A very good Infantry simulator. It's not like CoD or MoH where you hold a lot of shots before dying. A single shot can kill you!

The game has details like when you take off your glasses and night view adjusts gradually to darkness.

You must use strategies to accomplish the missions entrusted to you. The tactics of direct confrontation does not work in this game. You must use terrain cover, not wasting ammunition, use stealth, etc..

In campaign mode you can do the missions directly or perform before a series of secondary missions that will make easy the main mission.

Despite its crude presentation and awkward user interface, Arma is an outstanding military simulation, with excellent ballistics and multiplayer modes. Get Arma 2 if you have a powerful system; otherwise, original Arma should run fine even on older or less powerful machines.

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 is a great game! I'd played Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising, and that was my first time playing an open world military simulator, and I was very disappointed, so I wasn't sure about buying this. But I decided I'd give it a shot since it was a different series. I'm glad I did! The graphics are a little dated but the gameplay is great! If you're used to Call of Duty or Battlefield or any kind of game like that, then this will be very different for you, since it's realistic and one bullet can kill you, and if it doesn't kill you it'll mess something up, like you can't aim properly or you can't walk, etc. Everything about this game is great, except the radio chatter. It. Sounds. Like. One. Word. Sentences. Put. Together. But if you overlook that, then this is a true masterpiece for military simulator fans! And even if you're not a fan, or have never played a military simulator, I recommend trying this one out!

A great game that build upon the greatness of Operation Flashpoint (now retitled ARMA Cold War, because the two companys split ways). This is a thinking man's FPS, one shot usually immobilizes you or ends the mission. You need to prepare a plan of attack with scouting and patience, and we love it when a plan comes together. If you liked the original Ghost Recon or Rainbow Six games, this may be your cup of tea.

This is just about the best, most immersive combat simulator that will ever run on my laptop. The rest just won't work and those others that works just don't play as realistic as ARMA! :)

I have a Core 2 laptop with X3100 graphics accelerator, in order words, all top of the range 3D games are out for me including things like OFDR. Those that will work like the old Swat 3 is no where comparable in depth and realism to ARMA. ARMA is definitely the best combat sim that I have ever played that actually runs on my laptop on low settings. Even on low settings, the environment looks great and the characters behave in a realistic manner.

Combat is realistically done with realistic sounds and nothing fanciful. Its really a tactical sim where taking the correct moves on the field is much more important than being a crack Doom style shooter.

I purchased Arma Gold because my computer at the time wasn't beefy enough to run Arma 2. It's a great game and is very similar to the sequel in just about every way, for better and for worse. So, yes, it can be buggy and difficult, but it can also be incredibly immersive.

This isn't a game you buy for the campaign; it's a sandbox for players, mission makers, and modders alike. You can download new missions, campaigns, vehicles, and weapons. You can create your own scenarios in the fairly easy to use editor. There is a ton of game here for your money.

Most importantly, it's a sim, not the typical run-n-gun FPS. One shot can kill you and you may not even know who shot you. Most infantry battles play out at a distance of 300 yards or more and, with so many AI on each side, you never have just one enemy to worry about.

So, if Arma 2 is too taxing on your PC, definitely give Arma a try.

Get set for an incredible combat simulation experience. ArmA: Gold features ArmA: Combat Operations as well as the ArmA: Queen's Gambit expansion pack. Both titles supply ultrarealistic gameplay based on scenarios encountered by the U.S. Army. Drive heavy vehicles and pilot precision aircraft through 10 single-player missions and two multiplayer maps. Thrill to updated graphics and landscape textures that make the experience even more intense. Use your best strategies, most effective tactics and highly destructive weaponry to accomplish dangerous missions. Your country is counting on you. ArmA: Combat Operations places you in large-scale conflicts spread across vast areas and smaller battles fought in close quarters. Accomplish missions in any order you want, and use the built-in mission editor to create your own scenarios. ArmA: Queen's Gambit continues the story-based campaign 18 months after ArmA: Combat Operations. Arrive with a group of deadly mercenaries and help the government and the U.S. Army resolve a sensitive issue. Six completely new characters, six new vehicles and seven original campaigns immerse you in epic thrills.

I got this game because I thoroughly enjoyed Operation Flaspoint many years ago and wanted to give its spiritual successor a try. My computer can barely run Arma 2 Free, so I opted for Arma 1 instead, and I was not disappointed.

As has been mentioned, the controls take a bit of getting used to, particularly the menus for squad commands and whatnot, but I had very little trouble getting into the swing of things and I'm not normally big into FPS games.

The graphics look very dated, especially considering the amount of system resources used by the game, but they're good enough, and the view distance can be scaled up enormously, allowing for long-range engagements. Anyway, I don't care about the eyecandy as long as the gameplay is strong, and it is.

Bottom line: try Arma 2 Free, Virtual Battlespace 2 Lite, or one of the other games based on this engine available for free, and see if you like them before buying Arma. If you're looking for your typical, run-and-gun FPS, this isn't it - it's more like a combat simulator, but it's forgiving enough that even people like me who don't normally play FPS's can enjoy it.

This game is a welcome pace from the twitch shooting, anti-intellectual shooters of today. You actually have to use your brain and plan out a mission unless you want to be riddled with bullets. The graphics are alright, even though it's a few years old now.

As previously stated, this is nothing like any of the popular shooters nowadays i.e. CoD, Battlefield, etc. If that is what you are here for, don't buy it. But if you are wanting to have actual strategy involved, go nuts.

Arma 2 is a beast of a tactical FPS, tank, helicopter, fighter jet simulator and a one of a kind as well. There is so much effort put into every inch of the huge environment that it gets to you how ambitious this title really is.

Arma 2 sports one fo the best if not THE best outdoor graphics I have seen to date; you could easily mistake this for the real thing. Optimization is really great so even moderately powerful PC can take advantage of the stunning visuals. Beware that a quad core and powerful GPU are recommended for high settings. What makes this game so much better than its competitors is its depth and variety, a fantastic ever changing world and of course the easy to use editor. Creating missions is a snap and is rewarding, since you can make any possible war scenario. Thousand AI troops can battle it out, but this is pure system meltdown to say the least. As a tactical FPS Arma 2 is unbeatable there is no other game that captures realism as this game does. The AI is really good and with the newest patch most big issues have been fixed. There is really a ton to say about Arma 2, but I will make this short, because I feel that I don't have to justify my opinion with a wall of text this time. Arma 2 speaks for its self. It is everything it is cracked up to be. And MP is a blast when you find yourself planning your next move with your teammates rather than run and gun all the time.

Arma 2 is a beat, in every way possible. If you think you are up to it, then by all means get it!

For the price, this is like a graphical downgrade of ArmA2. And is worth it.

Like supermutant said, you need to put in hours. The controls are pretty frustrating to the casual gamer like myself, but even the basics can get you by.

Another aspect of time is how on certain missions you may want to wait for night fall, which requires you to sit around on guard till the game time changes.

But overall, if your wanting to try ArmA, start here. Its cheap, and worth the time.

Arma is the true succesor to Operation Flashpoint, ofp 2 by codemasters cant be counted as the OFP name is owned by Codemasters after they had a fight with Bohemia, who made the game and also make combat sims for the army, so this game has a good pedigree.

The game is extremely realistic simulating everything from the ballistics down to how much punishment a human can take befor being killed, 1 bullet can kill if its a clean torso or head shot. This isnt something for the COD generation of gamers, as it isnt forgiving at all which will put off everyone but the hardcore. Online you will find one of the most dedicated communities in gaming, as many are OFP vets who kept that alive for years and even now its still on life support.

To get the most out of ARMA you need to put in the hours, otherwise you will get left in the dirt, either that or be an SAS operative in real life.

LOL