This week I playing two new, very different games: Trine, a physics-based platform game, and Arma 2, a military simulator.

They couldn't be more different... in more ways that one.

Arma 2 is running on a game engine that's been built, tweaked, modified and updated over ten years. Currently in it's third generation it is (allegedly) used in training simulators by military all over the world. All I can say is good luck to them... despite already being patched (twice) the game is STILL a mess! For example, during the later stages of the 'Boot Camp' (where you are supposedly 'safe) I was taking part in some heavy weapon training... no sooner had I picked up one of the designated rocket launchers when I started to hear gun fire. To start with, I didn't think much of it (there was a shooting range not far away after all) until the bullets started sounding like they were getting closer... excellent I thought, it's an attack on the training camp, a sort of live exercise, what a great idea... and then I took a bullet in the chest (surviving, just) and looked up just in time to see my instructor gunned down by the unknown shooter which ended the game due to a "training accident". I don't honestly think there was supposed to be anyone firing at us during the training/tutorial and I've no idea if it happens every time as it frustrated me so much, I've not been back into that part of the game (trust me, the training is tedious). Having read a few reviews and reports, however, I don't appear to be alone... maybe when it's had a few more patches, this hardcore shooter will be worth another look.

Trine, on the other hand, really is quite amazing. You play the game as three different characters (you can only have one on screen at a time), a wizard that can manipulate and create objects, a thief that can shoot things from a distance and grapple on to things and a knight that can hack things, throw things and block incoming attacks. Using each of their unique abilities, you work your way through the colourful and animated world tackling numerous monsters and physics-based puzzles. The sheer polish on this game alone really puts the flawed Arma 2 to shame. I've yet to find anything that is even slightly out of place. Yes, it is a simpler and smaller game (Arma 2 covers 225 km² and has countless vehicles and weapons to play with) but maybe that's the point... maybe if the developers of Arma 2 has concentrated on making a smaller but more polished game they would then be in a position to follow the current trend of releasing the rest of the game via DLC?

I don't know for certain; I am, after all, only a gamer and novice developer. All I know is the amount of time I've lost to Trine instead of Arma 2... and isn't that what it's about?

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~ Naiboss