ARMA 3 Launches

Armed Assault 3 or Arma 3 as its better known as, launches this week from independent developer Bohemia Interactive. this comes after a long cooperative alpha and beta phases between the Czech based developer and players in the Arma community.  The result is what most call, the most vast and realistic Sandbox military simulator on the market (or ever in some opinions).

New character,weapon and gear customization in Arma 3 goes beyond typical shooting games.

Don't let the cool character models, tactical loadouts and vehicles fool you. Arma is not your Call of duty or Battlefield gamer's precise cup of tea. While those games are fast paced and filled with dramatic set pieces, Arma is more the thinking mans game. Almost all missions, both developer or player generated; require some sort of pre-mission planning. Mapping routes, selecting weapons and mission essential equipment, setting waypoints for recon, these are just a few of the task that you may be required to preform in order to preform in order to successfully complete your mission, hence the designation "Military simulator".

With the help of new underwater environments and  specialized scuba gear Arma 3 adds an even deeper amphibious element to what most already considered top tier.

Arma 3 places you in the war theaters of both Altis and Stratis. Both are extremely large and filled cities, military bases, farms, mountainous and desert areas and even some caves systems. But the mainlands aren't the extent of Arma 3's geographical beauty. A new underwater exploration mechanic lets you explore ship and plane wrecks sites along with reefs. this also brings a unique tactical advantage not seen in most games, allowing players to commence scuba based amphibious assaults against enemy positions.

 Day and night cycles as well as dynamic weather conditions make for an always changing and challenging experience 

One of the staples of Arma 3 and the Arma franchise in general; is user generated content. The scenario editor returns to Arma 3 and Steam Workshop integration has been added; allowing players to share content with a community as vast as the game itself. The greatest example of a successful Arma mod is Day-Z for Arma II, which became so popular that it eventually became its own standalone title. Adaptions for Arma 3 could be seen as early as the Alpha phase of the game. 

Other examples of user created content can be found all over YouTube (my personal favorite user will be listed below). Some of these missions are so detailed and meticulous that they sometimes rival or exceed developer content.

All these features (and more not mentioned) make for a highly unique experience that gamer both new and old will find themselves playing till the next Arma title launches.

for more information visit: http://www.arma3.com/ 

Check out Jester814 on YouTube for some great mission videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/Jester814