace and batch of unpleasant bugs. Still ArmA is the only matchless war toy.
  3. GameStar
    66
    ARMA 2 doesn't seem to be a finished game. The AI is cheating, physics and controls are out of date and the game is full of annoying bugs. That the game manages to look great from time to time doesn't help much. Hopefully Bohemia Interactive will release some patches soon. The game still has a lot of potential.
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