Once again, our overlords and slave masters here at href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/" target="_blank">Ten
Ton Hammer
have
seen fit to throw me into the F2P “Cesspool of
Denial” in the hopes of discovering another game our readers
may enjoy. Just because we struck gold in the discovery of href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/47911" target="_blank">Exteel,
doesn't mean we can do it twice in a row. Needless to say, since you're
reading this, my argument has fallen on deaf ears in the interest of
saving our viewers the pain and suffering we endure in our efforts to
serve you.



This week's pick, Combat Arms, isn't as horrible as your latest
hemorrhoid flare-up, but it's not as soothing as the ensuing
application of Preparation H would be either. I've rarely been split so
down the middle on a game before; some aspects of Combat Arms are as
cool as a glacier while others are as heartbreaking as global warming.



First, think of your average modern day FPS game because then you'll be
on the right track to knowing everything you want to about Combat Arms
with a few exceptions. Movement is the same as every game from this
genre and follows your typical WASD keyboard layout. Some people may
imagine this as something to be viewed in a negative light, but I
disagree. If you want to get a player into your game with the least
amount of resistance, why not make their control scheme as familiar as
possible? There's no sense in breaking what isn't broken. style="font-style: italic;">

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href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/49363" target="_blank"> title="A Keep Siege" alt="A Keep Siege"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/49363"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px;">

Poor guy
never saw it coming.

Before I
start foaming at the mouth over some of the more asinine
things I discovered about Combat Arms, let's go over some of the things
that make the game more than worthy of a deeper inspection. For
starters, this game has more guns than an href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esGi98sX3Fk"
target="_blank">NRA
Convention in the Deep
South on the 4th of July. Needless to say, that's a lot of guns. From
pistols, to sub-machine guns, to a freaking bazooka, this game has them
all. Even when you've done it a thousand times, picking off a target at
long range with a beautiful headshot never gets old.



While the combat is the typical fare for the genre, the graphics
aren't, and believe it or not, that's a good thing. Considering the
fact that this is a free-to-play FPS, the graphics are well above par
and for that, Nexon (the company behind this beast) deserves a solid
round of applause. They may not rank up there with the likes of the
latest incarnation of Call of Duty, but they're more beautiful than any
girl we have a right to hook up with as gamer geeks. The anti-aliasing
is solid (I hate jaggies!) and the game runs as smooth as silk.



When you start the game, you choose your soldier (sorry girls, no
female models here), pick a name, and head for the lobbies. Getting
into the heart of the action at this point is easier than filling out
an target="_blank">ID10T
form with your friendly Technical Support team. Simply choose
what type of game you want to join (or create) and before you know it,
you're ready for action in the match of your choice: Elimination (first
team to obtain a set amount of kills), Sabotage (one team tries to
plant a bomb, while the other team tries to defend), or One Man Army
(your standard free-for-all deathmatch style game).



The action in Combat Arms is fast and furious, and the maps vary in
size and scope. Depending on which map you choose, be sure to remember
to change your weapon preference. Large maps will see heavy sniper
rifle use, while in close quarter matches, you'll be at a disadvantage
if you don't choose an assault rifle or pistol. You also have the
option of using a knife, but this isn't Hollywood and href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01NHcTM5IA4"
target="_blank">you're not
Crocodile Dundee, so I wouldn't suggest it or you'll end up
splattered
across a wall faster than a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zReX7OpfZXY"
target="_blank">Gremlin in
a microwave.

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href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/49364" target="_blank"> title="PvE Combat" alt="PvE Combat"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/49364"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px;">

style="font-style: italic;">I saw this screen a lot!

Take heed before setting foot in your first instance of
soldier-imitating goodness; there will be multiple instances of pain
and suffering awaiting you. As with most lobby-based games, juvenile
delinquents run rampant through the chat channels. After this annoying
(though hardly unexpected) event, get ready to move as soon you enter
the game or you may find yourself lying facedown as a bloody corpse
thanks to one of your fellow "teammates". Just because you're on the
same team doesn't mean everyone wants to save their ammunition for the
enemy. If you have the intestinal fortitude, be prepared to deal with
campers ready to jump your poor bones more times in each match than
most of us had to hear href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EebObs-vC0"
target="_blank">Achy
Breaky Heart on the radio. style="font-style: italic;">[I still have
nightmares.—Ed.]



Like many F2P games out there, there is the option of purchasing your
equipment with cold cash (through href="http://billing.nexon.net/WZ.ASPX?PART=/Item/CashGuide"
target="_blank">Nexon
Cash) rather than earning the
in-game Gold Points (GP) that you receive for time played, etc.
Normally, I'd be willing to support this aspect of the game with nary
an argument, but unfortunately, there's just one little problem. You
remember that spiffy new weapon you just picked up to make your
opponents beg for mercy? It’s pretty cool isn’t it?
Especially when you spend all of your loot to trick it out with more
toys than the guys on href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NnzF772EkI"
target="_blank">Pimp My
Ride could cover it with, right? Enjoy it
while you can, because you have one
day to use it. That's right, I said
one day. That's like getting a new bike on Christmas just to have it
disappear the next morning. It may keep people playing to continually
earn more GP, but that's just cruel.



Even with the complaints I have in regards to the game, Combat Arms
would be fun if I had to pay for it. Getting it for free makes it
sweeter than a batch of Grandma's cookies on your birthday. It may not
be the shining diamond in the rough everyone is searching for, but it's
definitely worth the price of admission.

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(3 / 5 Hammers)