The frequent web surfers among us may have seen advertisement boxes boldly urging us to try an online first person shooter video game that is not only multiplayer but also free.

Can things get this good or is another popup going to invade my computer screen? For those who wish to know; on July 10th, the Korea-based Nexon Corporation fired its first shots for an ambitious new video game that has taken years in the making.

The cover art for Combat Arms.

So how does Nexon’s Combat Arms measure up to more established video games like the Halo, Medal of Honor, Half-life, and Call of Duty series?

First off, Combat Arms marries the free massive multiplayer online role-playing game concept that Runescape brought into the world with the first-person-shooter genre.

Furthermore, Combat Arms introduces the concept of gaining in-game cash for admirable game-play and then being able to spend that cash on better items and weapons reflective of the player’s style.

Now for the overall game-play experience. Combat Arms simulates small-squad combat over multiple diverse maps. Well-received portions of the game include the diverse array of both firearms and support weapons such as land mines. Many have also praised the complexity and graphics quality of the maps.

What kind of gamer will enjoy Combat Arms the most? The weekend enthusiast? The lifelong first-person-shooter devotee? Combat Arms is unique in that frags are relatively easy to obtain due to the power settings on most weapons, allowing gamers of all skill levels to contribute meaningfully to their respective teams.

However, Combat Arms is not without flaws. Seamless integration of vehicles into the combat landscape, what many critics perceived as the best part of Bungie’s Halo series, is a gaping weakness in Combat Arm’s overall appeal. The only times vehicles have ever showed up in Combat Arms are either as background map wreckage or in one of Nexon’s promotional videos.

But don’t despair, many new maps and items have become available in the short time Combat Arms has been around and it is likely that Nexon will continue this trend for its current flagship game.

Within a few months, we may be looking at a next-generation video game that synthesizes the best elements of previous video game milestones, sets the bar higher for future first-person-shooters, and best of all is free.

For more info go to: http://combatarms.nexon.net/