Not just for our trigger pulling friends on the other side of the pond, Nexon’s newest runaway hit: Combat Arms is set to go live tomorrow, December 16th all across Europe.

As we reported back in September, Nexon started European testing with a closed beta back that ran from late October through earlier November, with great success.  Building upon this success, Nexon is going in guns blazing and live as of tomorrow morning.  The new open-beta version of the FPS shooter/team tactics game features a number of new maps, a new One-Man-Army game mode, along with an extended arsenal including new gears and weapons.  The launch will also feature an introductory event that will encourage players to show off their skills on the scope and reward top soldiers with top prizes.

Combat Arms is the newest free-to-play, microtransaction supported title from Korean pioneers, Nexon.  Their rise to fame came via MapleStory, but Combat Arms takes a decided turn and is geared towards fans of the first person shooter genre.  Players experience non-stop battle action in various terrain scenarios and are recruited to battle enemies in multiple game modes.  Retaining all the classic elements of a traditional FPS, Combat Arms ups the ante by providing players with a unique backpack system (similar but not identical to an MMO type backpack) which allows players to carry and combine various attributes of weapons for a customized gaming experience.  For example, attaching a long range scope might be handy while perched on a building top, but an extended magazine might come in quite handy for close room to room combat.

“The FPS genre is traditionally an area for hardcore gamers with a steep learning curve, but Combat Arms takes it to another level, offering a low barrier of entry with its free-to-play offering and low system requirements,” says Sung-Jin Kim, Manager of Europe Business Team at Nexon.

While the game is quick and easy to pick up, don’t be mislead by Kim’s statement, Combat Arms serves up more fast paced action that a rainspout in a downpour.  With, what I can only imagine, true to life action and combat scenarios, Combat Arms will keep you on your toes, and coming back for more.

An in game currency and experience points are rewarded after victories and kills, and contribute to a leveling system.  This in game currency may then be spent on character customization including additional weapons, scopes, silencers, and extended magazines.  Obviously, with a free-to-play title, for a small real money transaction, players can purchase addition in game cash for further customizations.

So here we go Europe: Combat Arms arrives just in time to work out some of that holiday season frustration with your best friends on the field of battle.  And the price alone, is enough to keep any Christmas shopper happy.  Good night and good luck soldiers; see you on the battlefield tomorrow!

Visit Combat Arms Europe at: combatarms.nexoneu.com

Related articles

• Nexon Announces Combat Arms Open Beta [Customizable Fps]
• A Million Enlist For Combat Arms [Combat Arms]

Tags: combat arms, first person shooter, fps genre, free to play, maplestory, microtransaction, Nexon, Sung-Jin Kim

This entry was posted on Monday, December 15th, 2008 at 10:10 am and is filed under industry news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.