Rock, Paper, Shotgun

I mean that, of course, in the best way possible. I suppose the best way I can put it is that I’m excited about a lighting trailer. I tried to count the number of graphics on display, but I ran out of fingers and toes, and my abacus resigned citing unfair work conditions and vague claims of harassment. Goodness, though, those underwater bits, especially, put other things that prominently feature water – which include other games, lakes, and the human body – to utter shame. Now then, let’s just hope the engine doesn’t crash and burn on day one – like ARMA II’s bug-plagued release, or me piloting any sort of aircraft in ARMA II.

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Arma III has announced a new island for the game, Stratis, adding another 19 square km to its already huge expanse. And with that comes a new video and six new screenshots of brain-hurting graphics, that will make you scream “BUT THAT MUST BE REAL-WORLD VIDEO!” and then fall down. You can do that below.

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Ultra-realistic military sim to contain fictional near-future vehicles and weaponry. Upon hearing the news, four retired colonels smash crystal brandy decanters while blustering angrily through their majestic militarised moustaches. If you think you can stay resolute while squinting at intensely detailed visual representations of things that do not exist, Arma III may be the game for you. Put the brandy to one side and focus your monocle below.

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I’ve just been transcribing an interview with Marek Spanel, the boss of Bohemia Interactive and one of the most PC-focused developers in Europe, and this came up: “If it were not for digital distribution we would no longer be doing PC games. It’s as simple as this.”

Obvious to us, perhaps, but it’s an interesting measure of where we are now with PC gaming. You might still be able to get a cheap boxed copy from a mail-order outlet, but the chances are you won’t find PC games at all in the shops at all. And as far as PC developers are concerned, digital is all. Retail is over. Which reminds me, I really must write that thing about Steam’s hegemony…

The Spanel interview – containing details about Carrier Command, Arma III, and Take On Helicopters – will appear tomorrow.

UPDATE: It’s now official, I’ve added a fact sheet and quotes from BIS below.

Well, “announced” would usually imply us getting a barrel full of emails from BIS themselves, but it looks like their website update came before the press releases this time. I’ve been bombarded with links to this, and yes, it’s Arma III. It sounds fairly epic: “After years of intense warfare against Eastern armies, Europe has become the last stand for the battered NATO forces. On the verge of being driven into the sea, NATO command embarks upon a most desperate measure. In the hope of seizing what seems to be a well-guarded military secret, Operation Magnitude is launched. A small group of Special Forces and Researchers are sent to a Mediterranean island deep behind enemy lines.” No tech details as such, but there’s some minimum specs: Intel Core i5 or AMD Athlon Phenom X4 or faster, Shader 3 graphics card, DX10 support minimum.

Goodness! It’s also due “2012″. More information on this when we get it, and I’ve posted the “fact sheet” below.
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