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Nexon is a Korean publisher with a focus on free-to-play games. They are behind the smash hit MapleStory as well as Mabinogi, Kart Rider and the upcoming Sugar Rushthat we took a look at recently. Combat Arms is another Nexon title and it's a free online FPS in the vein of Counter Strike, Call of Duty and so forth. With the recession leaving most folks broke, we decided to check out this free game, from the regular updates to the Black Market, girl soldiers, rampant hacking and even LAN'ing this online-only game. We asked the Nexon crew a few questions too, so let's get started.

First off, Combat Arms is a 500MB download from the official website. Once it's installed, you need a Nexon passport, also free, to log in and create your soldier. Your soldier becomes your character in Combat Arms, gaining experience and increasing in military rank as you play. This is unique to Combat Arms and as you gain rank you get acces to new gear in the store. All your kills, deaths, buddies and clan are tracked through your Nexon passport.

Playing also earns you Gear Points, GP, that you can spend on gear. The more butt you kick, the more GP you get. There are over 30 weapons available, from pistols to shotguns, sniper rifles, rockets and even shovels for some hand-to-hand shovel action. Seriously. We'll get back to that in a sec. Weapons are customizable with scopes, silencers and different clips. You can also gear up with armor, clips, helmets and grenades. GP can also be spent to tweak your character's look, from a bit of eyebrow tweaking to a complete gender swap!

Like most Nexon games, stuff you buy doesn't last forever. You can get gear for a day, week, month or three months. You're basically renting your gear with points you earn by kicking ass. The good news is that while better gear gives you an edge, it won't make you uber. You can also spend some real money to grab gear without having to take the time to earn the points for it. But, the gear still goes away and there's nothing that's cash-only so players with time to kill can load up on all the best stuff without spending a dime.

Now, how about actually playing the game?