Fans of the tactical shooter genre will be extremely happy to find out that 505 Games has decided to bring us a sequel to ArmA: Armed Assault, one of the most realistic games of its kind released in 2007. The game will be developed by Bohemia Interactive and it is expected to be released in Europe in the first fiscal quarter of 2009.

The sequel, entitled ArmA II, benefits from a game engine that has been in constant development for 10 years, according to Bohemia sources, which is from the start a huge advantage over other similar products. In fact, it seems that the developers are so skilled at producing realistic warfare simulations that they have used their Real Virtuality engine as the basis for training simulators used by armies across the globe, including the United States Marine Corps, UK Ministry of Defence and Australian Defence Force. So if you want a game where you'll feel like a real soldier, while avoiding the life-threatening risks of a real conflict, ArmA II will be exactly what you're looking for!

"After the success of ArmA: Armed Assault in Europe, we're thrilled to bring PC gamers more action-packed warfare with ArmA II," said Alex Price, the brand manager of the game. "This continues to demonstrate our strong support for the European PC market by publishing top quality titles."

The game will also come with a very detailed storyline, full of political intrigue and plot twists, which blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction. ArmA is set in the near future in a fictional Soviet country named Chernarus, where the player will act as a peacekeeping force soldier sent there by the United States to prevent further civilian casualties and ensure ongoing stability. Definitely not something we would see too soon in real life, but it's the gaming experience that matters to us, after all. And we'll get the chance to test it in early 2009.