Hardcore war: watch me play ArmA 2 with proper tactics

There are tactical gaming communities that engineer ArmA like mad military scientists--they meticulously create custom maps, apply rigid rules of engagement and proper radio protocol to produce precise, elegant war cooperation. Legion of Sparta is one of them. Last week, we wrote about the group's project to remake Ghost Recon: Island Thunder in ArmA 2. I joined their most recent session--deftly captured and edited by community member Fatal Papercut. Men died. Airplanes blew up. I'm the one with the beard and the high explosives.

God, what fun. This is an experience no one has ever had on a console: the care taken to produce of a custom mission (on a custom-made island), organize participants, properly communicate, and append mods to make the game do what you want could only happen on PC. Ironically, the fine in-game camerawork seen above is captured using an Xbox 360 controller, remapped for precision movement.

Special, bullet-filled thanks to Legion of Sparta, Dai-San (squad lead), Lightspeed (map creation), Fatal Papercut (camera and editing) for the invitation. If this looks fun, go chat up Legion of Sparta on their forums. They play other games, too.

PRODUCTS

Evan's a hardcore FPS enthusiast who joined PC Gamer way back in 2008. After an era spent publishing reviews, news, and cover features, he now oversees editorial operations for PC Gamer worldwide, including setting policy, training, and editing stories written by the wider team. His most-played FPSes are Hunt: Showdown, Team Fortress 2, Team Fortress Classic, Rainbow Six Siege, and Counter-Strike. His first multiplayer FPS was Quake 2, played on serial LAN in his uncle's basement, the ideal conditions for instilling a lifelong fondness for fragging.