Very disapointing
I'm not really sure where to start with this game other than to say it pretty much disapoints on all levels. You're probably thinking that's a little harsh, but given what it was marketed as, then yeh, it's quite a disapointment. Contrary to what another reviewer said; the game indeed has copy protection in the form of securom. Gave me no problems and I don't object to it in principle either, but the first major problem you'll encouter with this game after installing it is that you're never prompted for a serial/CD-key. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if a game like battlefield 2 is plagued with cheaters and that has punkbuster and serials then there's really no hope for this game. A perfectly conservative estimate would suggest it probably won't even be a month before we start seeing hacks for this game pop up, and given there's no serial required, absolutely no way of banning the people using them and ruining the game for everyone else. Sadly this is a completely unfixable problem, it simply can't be rectified in a later patch and is a bafflingly major oversight on the developers part. One can only assume they couldn't even be bothered implementing such simple things to cut costs as the main sales platform, and what this was clearly made for, is the consoles.
Bluntly plundering into the problems of the game itself; Straight off the bat, this just isn't a military simulator, far from it, but more tragically it doesn't really get the simulator and arcade concession/balance properly either. I keep playing this game thinking it'll pick up but it hasn't yet. I've yet to play it for more than one hour at a time simply because it's just too boring. The campaign has 11 missions. A stratch over 2 hours in (about 2:05hrs) and I've completed 6 of them. To say this game is short is an understatment. There's some bonus missions you can unlock with codes (I'll provide the codes later) but they don't add much either.
One thing this game does get right is graphics/performace. I'm running the game full whack, 1680x1050, and 8xAA & 8AF and it never stutters, even during the heaviest combat sequences. I have a modest rig - ati 4890 and E6600 which fails to run Arma 2 in a fashion I would consider 'smooth'(20fps isn't smooth btw, incase there's anyone thinking their 'elite' rig can run it fine. You basically need a i7/i5 or rough AMD equivalent for a good experience with that game). This would be very impressive, were the game not so restricted. I could go through a list of what this game doesn't have compared to Arma 2, but in short it be a pretty long list. This brings me on to my next point, all this is fairly worthless if you're playing it online (not that I can even get online at the moment due to server issues) as there's no dedicated servers being run so it lags like mad. Obviously this being the case there will be no dedicated server admins to take care of the cheaters either.
I'll just finish things up by saying that there's no absolute game breaking bugs in the game but the AI is pretty stupid. Even on the hardest difficulty I found myself driving into enemy soldiers like I was playing carmageddon then jumping out and mowing them down with automatic fire. No, this isn't an exaggeration, the game really is that arcadey! People that insist otherwise are deluding themselves, I don't need to have served time in the military or have rapier powers of observation to have picked that one up. On other ocassions I've witnessed enemies looking away from me at 90 degree angles then strafe towards me while shooting surprisingly accurate. You can tell you're being shot at of course by all the dirt and rubble getting kicked up around you, presumably for cinematic effect. Epitomizes the game really - cheap thrills and visuals over any real substance. Which brings another extremely bizarre component of the game to light; the enemy AI always seems to be able to shoot within one or two meteres of where you're standing but rarely ever hitting you. This escalates to the aburd when you're faced with tanks and helicopters that would kill you instantly without standing much of a chance in real life to this game where they doddle around seemingly trying to miss you intentionally. I could go on about more points but I'll just quickly finish by saying there's also an absurd health system, and contrary to what any else says this game isn't tactical and is pretty much tantamount to a run and gun shooter. If you think that's too harsh then consider the fact than in real life, and a game like arma 2, that it takes a single enemy soldier a few seconds to kill you when spotted on the horizon. In this game you can literally spend a minute running around in full view of multiple enemy soldiers and miraculously you'll probably not get shot.
To conclude; This game is by no stretch of the imagination a simulator, it's not even 'tactical' for that matter. I resent giving this game a star rating because it clouds how good or bad this game really is, this review is only an opinion after all. As such you'll probably be able to tell whether this is the sorta game you'll like based soley on the points I've made. It comes down to this; if you're looking for an Arma alternative then you'll definitely be disapointed and find this game quite shallow. On the other hand, if you're more into casual, easier games and are easily frustrated then this game will probably be right up your street.
Great game, If you play it right
This is a great game and is alot of fun, especially if you get together with friends for the multiplayer campaign. However, you might find it a little frustrating if your'e used to the more fast-paced Battlefield and COD games as it requires a high level of patience (even more so if you decide to play on hardcore mode) and you will die ALOT if you just run in guns blazing all the time. That said, it does manage to immerse you in the action of the larger battles and the more open layout (You're given an objective and can complete it in any way you want) gives an overall exciting experience.
I haven't played much of the onlline PVP mode yet so I won't talk about that but my experience of the Coop mode is good with virtually no lag (although I have very good internet connections).
Basically, don't buy this if you're looking for an on rails arcadey shooter, but if you're open to a relatively new style of wargaming (or if you've ever played the Project Reality mod for BF2) this is a must have and can be played on many levels, whether you try to wipe out your enemy with sheer force or go the more tactical route.
Good game, although not your usual run and gun
You'll get the geek-boy purists on here that will moan about how this game aint like their beloved flashpoint or arma etc. Ok, fair enough. But aside from this small core, most people wont give a rat's bum. Ive never played the above two games, and I'm not going to go into meltdown because this aint real enough. This is, after all, a game and not Iraq (Thank God).
On to the game itself. Now, to be fair ive only been playing the PC version for the past 4 hours so Ive had v limited exposure to it. So far, I quite like it. My rig aint top-end, but it aint a piece of junk either but it does struggle a wee bit with this game at low to avg settings. The graphics, whilst nice (at this rez at least) dont make me want to reach for a new pair of boxers. It's all rather grey and dark hues of green. The multiplayer is fun, however i find myself running for 15 minutes, spending 5 trying to find the enemy only to get one between the eyes from an totally unseen sniper. In short, I can very rarely see the damn enemy. So, for all you FPS fans, this aint no run and gun. More like a run, stop, look, pop a few shots and get killed. V different from the usual mil based FPS. As I said, i dont want to judge too much from a very limited exposure.
On the down side, the movement oftens feels kinda clunky and the whole command system takes some getting used to. I havent mastered it yet and it feels v counter-intuitive. Possibly that's a bone been tossed to our console cousins. I also find the interaction with various bits of the world frustrating. Im running along and want to jump over a sandbag (2 ft high) and I cant. Maybe that's just me, but movement is frustrating. The final niggle is the amount of mouse clicks etc it takes to exit the damn game. I remember there was something very similar with CM's Assassins Creed. This is a wee peeve, but it's kinda annoying.
So, in sum this is a very limited review because of my v limited exposure. I think this game will be very appealing as I get used to it more and especially as players master the small combat unity type play that the online stuff requires. I think it will appeal to a maturer gamer. 7/10 so far.
About Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PC DVD) detail
- Amazon Sales Rank: #57 in Computer & Video Games
- Brand: Codemasters Limited
- Released on: 2009-10-09
- ESRB Rating: Everyone
- Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP
- Format: DVD-ROM
- Dimensions: .22 pounds
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PC DVD) Description
As the much anticipated return of the genre-defining military conflict title, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is set to take gamers as close to war as they'll ever want to get. In a shooter that recreates the brutal reality of the modern combat experience in stunning detail, Dragon Rising will challenge players to survive the chaos and rapidly evolving situations of modern warfare in a new contemporary theatre.
Players will experience the intensity, diversity and claustrophobia of a present day conflict from the unique perspectives of an infantry marine and a Special Forces officer, each engaged against the full force of the Chinese PLA on the huge open-world island of Skira. Gameplay simulates an immense conflict between advanced forces and provides unparalleled scope with different military disciplines, vehicles and equipment for players to utilise.
- 'Coastal Stronghold' Mission: Assume control of an infantry fireteam, raiding a key PLA coastal defensive position. Once the PLA defenders have been eliminated, the player will have to organise their fireteam to hold the location from PLA counter-attacks, improvising defensive positions and using any fixed weapons they can find to tip the balance in their favour.
- The most accessible, immersive, engaging, sandbox wargame: All 220sqkm of Skira Island is completely open to explore at any time and includes a real-time day and night cycle and weather system. Streaming technology means that the island is always there, and a huge 30km draw-distance allows gamers to see flashpoints around the island playing out as they fly, drive and walk around the map.
- The biggest military toy-box ever seen in a console FPS: Players can pick up and use over 60 authentic weapons and explosives in Dragon Rising and utilise 25+ PLA and US Army Vehicles.
- Action-packed co-op and single-player campaign mode: With the entire ca