Award-winning independent development studio Bohemia Interactive has released two official in-game videos to demonstrate some of the unique new features in the company‘s upcoming standalone expansion pack, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead. Due to launch on June 29th 2010, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead will introduce a range of new features, from authentically-modelled thermal imaging to an all-new optics system, alongside three new world maps comprising the fictional Central-Asian state of Takistan.Thermal Imaging and the use of UAV drones feature in the first video, which details one of the single player missions in Operation Arrowhead’s full-size campaign mode. Piloting an AH-64 Apache, the demonstrator safely hides his helicopter within firing range of the targets before switching controls to remotely pilot a Little Bird helicopter UAV while employing the drone’s FLIR vision mode, which uses Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead’s innovative thermal imaging simulation to the fullest. The sheer power of drone-assisted combat is underlined as the player uses the FLIR and the drone’s immensely powerful camera to zoom in on the objective from a safe distance, designate targets and even initiate Hellfire missile launches from the player’s own Apache, all without being detected or even seen by the enemy.
The second video introduces Operation Arrowhead‘s newly-added tutorial missions, which are designed to allow players of all experience levels to train with the various weapons and vehicles featured in the massive standalone expansion. The video’s narration provides invaluable insight and advice while the player is taught how to use handheld weapons, grenade launchers and Javelin portable missiles, along with basic training in the use of sniper rifles. The tutorial plays out on an authentic firing range and ably demonstrates the depth of Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead’s ballistics and weapon optics simulation.
Both videos underline the complexity and quality that defines Bohemia Interactive’s military simulation titles, with Operation Arrowhead being the latest in a decade-long lineage of progressively improving games from the Czech developer.
Bohemia’s CEO, Marek Spanel, comments: “We always try to incorporate new ideas into our projects, not just in the development side, but also in the way in which we support the media.” He continued “We felt that capturing a whole mission from the Operation Arrowhead preview on video, and adding insight and strategy tips during the narration, could help people to better understand the size, scope and detail of our groundbreaking sandbox military simulation titles”.
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead will be released exclusively for PC on 29th June 2010.