- PC Gaming's most surprising spin-offs - 16 December 2019
I love a spin-off. Angel? Great stuff! Count Duckula? The Better Call Saul of cartoons. Kourtney and Khlo Take Miami? Take me, I m yours! I could go on and on cutting-and-pasting from this Wikipedia page , but I ll get to the point. Games also have spin-offs. Often they ll be forgotten about. Sometimes they re even disowned. On a few occasions, they ll take on a life of their own and exist apart from the game that spawned them, never calling, never visiting, only sending a multipack Christmas card. Below are a few stories of surprising spin-offs. The 2D Half-Life 2, the Fortnite that failed, the single-player Counter-Strike that no-one asked for, and more. (more…)
- Weekend Deal - Arma series, up to 80% Off! - 20 April 2017
Save up to 80% on the Arma series as part of this week's Weekend Deal*! *Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time
- Combined Operations Compatibility data patch released - 18 December 2015
A 160MB data patch ensuring Arma 2's compatibility with the recent Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead update has been released.
- Combined Operations Compatibility data patch released - 18 December 2015
A 160MB data patch ensuring Arma 2's compatibility with the recent Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead update has been released.
- This Arma 2 firefight video has a teeth-gritting, cinematic ending - 31 July 2014
What does it take to rattle 80-some veteran players of Earth s most hardcore military sim? ShackTac bossman Dslyecxi pointed me to this insane firefight and extraction attempt in one of his recent videos. Short on ammo, shorter on men, and their backs literally against a wall that may or may not be indestructible, Dslyecxi leads the survivors of a trapped infantry unit as they improvise an escape plan. Dslyecxi contextualizes the chaos: "At the 33:40 mark, we're all critically low on ammo. As a fireteam leader, I've given everything I had left to other members of my fireteam, and I'm running around trying to see what we're going to do next. There are enemies swarming all over the exterior of the compound and we have reason to believe that they've started to breach into it in some areas as well. It's very much a fog-of-war period at that point. There are reports that the convoy has arriv…
- Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead (and DayZ mod) drop GameSpy, move to Steam - 1 July 2014
GameSpy recently announced its surrender from the world of digital matchmaking, and, as with any wide-ranging defeat, there are bound to be casualties. Not Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead, though. Bohemia have airlifted their expansion to the safety of Steam. And clinging desperately to it is the DayZ Mod, which, as a dependent of Arma 2: OA, has also been secured. "Besides the numerous fixes and optimizations which were introduced during the 1.63 beta program which covered almost a 2 year period for this iteration of the engine, the update focuses on the transition of the multiplayer from GameSpy matchmaking to Steam," writes Bohemia Interactive's Korneel van 't Land. Naturally, the update requires Steam to function. Those with retail copies can now transfer Arma 2, and all of its DLCs and expansions, by adding their CD Key to Steam's Product Activation. While Bohemia's older games won't b…
- Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead 1.63 patch transitions online multiplayer to Steam - 30 June 2014
Bohemia Interactive has taken the next step to ensure that Arma 2 survives the Gamespy shutdown . A new 1.63 update for Operation Arrowhead will ensure that online matchmaking survives by formally transitioning from Gamespy to Steam.
- Bohemia Anniversary Weekend Sale - up to 80% Off! - 15 May 2014
The Bohemia Anniversary Weekend starts today with great deals on Bohemia titles! From now through Monday* pick up titles up to 80% off! To celebrate their anniversary Bohemia is giving away ARMA: Cold War Assault this weekend for Free! Go to the store page to pick up your copy.* Additionally, play Arma 3 for Free throughout the weekend! If you already have Steam installed, click here to install or play Arma 3. If you don't have Steam, you can download it here . *All discounts and offers end Monday, May 19th at 10AM Pacific Time.
- Arma 2 Free closes down, Bohemia puts Arma 2 series on sale - 8 April 2014
Nearly three years after it was first announced, Bohemia Interactive is shutting down the Arma 2 Free servers, the free-to-play version of the military simulation game. If you were one of its dedicated players, there's good news: Bohemia is trying to soften the blow with a sale on the Arma 2 franchise. All editions of Arma 2 and its expansion are currently discounted by 75 percent. You can buy them on Bohemia s official website, but all games are also conveniently supported by Steam. The sale will last until May 4. Sadly, even if you do buy Arma 2, its online functionality will be limited due to the impending shutdown of online matchmaking service GameSpy on May 31. Bohemia said that Arma 3 and Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead will eventually use an alternative solution, but Take On Helicopters, Arma, Arma 2, and other games will lose the server browser and other features. You can find Bohem…
- Yikes: GameSpy Shutdown Will Affect A Lot Of Games - 8 April 2014
GameSpy , a relic from times long before the modern Internet – or indeed, games and spies – existed is closing down . This on its own is not surprising as the multiplayer service is, by modern standards, buggy and kind of a joke, but it leaves a startling number of games with their e-wings clipped and their online-heaving hams strung in its wake. How many, you ask? Well, Reddit’s /r/Games board compiled a massive list, and the results aren’t pretty. …
- Arma 3 video teaches you how to helicopter better - 7 February 2014
A new Arma 3 community guide has landed in a hot LZ: this time, the subject is air assaults. Shack Tactical founder Dslyexci returns to narrate the first episode of season 3 of Arma s community guides. The video gives an overview of the coordination and planning required to bring infantry into a mission zone in the best military sim around. Helicopters fly fast, low, and can land pretty much anywhere you can fit the rotors into, Dslyexci says. With sufficient helicopters or multiple flights, you can transport a large number of infantry practically anywhere you need to in a short period of time It s a welcome option, considering the massive terrain sizes of the Altis and Stratis islands. Ferrying infantry to missions might sound like gruntwork to you, but it s one of the most interesting and rewarding parts of the Arma universe. Anyone who volunteers to pilot in Arma is a few bad seconds…
- Bohemia Rhapsody: Humble Bundle Offers Old Arma Games - 17 January 2014
Bohemia are well known as the creators of the deep and deeply shonky military sim Arma and its zombie-infested survival spin-off DayZ. They’re moderately known as the creators of turn-based spinoff Arma Tactics and commercial helicopter sim Take On Helicopters. They’re not at all known as the developers of XCOM-homage UFO: Afterlight and Alpha Prime, which is some sort of videogame. Yet you’ll find all of the above in this week’s Humble Weekly sale, the Bohemia Humble Bundle . (more…)
- “Make Arma Not War” modding competition launched with $680,000 up for grabs - 5 December 2013
Arma has always been quite moddable. Every piece of Bohemia Interactive s military sim has been renovated or replaced hundreds of times over by the game s prolific community--its missions, islands, audio, weapons, and vehicles. Today Bohemia makes a major effort to support that culture of community content creation as it begins a more than year-long competition called Make Arma Not War. A total of a half-million Euros (about $680,000 USD) will be be awarded to modders in 2015, with the winners in four categories selected by a panel of about a dozen game industry professionals, community members like Dslyecxi, and Bohemia developers. Having a competition like this is giving the people something back, essentially. Giving them more serious reasons to show off, to make something out of their hobby, says Ivan Buchta, Creative Director at Bohemia. One of the many subcategories of missions tha…
- Daily Deal - ARMA II, 80% Off - 21 November 2013
Today's Deal: Save 80% on ARMA II !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Saturday at 10AM Pacific Time
- Arma 3 guide now online from Shack Tactical founder - 15 November 2013
All summer, we enjoyed the community guides published in the run-up to Arma 3's fall release. They were not only informative, but they offered a nice look at the systems and graphics that the open-world military sim offer. Now that Arma 3 is out, community guide narrator Andrew Gluck (aka Dslyecxi) has compiled a wealth of information in his official guide. And while the full guide is bundled with the deluxe edition of Arma 3, a ton of it is now available for free. Gluck is the founder of Shack Tactical, the most devoted bunch of military sim roleplayers on the internet. In addition to diving into Arma 3's various systems, the guide explores how to function within Shack Tactical by roleplaying a set of near-military rules and procedures. "In our eyes, hardcore milsim is chock-full of 'tactical fluff' that is irrelevant to the games at hand," Gluck writes. "This hardcore milsim typically…
- DayZ Origins mod update 1.7.7: adds new I Am Legend-inspired area and, er, ghosts - 16 October 2013
We last checked in with DayZ Origins - that's the unofficial spin-off to DayZ, remember - back in March, and it seems the mod's mod has come on a long way since then. There's a ton of new content in Update 1.7.7, but the gist is that it adds a new island (inspired by Will Smith-and-his-dog vehicle I Am Legend, no less), along with a new race of mutants, the power to create player-made towns, and the possibility of people you've killed coming back as vengeful spirits. Wait, what? Novistrana is the name of the new island, which has been added to the Taviana map and been inspired by scenes and locations from Will Smith's hit movie Hitch I Am Legend. It's 265 km2 - about as big as Cherno - and according to GamersPlatoon's George Edward (via email), "it is the only map designed from scratch for DayZ in a post-apocalyptic setup", in contrast to the militarily designed structures present in th…
- Project Reality 2 announced, turns the military FPS mod into a standalone game - 22 September 2013
The Project Reality mod for Battlefield 2/Arma 2 finally hit version 1.0 earlier this year, after eight years of development time. During that time, the game series it was modifying have moved on to bigger and more explodey instalments - several times, when it comes to Battlefield. Now, the PR Team have announced the mod's follow-up - and, excitingly, you won't need to rely on any other games to play it. Project Reality 2 is being built using CryEngine 3 to be "completely standalone", in contrast to the distinctly semi-detached nature of the original. Like the original mod, the aim with PR2 is to be one of the more realistic multiplayer shooters out there. As the announcement post reveals, "Initially, Project Reality 2 will be a small scale, infantry based FPS with a comprehensive weapon handling system that will aim to be as realistic as possible. Map sizes will be 1km and 2km with an…
- Pre-Purchase Now - Arma Tactics, 15% off! - 17 September 2013
Arma Tactics is Now Available for Pre-Purchase on Steam and is 15% off until launch date! Pre-Purchase now and gain instant access to the ongoing Beta! Arma Tactics is a turn-based close-combat strategy game, where you take control of a four-member Special Forces team. There are no given strategies, rails to move on, or paths to follow; it‘s up to you to decide how you will play through both the story-driven missions and generated missions with randomized objectives. Whether using stealth or a more direct approach, you will need to use your strategic thinking and use both basic and advanced weaponry while facing many different opponents - ranging from unorganized local militia to smart and skilled mercenaries.
- Arma 3 review - 13 September 2013
Simulation isn’t the defining aspect of Arma. It’s scale. The enormity of the map is the foundation for the experiences that distinguish Bohemia Interactive’s flagship franchise. It’s what makes radios, topographical maps, binoculars, and compasses practical equipment in an FPS. It’s what allows for kilometer-long headshots and coordinated convoy raids. It’s what makes using your eyes to spot hints of enemies--muzzle flashes, tracers, gunsmoke--as valuable as being a crack shot. The scale of Arma 3 dwarfs everything in the genre, including Arma 2. Altis, a keyhole portion of which is seen in these screenshots, is a Mediterranean island-nation assembled from ruins, airports, coastal villages, solar power plants, military outposts, salt flats, and tank-friendly scrubland. It’s a variegated backyard for you to play war in, but what’s more significant is that Arma’s landscape finally has th…
- A tour of Altis, Arma 3′s main map - 27 August 2013
