Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Take On Helicopters is going to getting some big fat Russian helicopters in its first DLC. Like this: “Highly detailed models of the Mi-24 V, Mi-24 P and Mi-35 Super Hind helicopters across a range of over 25 different liveries.” That is some Cold War helicopter sex, right there. It’s also going move away from the commercial helcopterings of the base game, and allow you get back to Bohemia’s more traditionally shooty territories. They explain: “after launching the game, we felt there was room to complement Take On Helicopters with a more ‘action-packed’ experience. Our Hinds DLC is perfect for those who are seeking the adrenaline rush of flying a classic military gunship and getting into combat.” It’s coming out on the 15th of March and it’ll cost €12.99. There’s some kind of crazy bundle order deal, too, which you can read about over here.

Oh for heavens sake, yes we know they’re not strictly tanks but… anyway, want a chance to win a copy of ArmA 2 expandalone, Operation Arrowhead? Want to play a big old co-op ArmA 2 game with fellow RPS readers and writers? If “yes”, then click the digital King’s Shilling below to find out more.

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And Bohemia Interactive have released a video which shows off some of the stuff that means Arma 2 – and its Operation Arrowhead expansion which arrived on the 28th, last month (sorry, I missed that entirely) – definitely isn’t just a first-person shooter. This High Command tutorial (which is below, and spotted via Mr Blue) shows off all the means by which the game allows you to direct a battle, rather than just fighting it yourself. Reminds me that we need to have a crack at doing a bit more Arma 2 coverage on RPS, and get some multiplayer going. Yep.
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AH-64 Apache gunship, M2A3 Bradley IFV, MH-6 Little Bird… I confess I know as much about these things as I do about the mating habits of giant grasshoppers, but many people are greatly enamoured of them. The tanks and aircraft I mean, not the rutting insects. Such enthusiasts will be duly pleased by this really very pretty trailer for Operation Arrowhead, the upcoming standalone expansion for ARMA 2. Interesting that it’s standalone, given ARMA’s audience is something of a fixed one and thus surely most potential purchasers of this will own ARMA 2 anyway, but I guess it’s a sensible way to try and reach beyond its niche.
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As an ambitious, macho, overwhelming soldier sim, you might think Armed Assault 2‘s multiplayer is perhaps ambitious, macho or overwhelming. Well, you’d be WRONG! Drop and give me 20! Less than 20 is fine if you can’t quite manage that! Oh, you just ate? Never mind then. I’d feel dreadful if you got indigestion. Basically, playing Armed Assault 2′s official missions co-op might be a bit of an undertaking, but a mass of community missions offer an experience that’s a little less Falklands War and more Tropic Thunder. If you’re sitting on the fence as to whether Arma2 is for you, the following might just manhandle you off it.
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So Bohemia Interactive’s other announced project – in conjunction with Black Element – is Carrier Command. The long overdue remake of the aged sci-fi classic uses some of the same tech as Arma 2, and you can see some of the influences in these first in-game screens. No action to speak of, just environments and a few glimpses of your future-vehicles, but it’s definitely got the right vibe for a Carrier Command game. Hard, gritty sf, huge, expansively vehicular. Awesome. Oh god this could be so good/bugged. Go take a look. (Thanks to James for the info.)
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Military mega-shooter Arma II has some mod tools out for those people who want to turn it into celestial strip-chess, and you can get hold of them here. Rather more interesting news for the general gaming public, however, is the announcement of an expansion back, Operation Arrowhead. The standalone expansion pack will apparently be shown at GamesCom, and takes place when “a new flashpoint in the Green Sea region heats up and coalition forces led by the US Army are sent to Takistan to quickly restore peace and prevent further civilian casualties.” So plenty more of the same, it seems. We’ll bring you some more details on that when we get hold of them, or you can keep an eye on this thread on the official forums.

Arma II is out in Europe and on Steam. It is the single most ambitious war game ever to grace a games machine. It is full of bugs. Does that mean you shouldn’t play it? Here’s wot I think.

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Update: Mirrors and some troubleshooting tips in this thread.

The demo of soldiering giganto-sim Arma II, which contains a surprisingly large chunk of the full game – including a limited version of the extremely versatile scenario editor – is now available. Get it here.

The demo comes to just under 3gb, but it’s an essential download for those of you who want to check out compatibility and performance issues before buying. And anyone else vaguely interested in the game, obviously. I’ve been caning the full thing for the best part of two weeks, and I’ve kept delaying the RPS review because, well, I just keep finding more stuff to do in it. I’ll stop tinkering and post full impressions early next week. Launch trailer and full demo content details below.
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I’m going to be taking a fairly serious amount of time to do a review of this, but I wanted to lob some preliminary impressions up here in the meantime. Blimey, BIS really have got that warzone feel nailed down. This is one of the most atmospheric games I’ve ever played, despite exhibiting a veritable alphabet of atmosphere-breaking elements. The most obvious of these being UNKNOWN. MAN. FAR.
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