I think the games that became ArmA (forgot what the name was back then, Operation something?) predated it.
Operation Flashpoint. That was just after I think.
Damn, IGI was that old!
Yeah, I remember it standing out because unlike every other shooter of that era, it gave you a tremendous amount of freedom. Need to attack an enemy base? Scout it out from a nearby mountaintop or run around the perimeter looking for a weakness.
It was built using the engine that was in their Joint Strike Fighter sim, so just vast, vast amount of terrain to run around in.
Ah, I was mixing IGI with Söldner!
IGI was the good game, Söldner was the later one which turned out to be a dud.
Now that I would play!