Graphic design inspiration can be found in just about every environment, including the digital realm. By far, one of the best graphically inspiring video games released last year was Armed Assault II: Operation Arrowhead. Operation Arrowhead is a stand-alone expansion pack for Bohemia Interactive’s Armed Assault II. Whereas ArmA II places you as a U.S. Marine on the nicely forested, fictional Chernarus, ArmA II: OA puts you as a U.S. Army soldier in the mountains and deserts of fictional Takistan, a country that remarkably resembles Afghanistan.
Environment
The environment of ArmA II: OA is spectacular, with Takistan’s area being a massive 164 km2, the level of detail and view distances are totally awe-inspiring. Be warned, however, that ArmA II and ArmA II: OA both require a very high-end computer and graphics card to run well and look amazing. Bohemia Interactive even added in animals, IEDs, and insects into the Operation Arrowhead world to make it as realistic as possible. ArmA II:OA allows you to set your draw distance, thus letting you view things super far away from you (which might cause some hiccups if you’re running a slower computer) and therefore engage (or at least see) targets that are 10km or so from your position.
The Game
ArmA II: OA has a pretty decent storyline, although the campaign missions tend be a bit dull, but the main (and the best) part about ArmA II: OA is its mission editor. You can spend hours upon hours just messing around in its vast sandbox environment, and when you get bored of that, you can download hundreds of maps (a.k.a. worlds), items, weapons, vehicles, and soldiers from websites such as Armaholic.com . You can even download mod packs to make ArmA II: OA look even more pleasant to the eyes or to make it more realistic than it already is!
Summary
Overall, Armed Assault II: Operation Arrowhead is one of the best (if not THE best) graphically inspiring video game that was released in 2010. Filled to the brim (and overflowing!) by Bohemia Interactive with excellent landscape detail, picturesque mountain ranges, and aesthetically pleasing adobe homes, ArmA II: Operation Arrowhead will certainly be one for the record books. With endless replayability and a large community of active players who make their own maps, missions, and mods, ArmA II is bound to live on for years to come.
