Combat Sniper - Combat Arms Review

   Combat Arms is a military-style online first-person shooter created by Doobic Studios, published and hosted by Nexon, and also available on Steam.

 
   As the game has been around for quite a long time, it features a large selection of features. There are at least 100 different weapons to choose from, most of which can we further modified with custom parts, and around 10 different game modes including the classics such as Capture the Flag and Elimination (Team Deathmatch). However, while it is definitely better than it was when it was starting out, it is still a terrible game.
   RIGHT
   Amount of Guns: Extreme
   The guns on Combat Arms are done surprisingly well for the amount that exist. The firing and reloading animations are top-notch, and they have a nice kick to them. Just about every gun you liked using from any other military shooters you have played, Combat Arms has it. For a price.

   Hit Recognition: Not Bad
   Where your bullet connects affects how much damage it does. This isn't really news, nor is it a feature at this point, but this is one of few games that includes a "Nut Shot" mechanic. If you shoot someone in the groin it's an instant kill, similar to headshots. I'll let you come up with your own jokes for this one.

   Gun Emporium: Useful
   The game features a "Gun Emporium", where you can forge and customize weapons. Using parts obtained from a special wheel that has a chance of appearing after every match, you can upgrade your weapons or forge new ones. However, keep in mind, the difference between an upgraded weapon and a normal weapon isn't too noticeable.

   WRONG
   Gun Imbalance: Also Extreme
   As you may have guessed from the title of this review, this game really favors snipers. A lot of the sniper rifles available will kill you in a single hit from full health, anywhere on the body. So prepare to either get really good at flanking (which is what I did), or spend most of the game like this:

Snipe all day, snipe all night, k/d is what matters in the end, alright!

   Not only that, but this game doesn't count assists. Only kills and deaths. A lot of people in the community will reference your k/d (kill/death ratio) to decide how good you are which, honestly, is really stupid.
   Most of the guns on Combat Arms are limited by rank requirements unless you use cash. As expected, higher rank weapons are just all-around better than lower rank weapons, and the weapon you start off with is pretty horrible. Expect your beginner experience to be filled with a lot of rage and sniper bullet holes. The only upside to this is that if you're a good sniper (or just a have a good sniper rifle), or a good flanker (or just a have good assault rifle), you'll see the win screen more often.

Yay! I knew my Double Barrel and M99 wouldn't let me down!

   Hackers: They Exist
   This game has a small lag problem, but mostly a hacker problem. Don't go overboard with this, as I see a lot of people just shout "HACKER" at every person who kills them. Just know that the game has bad hacker protection. There is a kick vote present but, if the vote doesn't go through, you can't vote to kick the same person twice.

   Community: Horrible
   I don't usually mention this, but this community is pretty dang bad. First, there's the megaphone users. A disproportionate amount of them are just mad about getting kicked from a room, and must let the entire server know about it. Secondly, there's just normal shouters constantly complaining every time they die, and screaming about hackers when there are none in the room. Third, are arrogant idiots using high level weapons, and subsequently getting high scores. The instant the shouter whines about it, the arrogant idiot then starts talking about how awesome and skilled they are.
   The rest of the community is made up of people that think "good sportsmanship" is saying "ns" (nice shot) every single time someone kills them with any weapon.

   Maps: Badly Thought Out
   To make the aforementioned sniper problem worse, a few of the maps include sniper positions that see directly into the enemy spawn, and most of the rest are sniper-friendly with at least a couple long straightaways. Not only that, but some of the maps aren't exactly even, and one side possibly has an advantage.

And now I'm dead.

   Final Score: 1 out of 5

   The score may seem harsh, but unlike a lot of other bad online shooters, Combat Arms doesn't really have anything that redeems it. I started to have fun blowing people away with a Double Barrel shotgun, but then about three different people started whining about shotguns while spawn-sniping, and then the game crashed. This is one of those games that is really only fun if you've already been playing it for awhile, and hence have all the equipment and friends you need. If you haven't already been playing this for a year or so, don't start, despite whether or not you like twitch shooters. Better games have already been made, play those. The guns are impressive, but it's the gameplay that matters, and Combat Arms fails in that department.

   Extra Things to Know
   - Switch firing modes with the F key.
   - The game can take a bit long to start up. Just keep waiting.
   - Combat Arms can not be played in a window with an external program.
   - You can't change the screen resolution of the menu, only the in-game resolution.
   - The sound you make while sprinting can get a little annoying over time.
   - Mini Missions will randomly pop up while playing. Completing them earns you a small bonus.
   - You can't aim down the sights on any weapon that doesn't have a scope attached.
   - You will gain access to special abilities as you level up, which will give a slight edge in battle.