$50 (USD, converts to about $61 atm), good price, EB has it up for $100, love steam.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/33900/

http://www.arma2.com/

I go one better

$50.95 AUD inc shipping
http://www.cdwow.com.au/games/Windows/ARMA-II-Armed-Assault/product/view/9017405

Yea I seen that, I was just putting it out there for those who don't want to import it from Europe.

holy s*** I just watched the trailer thing and that looks like sex on a stick! wtf is this game and why haven't I heard about it before now?

holy s*** I just watched the trailer thing and that looks like sex on a stick! wtf is this game and why haven't I heard about it before now?

Because the way BIS and their publishers handled it's publicity and release is appalling. But it is shaping up to be a great milsim, just like Arma1, though Arma1 was a little rough around the edges.

Arma II is already out in Germany but it's really a beta in the eyes of most. The 505 Games version for the rest of Europe and Aus will come soon, and be more complete.

Early impressions are good and a patch for the German release is out, hoping any major issues will be addressed before we get it.

Yeah I am keen for this game I love a good simulation done well.

Its looks very close to operation flashpoint or am i wrong?

Its looks very close to operation flashpoint or am i wrong?

its the same people who originally made op flashpoint, hope they get MP right this time...

Yea BIS made Flashpoint, Codemasters own the name, thats all. Still keen to see what Dragon Rising has to offer.

Hyper are you referring to the MP in Arma1? If so i think the warfare mode is staying but the fact is that just about anything can be modded by users, I have never played a standard MP game in Arma1, always a custom one (mission data downloads from the server when you join).

A number of people on the steam forums have reported German reviews giving the game really low scores. I'd hold off on buying until your preferred site does a review.

I can understand a fair bit of German, found some amazon.de reviews and they are all like "it's not perfect but it's still good", "it's buggy", etc.

Most detailed review I found so far is below (gave 1 out of 5 stars). They are pretty serious bugs, and typical of previous OFP and ArmA bugs. I'll still buy the game because it supports a developer that is pushing boundaries for military sims.

Wer Lust auf Bugs hat, kanns kaufen!
Hier mal ein paar Bugs aus der Verkaufsversion, die ich beobachtet habe (Fällt einem Entwickler sowas eigentlich nicht auf, wenn er das fertige Spiel mal für eine Stunde getestet hätte?):

- KI agiert entweder übermenschlich gut oder selten dämlich
- KI scheint manchmal immer wieder Funksprüche zu wiederholen, wie in einer Endlosschleife
- Manchmal reagieren deine Teammitglieder nicht auf Befehle und bleiben einfach in der Landschaft stehen, anstatt in Formation zu bleiben...im Gefecht ziemlich nachteilig ;-)
- Mein Panzer schoss einfach mal ein paar Meter in die Luft, als ich über einen Holzzaun(!) fuhr und landete auf dem Dach...sehr lustig, aber ich musste von vorn anfangen...
- in einer Mission konnte ich keine Artillerieunterstützung anfordern (Funkbefehl war ausgegraut und dann ganz verschwunden) und somit konnte ich das Hauptziel nicht erreichen
- Es kann auch mal passieren, dass der Hubschrauber, der einen unterstützen/abholen/hinbringen soll abstürzt (man beachte: sich selber zum Absturz bringt, nicht etwa vom Feind abgeschossen wird, was ja noch realistisch wäre) und man die Mission deswegen nicht beenden kann (dämliche Flug-KI).
- Als ich einen Strela-Rakenwerfer verwenden wollte, flog die ganze Zielvorrichtung hinterher und ich konnte erstmal im Wald suchen gehen.
- verwirrende Positionsangaben (Feind linke Flanke weit)...in Operation Flashpoint gab man wenigstens noch die genaue Richtung und Weite an (Feind, sechs Uhr, 1000m) - man wusste was Sache war. In ArmA2 darf man raten, von wem aus die Angabe gemeint ist, wie weit entfernt der Feind ist und wenn man sich gerade in Bewegung befindet wird das alles noch schwerer (zB, wenn man sich gerade dreht)
- Massenhafte Übersetzungsfehler, die teilweise sogar sinnentstellend sind.
- Miese Fahrphysik: springende Fahrzeuge, Wackelnde Flugzeuge und schlitternde Panzer, die man mit bisschen Übung leicht zum umkippen bringen kann.
- Die Animationen (Figuren, Tiere usw.) wirken künstlich. War aber auch nie Bohemias Stärke.
- Ich musste oftmals Missionen neustarten, weil ein Bug das Weiterkommen unmöglich machte.

und und und

Wenn ich bedenke, wie das Spiel gepusht wurde und wie realistisch es sein sollte, aber eigentlich nichts richtig kann, außer an allen Ecken und Kanten

Babelfish translation as suggested by bloke below, didn't think to do that sorry:

Who has desire on nose, kanns to buy!
Here times a few nose from the sales version, which I observed (is not noticeable to a developer sowas actually, if it had tested the finished play times for one hour?):

- AI acts either superhuman well or rarely dämlich
- AI seems to repeat radiograms sometimes again and again, as in a continuous loop
- Sometimes your team members react not on instructions and stop simply in the landscape, instead of in formation to remain… in combat rather unfavorably; -)
- My tank shot simply times a few meter into air, as I over a wood fence (!) drove and landed on the roof… very merrily, but I had to begin from the front…
- in a mission I could not request artillery support (radio instruction was expenditure-has a horror and then completely disappeared) and thus could not I the principal purpose reach
- It can happen also times that the helicopter, which supports one/fetches/to take is falls (one considers: to the crash brings themselves, not of the enemy one shoots, which would be still realistic) and one the mission therefore not to terminate can (dämliche flight AI).
- When I wanted to use a Strela Rakenwerfer, the whole Zielvorrichtung flew afterwards and I could go searching first times in the forest. - confusing position indications (enemy left flank far)… in operation one gave at least still the exact direction and width to Flashpoint on (enemy, six o'clock, 1000m)
- one knew which thing was. In ArmA2 one may guess/advise, from whom the indication is meant, as far removes the enemy is and if one is straight in motion becomes that all still heavier (e.g., if one turns straight)
- Massive translation errors, which are partly even paradoxical.
- Bad driving physics: jumping vehicles, Wackelnde of airplanes and schlitternde tanks, which one tilts with little exercise easily to bring can.
- The animations (figures, animals etc.) work artificially. Bohemias in addition, was never strength.
- I had to often start missions again, because a nose made a getting ahead impossible. and and If I consider, how the play was gepusht and how realistic it should be, but actually nothing correctly can, except at all corners and edges

Dude, if you going to post a list of stuff like that at least run it through babel fish first.

Hyper are you referring to the MP in Arma1? If so i think the warfare mode is staying but the fact is that just about anything can be modded by users, I have never played a standard MP game in Arma1, always a custom one (mission data downloads from the server when you join).

The original opperation flashpoint, i think more people played the demo than the released game MP, you could only join the gane before it started, you'd end up with 5v5 on a stupidly big map...

Hyper are you referring to the MP in Arma1? If so i think the warfare mode is staying but the fact is that just about anything can be modded by users, I have never played a standard MP game in Arma1, always a custom one (mission data downloads from the server when you join).

The original opperation flashpoint, i think more people played the demo than the released game MP, you could only join the gane before it started, you'd end up with 5v5 on a stupidly big map...

Oh well alot has happened from then to now, like Arma 1. That does not happen.

Yea Pinky I don't get why they did the German release/beta thing again, they did it will Arma 1 and it hurt there rep as the German version is not even the full release and got bad reviews all over the net, I'm not taking notice of the German release reviews, going to wait for impressions of the 505 Games version in 2-3 weeks. I guess they can't afford to do a proper beta, so they just use Ze Germans.

Yeah, well the dev is Czech (hence 'Bohemia'), so I guess for them a close, decent-sized market to do a test-run in is the Fatherland, ja? How many people do you need to test a game anyway, really? I wouldn't do a global beta if I was a dev.

It's neither here nor there for me. I loved OFP and I loved ArmA twice as much. Yes, bugs are annoying, and you tend to get more with their open-style architecture which allows for custom modding. Heh, I still have some 80% coded ArmA MP scenarios that I never managed to complete *sigh*

Yea true, but just cuz it's close, does not mean it stays in Germany, ppl just buy the German version from anywhere via download or import and get a bad name globally for it, Arma1 was rough around the edges but given that it's like 3 games in one, its still great. German bugs aside I hear it's a lot more polished than Arma1 was.

Sorry to dredge this bad boy up - did anyone buy from cdwow? Supposedly available from 16th of June on cdwow.

I just bought it - we'll see if it arrives...

someone please explain preloading to me

someone please explain preloading to me

Never understood the point, but the basic principle is you pay and download the game - but you can't run it. On release day you are suddenly able to run it. The point is for people with ADHD who have no patience don't have to wait for a download AFTER release date - they can have access to the game immediately on release date if they are able to download before release date.

someone please explain preloading to me

What's to explain? It's just another form of preordering. It's the same as walking into EB a month early and giving them ten bucks for a game. Preloading just lets you download the game at a time that suits you (and our crappy aussie download limits best). The only real upside to preloads is sometimes Steam offers discounts when you preload/preorder (Plants Vs Zombies springs to mind).

The only real upside to preloads is sometimes Steam offers discounts when you preload/preorder

Which is unfortunately 99% of the time outweighed by not being able to read a variety of reviews of the final game before purchase. I hardly ever think it's worth pre-ordering because before I put my cash down I like knowing if I'm about to buy a turd.

As Dahzel said, its a good thing if you are really keen for the game and can reasonably expect it to be good.

Some games on steam though don't preload before they are released. I purchased Overlord 2 recently and I had to wait till the release date before I could even download it.