Combat Arms
| Combat Arms | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Doobic Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Nexon |
| Engine | Lithtech |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer Coop |
Combat Arms is a multiplayer game, free-to-play modern first-person shooter developed by the South Korea-based developer, Doobic Studios, and published by Nexon.[2] The game uses the Lithtech game engine to produce its graphics.
Gameplay
Combat Arms gameplay is similar to commercial games such as Counter-Strike, Ghost Recon 2 and Call of Duty.[2] The game offers many different modes of play, including One Man Army, Elimination, Capture The Flag, multiplayer co-op (known as Fireteam), Elimination Pro, Search and Destroy, Seize & secure, Spy Hunt and Bombing Run. There are a lot of maps and the latest is named "Oil Rig". During the 2009 winter season of the game, a special mode known as Snowball Fight was introduced, but was later removed. Combat Arms uses a player ranking system based on total experience, using common military ranks that players can obtain. Completing objectives, killing other players, and levelling up one's rank gives the player money in the form of Gear Points (GP), which can be used to purchase new equipment. Equipment includes weaponry, weapon attachments, and accessories for one's character. Players can also purchase equipment from the Black Market[3] (previously known as the Nexon Cash Shop) using NX (previously known as Nexon Cash) that is bought with real-world money. The Black Market equipment was primarily only cosmetically different from regular shop items, but there has been an increase in the number of significantly superior and sometimes overly powerful Black Market-only weapons, for example the M32 Multiple Grenade Launcher. Black Market weapons have no rank or level requirement that many of the free items require. In addition, some items may only be obtained through the Black Market. All items purchased have a time length of anywhere from 1 to 90 days,( some weapons can be purchased for a permanent duration from the black market shop). After which the gear is deleted from the players inventory; however, players can buy most NX standard items for permanent with NX, and on the rare occasion, Gear Points.
Combat Arms has over 4,000,000 registered players .The game supports community features such as clans and an in-game friends' list. There is one current official gaming league known as the World Online Gaming League that Nexon America sponsors, in addition to an upcoming league known simply as Combat Arms League.
Development
Combat Arms closed beta started on May 30, 2008, exclusively through FilePlanet and ran until June 6.[4] This beta was limited to users from North America, South America, and Oceania. In the closed beta, 4 maps and 30 weapons were available. On June 26, Combat Arms went into its Pre-Open Beta Phase, whereby the game was open to the public, but it was still being tested and changed to prepare for Open Beta.[5] Pre-Open Beta was still limited to users from North America, South America, and Oceania. The Official Launch of Combat Arms started on July 11, 2008.
On the August 8, 2008, Nexon announced[6] that a Combat Arms service would be started by Nexon Europe for European Players. On September 25, 2008, the Combat Arms Europe Teaser website[7] was activated by Nexon Europe, and on October 28, 2008, Nexon Europe started the Combat Arms Europe Closed Beta testing. Closed Beta testing finished on November 11, 2008, and the Open Beta testing began on December 16, 2008 and lasted until January 15, 2009. The game is now fully released in Korea, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. On April 2, 2009, Nexon America announced that South American service for Combat Arms would cease on April 9th of that year. Those who had any amount of NX were allowed to play until October 9th, or until their NX fell below an undefined amount, whichever came first. An in-game voice chat system, provided by Vivox, was implemented in the game on November 25th, 2009. [8]
On June 29, 2010, Level Up! Interactive, the premier Brazilian free games publisher announced that it had attained publishing rights of Combat Arms in Brazil. The teaser website was launched.
In 2011, Combat Arms continued to receive updates on a regular basis. This includes the inclusion of new maps, new weaponry, and new character skins. There are currently 26 maps available to battle in as of April 14th, 2011.
Critical reception
Metacritic aggregate reviews place Combat Arms with an average of 71.[9] Reviewers cite many bugs and glitches in the earlier versions.[10]
GameZone's Michael Splechta reviewed the game on March 11, 2010, saying "Combat Arms is fun. Simple as that. If you can overlook the annoying players, then anyone looking for a competitive online shooter should look no further. This is free to play FPS at its best." [11]
References
- ^ "Combat Arms for PC: Technical info". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
- ^ a b "Combat Arms Explored". IGN. 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
- ^ "10/1 Patch Notes - Black Market". 2008-10-01. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
- ^ "Nexon Announces Combat Arms Open Beta". Kotaku. 2008-02-23. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
- ^ "Welcome to Pre-Open Beta". 2008-06-26. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ "Nexon Announces Combat Arms Europe". 2008-08-08. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
- ^ "Combat Arms Europe". 2008-09-25. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
- ^ "Voice Chat is coming to Combat Arms!". 2009-11-20.
- ^ Metacritic Combat Arms. Metacritic. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ^ Eurogamer Combat Arms Review. Etherington, Daniel. 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ^ "Combat Arms Review - PC". 2010-03-11.