Gamertell

Title: Combat Arms
Price: Free
System: PC
Release Date: July 11, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Nexon (Doobic Studios)
ESRB Rating: Not Rated
Pros: Vast customization options make for a strategic and personal gaming experience. Frequent updates and patches keep the game fresh, and system requirements are easy on average computers.
Cons: Awkward button mapping makes it difficult to select weapons in the heat of combat.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 87/100; B+; * * * 1/2 out of five.

Combat Arms is a free-to-play online multiplayer first-person shooter published by Nexon. Free online games tend to have a negative stigma attached to them for being underdeveloped lumps of coal that scare people off after playing it once. I’m happy to say that Combat Arms is a huge exception to this rule.

This-fast paced FPS is shining example of how a game doesn’t need to cost $60 in exchange for hours for great gameplay.

Game With Legs

Combat Arms can be downloaded from the Nexon website as a 455MB file. Combat Arms has been compared to Call of Duty 4’s multiplayer mode because of its militaristic atmosphere. Don’t mistake Combat Arms for a CoD 4 knock off, for it’s a very original game with a bevy of customization options that put some retail titles to shame.

When you first boot up Combat Arms you have to go through a short registration process. It’s a quick and painless procedure that only needs to be done once. Each time you play Combat Arms in the future you have to log in with a user name and password by default. You’re then taken to a character select screen where there are only a few avatars to choose from and they all have the same abilities. At this point it’s really just a matter of which male character you identify with most. Unfortunately there are no female characters to choose from. Given the games vast customization options, this is a puzzling oversight.

Choose Your Weapon

Combat Arms has an RPG like experience system that determines which weapons and accessories you can select from. Initially you’ll start with the most basic weapons including the M16A3 assault rifle, M92FS pistol, M9 combat knife and standard frag grenades. Your character starts with a light vest and standard backpack by default which should be upgraded as soon as possible. However you may find that using the light vest that reduces protection but increases speed is essential to a specific strategy. That’s where the RPG elements come into play.

Each weapon has its own statistics geared towards damage, accuracy and fire rate to name a few. Some of the more advanced weapons can only be unlocked by gaining experience from matches.

The good thing about Combat Arms is that it requires you to complete matches before you can gain any experience. This discourages players from dropping out mid-game while still carrying the best weapons.

Equipment must also be purchased. Don’t be afraid because I’m not talking about spending real money in the game. Instead you have Gold Points which are accumulated much like Experience Points. The best players on the winning teams earn the most but everybody will get something if they stick it out until the end.

The truly dedicated can purchase NX points with real money that give you access to exclusive weapons, characters and equipment. Everything remains balanced whether you use the free gear or not so this is another example of personal preference.

Weapons cannot be purchased permanently in Combat Arms. Instead you have the option of renting the weapons for periods of 1, 7, 30 and 90 days. The cost of the weapons increases exponentially the longer you wish to keep them. On the surface this seems to be a bad idea but doing this does ensure that players complete the matches they enter. Weapons can also be customized with larger clips, scopes, and silencers.

The accessories follow the same renting rules as the weapons. I participated in just a few matches before I accumulated a couple thousand GP. Renting a scope typically costs 150 GP and is well worth the price.

Other equipment - helmets and vests - have to be rented too. They also carry different attributes just like weapons. One kind of helmet, for example, provides your character with 20% extra damage protection. Different color camouflage can be purchased and equipped at will. It doesn’t carry special abilities such as stealth, but it is a nice touch.

Shoot Now, Ask Questions Later

Combat Arms isn’t without its flaws. Like most FPS games, you have access to different grenades and a melee weapon but the primary, secondary and support weapons are mapped to the number keys on the keyboard. You can’t scroll through all your weapons simply by using the scroll wheel on the mouse even if you alter the controls to your liking. You can map two weapons to the wheel by scrolling up or down but that still leaves some weapons without a comfortable button to access them. 

Playing on a laptop using the W, A, S and D keys to move makes it difficult to reach the number keys to switch to a grenade while being shot at. Throwing grenades or using the knife is a bit cumbersome as well. Instead of pressing one button to toss a grenade automatically, you have to manually switch your weapon to the grenade then click to toss. The same thing goes for the combat knife. I found myself sticking to my machine gun 90% of the time because of the awkwardness involved with switching weapons.

The actual combat is fast and frantic. Whenever you kill another player, a graphic showing your number of kills jumps on the screen in the most bold fashion. Head shots are called out by the announcer in a subtle yet satisfying manner.

Respawn times are quick in Combat Arms to keep the action moving along. You’re invulnerable for 3 seconds after spawning to help defend against those wretched spawn campers. They can wait for you to respawn but chances are they’ll be killed fairly quickly.

Combat Arms features 4 game types. None of them are groundbreaking or original by any means. There’s the One Man Army mode (another name for Deathmatch), Elimination (Team Death Match), Capture the Flag, and Search & Destroy. In this mode you either attempt to plant a bomb in specific locations or defend your base from being blown to bits.

Fightin’ ‘Round the World

The maps are certainly varied in appearance. One map called Snow Valley takes place in a mid-sized snow covered outpost while another named Junk Flea is in a narrow scrap yard of sorts. This is probably the best stage for constant, intense fire fights - snipers need not apply.

The latest map Waverider, was put into the game on October 16, 2008. It’s in a urban environment with an abundance of rooftops. Taking the higher ground will give anyone the tactical advantage and the lighthouse is a prime location for sniping. It’s good to see the developers are continuously supporting Combat Arms with fixes, tweaks, and additional content despite its free status.

Medal of Honor

Combat Arms is a really fun online FPS with enough customization and RPG elements to keep the game engaging for a long time. The weapon switching functions are a bit wonky on a normal keyboard and mouse set up and most attention will be kept on your primary weapon. Those distractions aside, you won’t be disappointed with Combat Arms overall. It’s like a free solution to twitchy trigger finger syndrome.

Site [Combat Arms] Read [Bright Hub]