A decent shooter, bogged down by a nickel-and-diming company and terrible community.
Graphics: 7/10
It's easy to tell from the screenshots and videos of the game that the graphics are not its selling points. While not terrible, they become a little annoying to look at after awhile. They suit the purpose of the game well, however, and don't really detract from the overall experience to a noticeable degree. They get the job done.
Shooting: 9/10
I know it's an odd category, however, shooting guns in FPS' can either be very fun or a huge chore. Firing weapons in Combat Arms is a blast, and it only makes it better when you hit what you're aiming at. Some of the earlier weapons are noticeably weaker than some of the later ones, and purchasing guns is an enormous chore if you aren't going to be playing this game religiously. There is no way to look down the iron sights without some sort of scope, and it's impractical even if you shell out the points to buy one. However, scoping is rarely needed on everything but Sniper Rifles, and the guns are accurate enough to hit something fairly close to you with ease. Just be prepared to burn through ALOT of ammo.
Sound: 8/10
The sound is another one of the game's strong suits. The guns sound extremely realistic, explosions are top notch, and the constant chatter over your radio, while sometimes annoying, sounds believable and more than suits the game's fast paced combat.
Gameplay: 6/10
The game types are limited, and rolled into basic objective and team deathmatch game types. While this makes the game somewhat mundane, the true bore comes from playing those games. If you are just starting out, with your starter M16 and 9mm Pistol, you will die. A lot. Probably more than you've ever died in your entire life. Yes, you will kill people, but you will die. Once you get rid of your crap M16, the game becomes slightly better, but is still immensely flawed. The maps are uneven, allowing a team that starts on a particular side almost certain victory in some scenarios. No team shuffling means endless frustration if you happen to be on the losing side. Oh, and those things that look like bouncing rubber balls? Yeah, those are hand grenades. Silent, deadly, and extremely annoying.
Market: 5/10
This is what kills the game for me. To own a gun, you must buy it in intervals. When you get enough money to buy a weapon, you buy it for a set period of time, either one day, 3 days, or a week. After that time, it expires, leaving you with your crap M16 again. Not only is this annoying, it makes you actually WANT to pay money for a free game, just so you don't feel the need to log on and buy fake money so you can get a permanent gun.
Overall: 6.5/10
Combat Arms would've been a good game, if it wasn't a chore to play. Honestly, if you want a good PC FPS, just go buy CoD4, TF2, or CS:S. You might pay money for it, but you'll keep your guns. Forever.