What would be a good example of a huge, realistic sandbox, with ground combat and vehicals? How about Arma II. You can actually play that game without watching a 4 hour tutorial on youtube.

One thing this game does better than some of his older releases, is that it’s fairly stable. But it still is mired in outdated graphics, mind-numbing complexity that almost no one will appreciate (if it was fun and accessible, then the complexity would be a plus), and a truly ugly graphical experience make this game a real whopper.

Avoid

http://www.3000ad.com/2009/09/all-aspect-warfare-angle-of-attack-patch-1-00-35/

If you read the Manual and use a decent Video card(i.e. one not made by NVidia), then you should have a good play experience. The game is memory intensive, so don’t do anything else major while playing.

I have been challenged by his games in the past. Sure I have had some slam-your-head-into-the-desk-and-throw-objects-at-the-screen moments, but I think that is what makes his games stand out. Other games may challenge the first time you meet an obstacle, but not the 15th time you do it. But AAW will challenge you all 15 times, and you will actual get a thrill out of beating an AI almost as smart as you every time you win.

The sandbox experience is what keeps me coming back for more.

While the HALO crowd may not like it, thats their problem.

Master Chief wouldn’t survive 5 minutes in Derek Smart’s universe.