After an awful lot of drama, I have two more bits of good news for you ArmA II fans.

The game has finally - officially been released online, via Steam. Those of you planning a visit to Chernarus had better hop on the digital download path - it promises to be available worldwide, so no more waiting for your local shop to get into gear!

...if you're against digital downloads, for whatever reason, we've also got some good - albeit slower - news for you. Word from Australian distributors All Interactive Entertainment have confirmed they're bringing the game to our shores a little earlier than anticipated - arriving July 16th.


So! You're the only person who doesn't know what all the fuss is about?
ArmA II promises gamers the most realistic combat environment in the world - including real-world round deflection, ballistics, materials penetration and even a life-like, real-time day/night cycle, complete with dynamic weather, wind and environmental effects. Sounds like a lot of hard work for a game - but the engine behind ArmA II also forms the basis for training simulators used by real armies around the world (including the Australian Defence Force!).

Set in the fictional ex-Soviet state of Chernarus, the elite five-man Force Reconnaissance Team "Razor" have found themselves trapped in a war, fighting for both control of the country, and also for the hearts and minds of its people. The USMC are off-shore, the Russians watch from the north, and the fate of Chernarus balances on a tightrope.

Game Features:

• PLAYER-DRIVEN STORY - Command your troops through a branching campaign full of twists and surprises.


• THRILLING REALISM - Explore the 225 square kilometer of highly detailed landscape, modelled using real-world geographical data and master each of 81 weapons and 120+ vehicles.


• AUTHENTIC SIMULATION - Game simulates various aspects of combat and evironment effects from bullet ballistics, material penetration, ammunition types and stopping power to weather conditions.


• EXTENSIVE MULTIPLAYER - Play the campaign missions in cooperative mode or join duty in the massive multiplayer battles with up to 50 players.


• ADVANCED AI - Compete the ultimate next-gen AI: no scripts, no predefined pathways. All units react on actual game situation.


• MISSION EDITOR - Design your own missions by the intuitive, easy-to-use mission editor and become part of one of the biggest and most creative PC gaming community ever.

If you're still not convinced you need this game, check out the demo, released last week - it should tip you over the edge.

So - finally we're here. There's been a lot of fuss about whether or not we'd get this one in a timely manner, and I think we all need to thank Steam for being wonderful in our hour of need.