Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising

Operation Flashpoint 2 Dragon Rising is suppose to be a military simulator. But to me it was more of a frustrating pre alpha non responsive piece of crap. I was so excited to get this game and play it with friends and from what I heard it was gonna be the game that we left Call of Duty 4 for. Well we have never been more wrong in our lives. From the very first match I played I could tell this game sucked, I aimed down the sights of my weapon and It did not look right and I though "Oh well they must have just messed up this gun. So then I equipped a gun with a scope on it, and when I zoomed in the camera freaked out and went flying across the map like I was a bullet all of the sudden but with the scope glitching out all over the place. The AI is horrible and does not listen very often to what you want either. And I think the most frustrating part of this game is the randomness. I could kill someone with a few rounds of an M16, other times I unloaded several clips and did not kill the target. But the breaking point for me was in an online match when I had my pistol out after a long gunfight with another player. He was out of ammo and had his knife out. I start unloading bullets into him just an onslaught of fire, about 4 clips in I am yelling why is int he dying as he is running straight at me with his knife out. So he slashes me with his knife from about 10 feet away after I have unloaded almost all of my pistol ammo into him at a distance of 20-10 feet and kills me. So a knife slashing the air 10 feet away is more powerful than hundreds of round of ammunition. That was the last straw for this game that I really wanted to give a chance. I proceeded to take the disk out, put it back in the case take it outside in the rain and smash it into the grass with axes with my friends who are all in agreement with this game. It was kind of like the opening seen from Zombieland with the For Whom the Bell Toll Metallica song playing with slow mo smashing of the game. In conclusion this game is the worst of this generation and maybe of all time.

The games in the Operation Flashpoint series have always stressed realistic battle scenarios. With humble beginnings dating back to the Windows 98 days, Operation Flashpoint has been no stranger to those wishing to play a tactics-based modern warfare video game, and OP: Dragon Rising does not falter from that position.

Set on the fictional island of Skira, a locale mimicking the real life Aleutian island of Kiska, the player is put in the boots of multiple leaders of fireteams that fight their way through an ongoing battle for the island's rich oil reserves. The player is tasked with undertaking missions that range from covertly raiding fuel supplies, rescuing soldiers behind enemy lines and leading assaults into the heart of the enemy's strongholds.

It's pretty obvious what you're supposed to do right from the get go, however the lack of a sufficient tutorial might leave most players inexperienced with Operation Flashpoint's modus operandi a bit confused. Unlike games such as Call of Duty and Battlefield, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising puts you in control of a four man team. A small command wheel supplies you with a wide array of tactics and orders to give your men, such as moving to positions, assaulting buildings, defending marked waypoints and healing team members.

The game sells itself as a realistic, tactics-based first person shooter, and the word realistic is said with extreme emphasis. Bullets fired from players and NPCs alike all react as they would in real world scenarios. Players must aim their weapons according to height and distance from the enemy if they hope to get a good shot in. Players must also tend to wounds sustained on the battlefield, leg wounds, arm wounds and chest wounds begin to bleed rapidly until a field dressing is applied, fail to treat your wounds and you might just get the grand tour of the Pearly Gates while your Men continue on with the mission.

Difficulties range from Normal to Hardcore, normal supplying the player with checkpoint assistance and on-screen aids such as objective locations, ammunition and weapon information, health status and small signals seen emanating from the crosshairs as you hit your targets. Hardcore mode leaves the core of the game intact while robbing the player of visual aids and cues. Looking for a casual gameplay experience? You could play normal mode. Not like it would make much of a difference at all.

The AI is, to say the least, not all that I, however they are, for the most part, relatively sapient. Most of your enemies will stand around like targets until you shoot at them, only then will they turn around and find out where you're firing from before giving you a taste of their firepower as well. Spec Ops enemies act like well trained Spec Op enemies and the lesser grunts, if you will, act just like soldiers. Unlike the games stated at the start of this review, the firepower bestowed upon thine enemies are about as equal to yours as you can get. One bullet to the right area on your player or your squad will mean either instant death or an agonizing, drawn-out, screaming for mercy blood-letting until they're healed up by the team medic. If I'm going to give you any piece of advice here, it'd be this: Steer clear of rushing your enemies. There are way more of them than there are of you at any given point and they all have the advantage. Distances make differences, and close combat should be reserved for those moments when you're equipped with the shadows, your nightvision goggles and the automatic fury of a silenced machine gun.

As previously stated, the game relies heavily on realism. When we say heavily, we don't just mean "Oh, the guns sound like actual guns", we mean "Oh look at my shiny new pist-" before a bullet goes whizzing through your skull from 25 meters away. The run-and-gun, spray-and-pray gameplay that you've gotten used to from your CoD days should probably be left back at base camp before you decide to step foot in Skira.

In summation, if you're looking for a game that offers you the chance to explore what it's like to be a Marine fighting behind enemy lines in command of a group of battle-hardened soldiers that will obey your every command, then Semper Fi, Marine. But, if you're a 'lax gamer with a temper like a lit fuse in a puddle of gasoline, I suggest you waste about six dollars on a rental before deciding to own OP:DR. Seriously.

-Jack Sessna

At first it's ok, but then you will start noticing how boring and lifeless it is. Then it will start testing your patience. Gets pretty hard at times and 25% of the time you will get killed by friendly AI. Eventually, you will lose your pateince and start trying to rush and complete the objective real quick. Unpredictable friendly AI reaction to orders and bullet sponge enemies don't help either.

Red River is better. I finished that. And really like it.