Arma 3 has been raising eyebrows all throughout the gaming industry with its flashy new lighting system and gritty realistic gameplay but does it have the stones to beat the competition ?
I would like to start of by saying the version I reviewed was the Alpha Lite version and the Lite version may lack features that will be included in the final release so I’m unable to comment on a few things like the most important and talked about multiplayer which is a shame and this version also contains minor bugs but keep in mind the game is not finished yet and it is far from the retail copy and I experienced very little problems.
Arma 3 offers a truly stunning visual experience and offers more realistic gameplay than it’s competitors Battlefield 3 & Call Of Duty and it’s lighting system gives you the chance to truly immerse yourself. It brings to life all the little details from trees to rocks and grass . Even on the High/Mid custom settings I was forced to use I could see just how great it looks! I am hoping the retail version will be slightly more optimized so I can tinker around with the settings some more to see just how more improved it can be.
Functions that can be performed at once but slowly with practice things start becoming natural to use and I was finding myself confident enough to spring ahead of my group and take on very hard to find infantry in the distance. There seems to be buttons for almost everything in Arma 3 and there is an entire new way of doing things that separates it even more from its competitors. I naturally assumed I could come into Arma 3 and be as good as I am on BF3/COD but was greeted with a refreshing slap of reality and after I regained my senses I begun to fall into the game and use my team and have a good experience.
I found myself amazed by the ability to jump in the water and swim finding fish and plants and wrecks this really separates the game from the more linear games we tolerate at present times. The underwater environments looked beautiful and I found myself wondering could I be attacked by sharks or what else dangerous could be in this water but apart from mines and helicopters and boats buzzing by the water seemed to be harmless and no sharks(Sharks in Retail?). Arma 3 also boasts 20+ Vehicles in the retail version aswell as 40+ Weapons which I only got a taste of sadly but it left me wanting more! Arma 3 also promotes mods and scenario building which is refreshing and automatically makes the life of the game jump to endless possibilities, together with Multiplayer this game could keep you playing for a very long time.
Graphics : 9.5/10
Sound : 9.0/10
Gameplay : 8/10
I never played any of the Arma games but I have played every Battlefield game and Call Of Duty game which helped me be amazed by just how different this game is from what I considered the norm. Its opened my eyes a bit and gave me a mostly positive experience I will keep my eye on this series from now on. I highly recommend you grab this game on steam (32.99$) and give it a try if you’re a fan of open world/fps titles!! It’s sure to give you countless hours of gameplay with its mod support and scenario creating tools.
Thanks Silkie.
