Cult classic military action simulator Arma 3 is getting a brand new wave of DLC where players will tackle the grim battlefields of World War Two.
While there have been plenty of video games that have attempted to recreate World War Two, Arma 3 has traditionally been concerned with simulating modern conflicts in all their asymmetrical complexity. The move to World War Two is something of a departure for the game but promises a new twist for fans.
Developed by fan modders Heavy Ordnance Works, but given the official seal of approval from the game's publisher, Spearhead 1944 "places you in the boots of the soldiers fighting to break out from a tenuous foothold in the hellish maze of the bocage to liberate occupied Normandy" (via PC Gamer).
Though Arma has enjoyed World War Two mods for years, Spearhead 1944 is far more ambitious, offering over 150 square Kilometers of terrain to explore as players attempt to wrest North-West France from the grip of the Nazis.
The DLC includes five factions, alongside a slew of historical weapons and vehicles. There's also a 24-player co-op campaign inspired by Operation Cobra – an attempt by US and British forces to break past German defenses in Northern France. There's also a single-player scenario where you can play as members of the French resistance.
Though Arma 3's commitment to realism can be off-putting for those looking for a more relaxed or casual experience, the title of one of the best co-op games of its kind, giving groups of players the chance to complete complex and challenging military maneuvers together, from the comfort of their own homes.
Arma 3 is so accurate that the US Army uses a variant of the title, also designed by Bohemia Interactive, called Virtual Battlespace 3. Arma 3's accuracy has also been the source of misinformation, with numerous people taking footage of the game and falsely attributing it to real-world conflict. An Indian news channel famously used gameplay in a false claim that Pakistan had bombed Afghanistan.
Spearhead 1944 is set to give players a realistic slice of World War Two, something that fans of historical re-enactment and Nazi killing are likely to enjoy in equal measure.
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