(This is a Geeks.co.uk review being reprinted with corrected formatting and post review thoughts added) Publisher: Codemasters Developer: Codemasters Year of Release: 2009 Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3 The year 2009 will go down as a pretty good year for Operation Flashpoint fans. Not only did we get the sequel of a sequel in the form of ARMA 2 from Bohemia Interactive, makers of the original; we also got a new game from publishers Codemasters. But has the publisher kept the feel of the classic Operation Flashpoint? Or are they linked in name only ? Instead of the same basic USA vs. Russia scenario we have been tackling since the original, this time we’re on Skira; an island in the Sea of Japan amidst a conflict between the Americans and China. It turns out that Skira, which is owned by Russia after they stole it from Japan in 1945, actually has a huge amount of oil beneath its shores which lies untapped due to its depth. When the world economy goes south and China experiences a rebellion due to mass unemployment, communist hardliners decide to gather troops on the border near Russian oilfields, whilst also capturing the speck off the coast. Seeing as they can’t multi-task, Russia asks the UN to send US Marines to push the Chinese off. This back story is presented quite snappily in an animated video quite similar to the introduction in The Kingdom. That said, all the back story does is set the context and the opposing sides – there is no real political novel unwinding. ARMA 2 and Dragon Rising both start by establishing you as Special Forces preparing for a full-scale invasion. Where DR diverts is that it shows the campaign through various infantry roles instead of you taking charge of just one squad. This paradigm actually works better as open action games are generally terrible at relaying a plotline. The main problem with the story is a lack of escalation, it’s missing a bit of oomph. While ARMA 2 progressed from single squad antics to controlling resistance troops, you are always controlling a single team of infantry soldiers, there are no missions featuring control of an armoured vehicle or helicopter. The gameplay for Dragon Rising is similar to ARMA 2 but you are able to drive vehicles which is refreshing. The game feels more like a cross with the SWAT games which is primarily due to the radial command system, designed to make it a bit easier to get into than the overly complex and clunky system we have been using since the early days of 2001.It is easier to use than ARMA 2, but still isn’t snappy enough for someone trying to command a squad when in the thick of the action; despite being a multilayered system, there is no back key so one mistake and you’ll need to restart an entire drill down. This isn’t always a problem, but as soon as the shit hits the fan and you’re in the middle of battle, it all goes downhill. This actually links to a key problem with DR. It isn’t designed for a hardcore realism fan despite being marketed in that way. The game feels like a Call of Duty with a few changes: shots are affected by gravity requiring you to aim slightly higher. Your objectives can be approached from pretty much any direction and AI units don’t respawn. It plays like a more streamlined version of ARMA 2 and is quite enjoyable. However there are some major issues.First and foremost is the camouflage. I know the game is trying to be realistic but the camo is insane. It makes it virtually impossible and thus incredibly irritating to spot enemies at long range, forcing you to rely on the HUD. Additionally, it can feel like enemies take one too many rounds to take down, even if you shoot someone repeatedly in the chest with an M4 at close range. From this you can decipher that the game is quite brutal, which to some may be desirable but to most is very annoying. This is due to the AI flipping between an evil-genius level of tactic to a brainless one thus refusing to accept an order that ends in the entire squad being ripped to pieces. Finally, for a game based on the same engine as Dirt, the vehicles in the game all handle horribly. Jeeps are prone to tipping over the tiniest things even at slow speeds. I swear at one point a Humvee flipped over a pebble in the road. There is one blissful area where Dragon Rising beats ARMA 2 and that is in its graphics, sound and making the game run well. The artists on DR have done wonders on the island of Skira, making lighting very atmospheric and scenery very realistic. Effects like the gunfire look great with clouds of mud and smoke erupting where a shot registers. Weapons sound punchy, with a tank blast sounding terrifying as it resonates and trembles on the ground at your feet. The sound is generally excellent; voices which have been uniformly terrible since the original Operation Flashpoint actually sound decent with fewer mistakes than in sister game ARMA 2. The music is understated and atmospheric making it pleasant to hear when it is used. But of course none of this matters if the games doesn’t run, and DR runs perfectly fine on even a low-end system. With a two year old setup, I can still get a smooth 30fps at 1920×1200 with settings on full. It is much better than the pile of junk that is the ARMA 2 game engine. That said, Dragon Rising is not bug free, with some oddities appearing once in a while. Of course no Operation Flashpoint game can be without multiplayer and DR doesn’t fail to disappoint. There are the usual deathmatch and assault modes but also a number of other smaller multiplayer engagements which can be played in four player co-op. This would be great fun, if not for a fatal flaw made by Codemasters for the release. Despite recommending using a dedicated server, Codemasters failed to release dedicated server files on day one, requiring players to either play and host at the same time (therefore creating a worse connection) or dedicate a PC for hosting which in some situations just isn’t feasible. This was fixed but unfortunately it came a little too late. Additionally, the PC version (and PC version only) ships with a mission editor, allowing you to easily create your own missions on Skira. It is a little bit easier to use when compared to the ARMA 2 editor. Post release, the game received several DLC packs. These added some new maps and missions as well as the balance changes. However, the multiplayer never really seemed to be buzzing, with forums filled with complaints. Overall, Operation Flashpoint is not a bad game, yet it’s still shy of being a good successor to the original. It would be a good game for those moving from run and gun up to ARMA 2. If someone sat me down and told me to chose a game to be sent to war in, I’d choose ARMA any day but you find Bohemia’s game a bit hard going and are fed up of firing AK’s maybe give Dragon Rising a look.

(This is a Geeks.co.uk review being reprinted with corrected formatting and post review thoughts added)

Publisher: Codemasters
Developer: Codemasters
Year of Release: 2009
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3

The year 2009 will go down as a pretty good year for Operation Flashpoint fans. Not only did we get the sequel of a sequel in the form of ARMA 2 from Bohemia Interactive, makers of the original; we also got a new game from publishers Codemasters. But has the publisher kept the feel of the classic Operation Flashpoint? Or are they linked in name only ?

Instead of the same basic USA vs. Russia scenario we have been tackling since the original, this time we’re on Skira; an island in the Sea of Japan amidst a conflict between the Americans and China. It turns out that Skira, which is owned by Russia after they stole it from Japan in 1945, actually has a huge amount of oil beneath its shores which lies untapped due to its depth. When the world economy goes south and China experiences a rebellion due to mass unemployment, communist hardliners decide to gather troops on the border near Russian oilfields, whilst also capturing the speck off the coast. Seeing as they can’t multi-task, Russia asks the UN to send US Marines to push the Chinese off. This back story is presented quite snappily in an animated video quite similar to the introduction in The Kingdom. That said, all the back story does is set the context and the opposing sides – there is no real political novel unwinding.

ARMA 2 and Dragon Rising both start by establishing you as Special Forces preparing for a full-scale invasion. Where DR diverts is that it shows the campaign through various infantry roles instead of you taking charge of just one squad. This paradigm actually works better as open action games are generally terrible at relaying a plotline. The main problem with the story is a lack of escalation, it’s missing a bit of oomph. While ARMA 2 progressed from single squad antics to controlling resistance troops, you are always controlling a single team of infantry soldiers, there are no missions featuring control of an armoured vehicle or helicopter.

The gameplay for Dragon Rising is similar to ARMA 2 but you are able to drive vehicles which is refreshing. The game feels more like a cross with the SWAT games which is primarily due to the radial command system, designed to make it a bit easier to get into than the overly complex and clunky system we have been using since the early days of 2001.It is easier to use than ARMA 2, but still isn’t snappy enough for someone trying to command a squad when in the thick of the action; despite being a multilayered system, there is no back key so one mistake and you’ll need to restart an entire drill down. This isn’t always a problem, but as soon as the shit hits the fan and you’re in the middle of battle, it all goes downhill. This actually links to a key problem with DR.

It isn’t designed for a hardcore realism fan despite being marketed in that way. The game feels like a Call of Duty with a few changes: shots are affected by gravity requiring you to aim slightly higher. Your objectives can be approached from pretty much any direction and AI units don’t respawn. It plays like a more streamlined version of ARMA 2 and is quite enjoyable. However there are some major issues.First and foremost is the camouflage. I know the game is trying to be realistic but the camo is insane. It makes it virtually impossible and thus incredibly irritating to spot enemies at long range, forcing you to rely on the HUD. Additionally, it can feel like enemies take one too many rounds to take down, even if you shoot someone repeatedly in the chest with an M4 at close range. From this you can decipher that the game is quite brutal, which to some may be desirable but to most is very annoying. This is due to the AI flipping between an evil-genius level of tactic to a brainless one thus refusing to accept an order that ends in the entire squad being ripped to pieces. Finally, for a game based on the same engine as Dirt, the vehicles in the game all handle horribly. Jeeps are prone to tipping over the tiniest things even at slow speeds. I swear at one point a Humvee flipped over a pebble in the road.

There is one blissful area where Dragon Rising beats ARMA 2 and that is in its graphics, sound and making the game run well. The artists on DR have done wonders on the island of Skira, making lighting very atmospheric and scenery very realistic. Effects like the gunfire look great with clouds of mud and smoke erupting where a shot registers. Weapons sound punchy, with a tank blast sounding terrifying as it resonates and trembles on the ground at your feet. The sound is generally excellent; voices which have been uniformly terrible since the original Operation Flashpoint actually sound decent with fewer mistakes than in sister game ARMA 2. The music is understated and atmospheric making it pleasant to hear when it is used. But of course none of this matters if the games doesn’t run, and DR runs perfectly fine on even a low-end system. With a two year old setup, I can still get a smooth 30fps at 1920×1200 with settings on full. It is much better than the pile of junk that is the ARMA 2 game engine. That said, Dragon Rising is not bug free, with some oddities appearing once in a while.

Of course no Operation Flashpoint game can be without multiplayer and DR doesn’t fail to disappoint. There are the usual deathmatch and assault modes but also a number of other smaller multiplayer engagements which can be played in four player co-op. This would be great fun, if not for a fatal flaw made by Codemasters for the release. Despite recommending using a dedicated server, Codemasters failed to release dedicated server files on day one, requiring players to either play and host at the same time (therefore creating a worse connection) or dedicate a PC for hosting which in some situations just isn’t feasible. This was fixed but unfortunately it came a little too late. Additionally, the PC version (and PC version only) ships with a mission editor, allowing you to easily create your own missions on Skira. It is a little bit easier to use when compared to the ARMA 2 editor.

Post release, the game received several DLC packs. These added some new maps and missions as well as the balance changes. However, the multiplayer never really seemed to be buzzing, with forums filled with complaints.

Overall, Operation Flashpoint is not a bad game, yet it’s still shy of being a good successor to the original. It would be a good game for those moving from run and gun up to ARMA 2. If someone sat me down and told me to chose a game to be sent to war in, I’d choose ARMA any day but you find Bohemia’s game a bit hard going and are fed up of firing AK’s maybe give Dragon Rising a look.