It may be old and graphics not up to date, but that's perfect for my somewhat less than current computer and graphics card that's not up to running the new Arma II games. And it's also a fairly small download, also a plus when you have a limited amount of hard drive space. All in all, the perfect game for my computer and gaming needs :)

This is the re-iteration of Operation Flashpoint: GOTY by Bohemia before it was handed off to Codemasters.

I recommend you purchase the ArmA X: Anniversary Edition as it would contain all of the games made by the wonderful Czech-based developer Bohemia Interactive. Cold War Assault pits you in two different campaigns as U.S. Soldier Private Armstrong, and Pvt. Dmitriy in Red Hammer.

What the game lacks for in graphics makes up for a great tactical game. You need to be on your two feet, thinking and attempting to do what is necessary in war, almost just like real life!

I recommend, again, the ArmA X: Anniversary Edition!

I literally spent the last 45 minutes crawling (low crawl) through some weeds as the sole survivor of my annihilated 80's style squad of US grunts. I was the only one left after we'd experienced a brutal counter-attack to a recently liberated town. Now, I have no clue what I'm supposed to do. 3 magazines left, 2 grenades and I'm all bandaged up...

If that paragraph at all appeals to you, then get this game. It's pretty outstanding.

Pros:

-wide variety of things to do. You can fly aircraft. You can drive jeeps and tanks. You can be a generic ol' grunt. You can lead a platoon of men into combat. This is your chance to play "war" in any way you want to.

-mods: There are a lot of user made campaigns that can enhance the experience.

-sound effects (not voices): vehicles and weapons sound pretty good.

CONS

-voice acting - it is TERRIBLE. Good thing your squadmates don't survive long.

All in all...if you have any interest in soldiering or war games, this is the game to get. It's great fun (if a little difficult at times).

The granddaddy of the ArmA series, originally titled Operation Flashpoint:Cold War Assault. This is a highly recommended squad based first person shooter. I say squad based because you are rarely on your own. You can command your squad, in fact you must do so, in order to complete most missions. There are also a wide variety of vehicles and aircraft you can employ. There are two full campaigns in this package, the original Operation Flashpoint (the U.S. Campaign) and one for Reistance (the guerilla campaign).It also gives you many single missions in addition to the two campaign games, so you get a lot for your money. Unfortunately due to issues with Codemasters you do not get the Soviet campaign in this package. This is a highly realistic simulation of infantry combat, not for the casual gamer looking for the style of gameplay offered by most shooters like Call of Duty or Medal of Honor. With that in mind be forwarned it can often be difficult and unforgiving. That being said, if you are looking for a challenging, realistic portrayal of infantry combat this is a good start.

A true military simulator that raises the bar in the genre. I'd go with ArmA II now, but you can't go wrong with the classics too. ;)

This game set itself apart in so many ways at the time, even now the experience is hard to be duplicated. Only issues I have had personally lie in various in game options when I tried maxing everything out I ran into issues. Find the right settings and you are having a blast, the games attention to detail, physics and large scale really draw you in. Don't forget to try the mission editor, great fun!

OK, the graphics are not as realistic as the more recent offerings from BI... but the Gameplay is still every bit as challenging as I remember (yes, I owned Flashpoint and its sequels when they were out 1st time round) Many happy memories (and frustrations) from a few years back now...

The missions and general gameplay require more thought than some of the modern FPS games. There are often several ways to complete, (or fail) a mission. Raid an enemy base and destroy enemy armour? you could do the Ninja strike thing with a bag full of satchel charges... or get into the base, steal a tank, use that to destroy other vehicles then drive it out to the woods for one last trip. Stick your bag full of charges under one tank and watch it go bang :-)

Don't expect to be bulletproof though, run and gun is a good way to see your corpse as your spirit seagull flies away.

It may seem a little dated for players used to uber-high-end shooters like Crysis, or perhaps the more humble hordes of CoD fans, but the recently renamed ArmA: Cold War Assault remains a must-buy classic, and for only £3 (Or X dollars/euros, I suppose)!

The focus is on tactical, squad based combat, and whilst this may initially be a little bewildering, as your commander yells a string of numbers and commands at you, you'll soon pick up the jargon and be helping 3 to engage enemy SUV at Delta Foxtrot Five Three without a second thought.

The game can sometimes try a little too hard to present you with the real "war experience", with some of the opening missions focussing on fifteen minute truck rides or uneventful patrol missions, but the actual combat is solid, and projectiles work realistically (they actually move through space; take heed, most popular FPSs) The game truly shines in some of the more intense combat, where rather than battling through winding corridors with convenient choke points and cover, you find yourself simply lying on the ground behind a shrub to present a less immediately killable target. Without a doubt the defining moment of the game happens relatively early on, when your squad is downed, and you find yourself battling behind enemy lines to reach an evacuation point. Having come to rely on your squad, and realising how easy it is to get shot up, the prospect of solo fighting against overwhelming odds is genuinely hair-raising.

Furthermore, aside from a few awkward moments, the missions are largely unscripted, so you can approach them in your own way (E.g. Nicking your mate's rocket launcher to shoot down a helicopter which seems fairly key to the storyline - enough spoilers!) It's refreshing not to be slapped on the wrist for attempting to meet challenges with innovative tactics.

As a final note, the graphics are hardly brilliant these days, and it can be hard to take the game seriously, but the underlying mechanics are still very solid, and aside from some shaky vehicle controls, and enemies with apparently telescopic vision, it easily holds up to modern standards in all but visuals.

For about the price of a pint, you get a game which will entertain, if not right the way through the campaign, then at least for a solid few days. At the price, it's almost definitely worth a try, whether you like FPS games or not.

The game that started it all: Operation: Flashpoint -- now known as Arma: Cold War Assault thanks to a trademark dispute against Codemasters, who took the name for their new offering Dragoon Rising, made by a completely different development team. If you want the game made by the original developers, this is your ticket. Make sure you know for sure that you aren't getting anything truly new with this: just the original (and arguably the best) military simulator ever to hit the store shelves. (Psst, it's also cheaper here by $1 than from a certain vaporised water service, which is charging $5.99.)

Anyone with a halfway modern gaming rig will be capable of running this smoothly and flawlessly. However, keep in mind that the system requirements posted by Gamersgate are the absolute minimum, as stated for the original release. Like most of the other games in the ARMAverse, the minimum requirements are truly minimal -- the ability to run the game at absolutely minimum draw distance, detail, and playability. You'll want to at least meet the recommended requirements as stated by the developer (which should be very easy if you've upgraded your computer any time since 2004):

Recommended Specification

-------------------------

Pentium III 1GHz CPU

128MB RAM

16 bit DirectX compatible Soundcard

DirectX 8.0 compatible 3D graphics card with 32Mb RAM

800Mb Hard Drive space (after installation)

Back when the most advanced military realism was available in games like Rainbow Six, this game blew them all out of the water when it decided to approach combat on the modern battlefield instead of just close quarters battle. This of course required an entirely new approach to battlefield rendering. While the various games that succeeded it improved the polygon counts and view distance dramatically -- both within the ARMA series as well as within completely different technology offerings like Far Cry and Crysis -- this game was still groundbreaking and revolutionary when it first came out.

And even though this is technically just a re-release, it's still groundbreaking and revolutionary in its own special way. By buying this you own a piece of military simulation history. Many people prefer this version to that of ArmA: Armed Assault, which was largely similar but also felt by many to be "largely similar" -- nothing new. Well, while this version is also still Operation: Flashpoint, it includes the original Cold War Crisis plus the Resistance campaign all for a tidy $5. Again, because of the aforementioned conflicts with Codemasters, the Red Hammer expansion is curiously absent, but don't let that stop you from picking up the game that launched the series.

Just don't complain about the three-round burst on the AKM. ;-)

In all fairness, it's worthwhile to mention the Cold War Rearmed mods. They're nowhere near finished yet and based on the going rate they probably won't be done before ARMA 3 comes out... but if they ever get done, you'll get the best of both worlds -- the Cold War Crisis campaign in a fully modern engine. You don't even need Cold War Assault in that case, but I figure it's worth a buy anyway. On sale, if $5 hurts your sensibilities. Now, otherwise.