Game – Operation Flashpoint Reviews

Operation Flashpoint (PC)
A tactical, action-packed feast, Operation Flashpoint will put a smile on faces of all strategy gamers.

Operation Flashpoint is a game which has created quite a bit of buzz throughout the industry since it was announced. Now that the game has finally arrived, was the wait worth it? You better believe it.

In the past, most games about war, or militaristic in general, suffered from a similar ailment: the game was more or less the same throughout the experience. Operation Flashpoint is different. As you progress through the game, you will be promoted from rank to rank, eventually being given command of your own squad of up to 12 soldiers. Neat.

However, even when you get your own squad of soldiers, the missions vary. In one, you have to steal a truck, in another, wipe out an entire platoon of soldiers, in another you have to assassinate three diplomats from far away with a sniper rifle. It’s pretty wild.
With a game like this, realism is very important — you don’t want to get 90% of the way there, and then let the player run all over the place with enough weaponry on his back to put a hole in the world. In this case, this isn’t an issue — if you want to carry a weapon, you need to be able to physically carry it. If you are carrying a rifle, and want to pick up an AK-47, you have to drop it. You can only carry X number of grenades (or things grenade-sized.)

When firing a weapon, like in games like Counter-Strike, your accuracy is dramatically reduced if you are moving. When you are going to open fire on an enemy, always at least crouch, if not lie down, before you squeeze off a single round. This allows you to brace your weapon against both the ground and your shoulder, which will counter the effects of kickback drastically.

But the realism doesn’t stop there. There are lots of little things which you don’t pick up right away, but once pointed out make you go “whoa, cool!” For example, when you pick up the anti-tank rocket launcher, you carry it strapped to your back. When you see your shadow (shadows are real-time, and light sourced), the launcher sticks up above your head. When you run, you can hear your heart beat faster and faster, and you can hear your breathing become heavier.

It gets better. In games like Rainbow 6, you are restricted to one small area — there is always something blocking your path, be it a tree, a river, or a big pile of junk. Not in Operation Flashpoint. Each mission takes place on an island, and you can go pretty much anywhere you want on that island — as long as you have a ride.

Yes, you can get rides. Vehicles play a very important part in this game. Sure, you can walk everywhere, but why would you want too? See a guy driving down the street in a truck, and you need to get somewhere? Kill him and steal his truck. Want to fly around in a helicopter? Yup, you can do that too.

Have you ever been playing a game and found yourself unconsciously holding your breath because you were so engrossed in it? No? When you are playing Operation Flashpoint’s sniper assassination missions, you will. The feeling of OpFlash changes dramatically as you progress through it — the action may be fast and furious in some instances, and slow and calculated in others. Some scenarios may require you to use stealth, causing you to hold your breath — in real-life, not in the game. The only other time I have EVER gotten these physiological reactions while playing a game was Clive Barker’s Undying.

The multiplayer aspect of Operation Flashpoint was implemented even better then the single-player. Sure, you have your standard “kill everybody” deathmatch, but there is so much more. Getting together with up to 11 of your friends on a LAN and playing through a long single-player mission is nothing short of exciting. Coordinating your attack and then executing it with poise, precision, and audacity is amazingly satisfying. Don’t worry, there is online support as well, provided by GameSpyArcade.

There isn’t much bad that I can say about this game, quite honestly. I know that when I read a review of a game which is amazingly good, I start to wonder if there isn’t something else going on. With Operation Flashpoint, there were only two things which struck me as “bad.” Not show-stoppingly bad, but definitely something to make note of.

First off, the computer AI is amazingly, fantastically accurate when it comes to shooting you. Many times I would be lying down on the ground, taking shots at opponents from across the map. I’d miss (because I suck), and they would turn directly at me and hit me square in the head on the first shot from what must have been almost a kilometer away.

Second, the textures aren’t very high resolution — pixilation occurs when you get close to objects. Not a major problem at all.

Game Type: Action
Developer: Bohemia Interactive
Publisher: Codemasters
Multiplayer: Modem, LAN, Internet, GameSpyArcade
3D Card Requirements: 8 MB 3D Accelerator
Minimum System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/2000, Pentium II 400MHz, 64MB RAM, 2x CD-ROM, DirectX 8.0, 300MB Free Hard Disk Space, Mouse, Keyboard.