Squad is a really good game for those looking for a middle ground between the authenticity of ARMA while still looking for some of the gamey-ness of Battlefield. The game is continuously being updated with a lot of free content on the roadmap, making your first purchase the only purchase you ever need to make to access all content (so far). Matches are usually around an hour long and involve working with a squad of up to 8 in a team of 50. Gunplay feels authentic while time to kill is still balanced. The learning curve is steep in totally understanding the game, but joining a squad and playing as the default class of rifleman is hard to screw up. The biggest factor for good games is the team. Poor communication or inexperienced leadership can make games drag, but on the flip side a team that communicates creates peaks that I haven't found matched by any other multiplayer shooter. I highly recommend this game, even for more casual military game fans, but do so with the caveat that it does take a few hours to really find the groove of the game. When you do though, you won't regret the time spent to get there.

ICO UPDATE:
Everything in my original review still holds true. There's a lot of griping about the new mechanics in the game, and I think its fair that it alienated some people, but that new niche is part of the appeal. The game feels a lot more strategic and like you have to have to rely more on planning/careful movement than pure reaction speed. That means its more punishing in some regards which can be frustrating for some players, but on the other hand it means the enemy has to do the same. Far less often am I being one tapped out of nowhere, and now instead fights can be drawn out with losses meaning we were out-positioned rather than just clicked on first. This makes it a lot of fun for me personally, but that may not be the case for everyone.

Squad is a really good game for those looking for a middle ground between the authenticity of ARMA while still looking for some of the gamey-ness of Battlefield. The game is continuously being updated with a lot of free content on the roadmap, making your first purchase the only purchase you ever need to make to access all content (so far). Matches are usually around an hour long and involve working with a squad of up to 8 in a team of 50. Gunplay feels authentic while time to kill is still balanced. The learning curve is steep in totally understanding the game, but joining a squad and playing as the default class of rifleman is hard to screw up. The biggest factor for good games is the team. Poor communication or inexperienced leadership can make games drag, but on the flip side a team that communicates creates peaks that I haven't found matched by any other multiplayer shooter. I highly recommend this game, even for more casual military game fans, but do so with the caveat that it does take a few hours to really find the groove of the game. When you do though, you won't regret the time spent to get there. ICO UPDATE: Everything in my original review still holds true. There's a lot of griping about the new mechanics in the game, and I think its fair that it alienated some people, but that new niche is part of the appeal. The game feels a lot more strategic and like you have to have to rely more on planning/careful movement than pure reaction speed. That means its more punishing in some regards which can be frustrating for some players, but on the other hand it means the enemy has to do the same. Far less often am I being one tapped out of nowhere, and now instead fights can be drawn out with losses meaning we were out-positioned rather than just clicked on first. This makes it a lot of fun for me personally, but that may not be the case for everyone.