Combat Arms

Game overview

Combat Arms is a first person tactical shooter game that has been around for quite some time, and features a solid core FPS gameplay that is on par with genre favorites Counterstrike and Crossfire. The game stands out by giving players a huge amount of in-game weapons to embrace, and as a result it has created a unique culture of weapon progression unlike any other game has done.

Combat Arms also has highly customizable systems which includes outfitting and up-gradable weapon parts, giving players even more reasons to keep playing regularly to gain experience and ranks. While there are downsides such as dated graphics and occasional hacking, the game still offers plenty of content and fun for FPS aficionados. Overall, Combat Arms is great shooter game that will be around for a long time to come.

➔ Main points:

• Minimal system requirements means the game is accessible to everyone
• Huge amount of gameplay modes and weapons
• Decent player community and community events
• In-depth weapon customization options

Full review

Old But Gold

Released in 2008, Combat Arms is a free to play, tactical first person shooter game that has stood the test of time. In an era when free to play FPS games struggle to achieve the support of fans from a popular genre, Combat Arms has managed to stay both relevant and competitive.

The recipe for that is primarily how accessible Combat Arms is to players and newcomers. The game doesn't require a high end computer to play, which means more players are able to dive in. For new players, Combat Arms is easy to learn, and within minutes of entering your first match, the gameplay and mechanics will become very familiar to you, especially if you've played first person shooters before. The WASD keys are used to move, and players must aim and fire their weapons at enemy players to score kills. Weapon load outs and experience are also important, but these are systems that players will be eased into the more they play the game.

The Gameplay Experience

For the most part, Combat Arms has nailed its core FPS gameplay very well. It has all the hallmarks that has made games like Counter Strike and Crossfire fun to play, such as the fast-paced matches and the recoil of the game's weapons, which makes scoring kills satisfying and keeps you coming back for more. And just like those games, Combat Arms offers a good amount of game play modes and maps to play on, and each has its own unique objective to complete, for both team matches or solo. There's the standard Team Deathmatch for team games, as well as a One Man Army mode where everyone kills everyone. It's safe to say that there's plenty of variety when it comes to deciding how you want to play. While the game does occasionally suffer form the odd hacker or two, it's nice to see that Combat Arms does include password protected game lobbies and private matches to reduce to occurrence of hacking.

When it comes to progression, Combat Arms uses an experience gaining system, and players will receive experience points and in-game currency called Gear Points or GP for playing matches and for killing opponents, on top of scoring kill streak combos. Finishing a match as one of the top players on the leader-board will also net you a decent sum of experience and Gear Points. The experience points will then translate into ranks, and there are nine rank categories to progress towards, with new players beginning at the Grunt rank and can ascend all the way to the highest rank of Commander In Chief. Gear Points on the other hand, can be used to purchase weapons or clothing, depending on your current rank.

Gun Culture

But rank is only a peripheral part of the progressive fun, when compared to the gun culture that permeates throughout Combat Arms. The entire game community is obsessed with guns, and for a very good reason - Combat Arms has more than 500 playable weapons, with more being added in every update. Weapons are of course, the bread and butter for most FPS games, but in Combat Arms the importance of owning and customizing the best weapons feels like a journey of its own which adds to the overall fun. Part of the reason why is that your rank will determine the type of weapons you may "rent" with Gear Points - temporarily purchasing a weapon which has an expiration date - and permanent purchases, which you allows you to keep the weapon in your load out forever.

The entire game community is obsessed with guns, and for a very good reason - Combat Arms has more than 500 playable weapons, with more being added in every update

The weapons themselves have a life of their own, with so many variations of popular guns from real life, the FPS genre and popular culture making appearances, and they vary in terms of stats so there's always an option for your play style and preference. It's this aspect of weapon choice and customization that has given the community a reason to keep on playing, and it's very common to find new reviews of all the latest guns online, making it easy for new players to know which weapons are worth grinding ranks for. As for balancing the weapons, it is a harder task, as the higher rank weapons and those purchased with real money will always seem overpowered compared to the guns you can rent for Gear Points. However, the developers do try to balance the scales, as there's always a catch - a certain gun may kill an opponent in one shot, but may only have five rounds per ammo clip, so the player has to pick the perfect moment to reload or he's toast.

Graphics & Presentation

Combat Arms is indeed an old game, and while the dated graphics will be an issue for some, large parts of Combat Arm's gaming experience will be centered around the FPS game play so it will not be an issue to others, considering the game is actually fun to play. The UI layout is good but can be a clutter of information especially to newer players, which may take some time to get used to.

Where the presentation shines however, is with the game's deep customization for both outfits and weapons. Players can alter the way their character look with cool tattoos and outfits, and for guns, they can go deeper and customize their weapons with up-gradable parts which could provide statistical boosts to their weapons. The visual accuracy of the Combat Arms's customization systems is pretty spot on and very satisfying to indulge into.

Final Verdict

For a first person shooter game, nothing satisfies a gamer more than an action-packed, fast paced gameplay, and Combat Arms delivers that in generous doses. The core gameplay is both addictive and fun, which makes it great for newer players to dive into, considering the game doesn't require the latest graphics cards to play. Combat Arms also boasts a huge amount of weapons in game, and the community's obsession over weapon progression is infectious in a way that you can't help but to join in, grinding experience, Gear Points and ranks to purchase the latest and greatest guns to stay competitive. The game does have its downsides, such as the dated graphics that is most noticeable during regular gameplay, or the occasional hacker killing you from the other side of the map, but they don't deter from the overall fun you can have in Combat Arms. In closing, Combat Arms is a gem of a shooter that has been around for almost a decade, and the game's longevity is a testament to how well this first person shooter game was conceived and executed.

Ready to enter the world of Combat Arms? Click here to play now!

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Review summary

1. Old But Gold
2. The Gameplay Experience
3. Gun Culture
4. Graphics & Presentation
5. Final Verdict