User blog:TopsyKretts3/A Review of Combat Arms

== Community ==

The community of this game is something that Nexon can't really control to a large extent. A lot of people complain about young people in the game, but how is Nexon really going to stop young people from playing? My main complaint is the harassment and accusations of hacking that a large part of the community spews. It just seems irrational, and disgusting. The accusations are somewhat understandable, but the harassment is simply intolerable. However, the community also has it's good spots. It has a lot of mature players, especially on the forums. 7.5/10

== Gameplay ==

I normally don't experience even a shred of visual lagg from Combat Arms, and I use a cheap $500 Acer with an integrated graphics thing. I do occasionally, however, get a somewhat late registration on my bullets. As for how guns work and the pace of the game; I like it. It's fast paced, yet doesn't block out those who like to play with different strategies. My biggest problems with the gameplay would be the various bugs/glitches (Peeking, shifting, et cetera), and the broken weapon classes. I see Shotguns as a completely broken weapon class; it should dominate fully in CQC, yet Shotgun users get wiped out by Assault Rifle and Pistol users. As well, Sniper Rifles are a partially broken class. I say this because it's common to see people jumping around pretending that their Sniper Rifles are Shotguns. An easy solution of making Sniper Rifles have a "Reverse Damage Drop-off" (Do little damage up close, a lot from afar) has been suggested before, but Nexon seems to ignore this issue. 7/10

== Features ==

This game has been around for a long time, and it shows. There are MANY features to be seen within Combat Arms. Most are great features, but some do cause tension in the community, and within Nexon. Each weapon class has a LOT of variety, usually with at least ten Gear Point Standard weapons per class or more, each with it's own personality, stats, and useful situation. Now there are some "clones" but for a game that's been around for so long, it's not that surprising. Now of course there are Specialists. I am not even going to try to rationalize Specialists as skillfull they are pure, unskillfully, over-powered. Not only the Specialist characters, but their weapons as well. Furthermore, Nexon makes no effort to limit them from regular rooms without impeding actual players. 8/10

== Modes and Maps ==

As with the Features, Combat Arms has a truck load of modes and maps. Because of this there is a LOT of variety. Want to kill a Super enhanced Spy? Play Spy Hunt! Do you want to stop a terrorist plot? Play Search and Destroy or Bombing Run! Want to pull of a bank job? Get over to Blood Money! Or if you just want some good old fashioned deathmatch, get to One Man Army or Elimination! And there are a large variety of maps as well, all with their own unique personality. Now, I can't really include whether I like each maps into the score as that would just be bias. Whether someone likes a map or not is their own choice, made by their own thoughts, and I have no right to say that they are wrong for thinking so. However, this does not necessarily apply to the modes; they have certain conventions and rules that may make them more fun, or dull. Now, I don't have time to go into detail about all of them right now, so I'll just stick with Quarantine. At the moment, I would consider Quarantine a somewhat broken game mode. It is right now just a farm for Specialists; then run in, spam their M32s, claymores, flamethrowers, and get an easy win. They may be easy to take on at once, but in a collection, they can kill many of the infected in mere seconds. 8.5/10

== Overall ==

31/40

7.75/10

== Conclusions ==

Combat Arms is a fantastic game. It has great weapons, great modes, and great maps. It has so much variety, that there is something that everyone can find fun. However, the three main things that bring the game down are the Specialists and their weapons, the disrespectful community, and the broken weapon classes.

The Specialists have been in the game for a long amount of time now, and the only actions from Nexon to stop their game breaking nature has been to nerf Auto-Turrets. The community is grateful for this, but it is simply not enough to solve the problem. The thing that has to be done is to either remove specialists all together, or to add an arms option that forbids them without impeding actual players.

The community is a heinous sight and thing to hear. They constantly whine, and accuse everyone of hacking. This may be somewhat out of Nexon's control, but the harassment that stems from it is not. The swearing, the rage kicks, and most importantly the discrimination are all things that Nexon CAN stop, but seemingly choose not to. What Nexon needs to do is actually punish people for these things, and not just a slap on the wrist and telling them not to do those things again, I mean a full, actual, penalty.

The brokenness of Weapons and Weapon Classes has been a topic which has been discussed since Nexon conceded to the kids who whined about Shotguns doing what they were supposed to. Since then it has only gotten worse. Sniper Rifles with One Hit Kill properties and near perfect accuracy have been released left and right, and nothing has been done to fix the use of Sniper Rifles in close quarters. There have been SEVERAL suggestions to Nexon to fix ALL of these issues, and more, yet they seem to just turn a blind eye to these, hoping that they'll go away.

However, even with all it's faults, Combat Arms is a fantastic game. I started playing in April of 2009, and to this day continue to have fun in this game. It has a multitude of weapons which you can make use of, great environments to use them in, and great circumstances to use them under. Would I recommend Combat Arms? Yes, I definitely would. It may not look as pretty as CoD and Battlefield, but it is definitely something different. In a world of First Person Shooters in which everyone is cowering behind walls, magically regaining health, Combat Arms leaps forward and catches the eye.

Signed

~Kretts