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::PUBLISHER::
Codemasters
::DEVELOPER::
Codemasters
::GENRE::
First-Person Shooter
::RELEASE DATE::
10/06/09
::PLAYERS::
1-8
::LIVE::
Players: 2-8, Players Co-op: 1-4, Content Downloads, Leaderboards, Player Stats, Voice Messaging, Voice Support
::COST::
$59.99
::FEATURES::
1 Player, Co-op, Multiplayer Versus, System Link: 2-8, HDTV 720p, Storage Device
Good: When everything runs smoothly, the game is fun
Bad: Most of the time it doesn't
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Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Review
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Read our take on Codemasters realistic military simulator on Xbox 360, before you decide to buy.
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Immediately upon loading Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (OFDR) you are greeted with a cutscene depicting the war in skira. Due to a complicated series of occupations and the island being rich in oil, China wants to attack the island and claim it for its resources. America doesn't like this and it's your job to stop them, pretty basic stuff right? Well the story doesn't get any more complex or interesting than that and doesn't really become a point you will focus on or care about.
The visuals in this game are going to be another point you won't focus on, except possibly how bland they are. While they aren't terrible, they seem to have only used 3 different colors in this game, just at varying shades. You will get so sick of brown and green after 20 minutes of playing. This really doesn't help as you can't tell the difference between your own allies and the enemy, since they are wearing the same colors it looks like they are also wearing the same uniforms.
The game plays out like most FPS' with a very familiar button layout. The things that are different from the others though are that you can command your squad through a radial dial brought up with the right bumper or using the map. By using the dial you are able to give commands controlling movement, rules of engagement, formation, and different tactics. With the map brought up and broken into grids you are able to command your squad to move a long a set path to do different objectives in different grids. So you could have your team move to a grid to eliminate the enemy forces, then from there move to another grid and defend it. This squad command is probably the coolest feature the game has to offer and is what would really sell the game had it worked correctly. The reason I say that is because the A.I. in this game is somehow less effective in this game than the friendly A.I. in older titles such as Rainbow Six Vegas. Though when the command issuing does work, it works well and it's pretty cool. Too often though you will make a command for a medic to heal a squadmate, only for the injured guy to run away because he is, I assume, more afraid of needles than death.
This being a realistic military sim, you are going to have to take cover, be stealthy, and make your shots count. In this game you do not have a regenerating health bar or med packs lying around the levels. If you get shot, it’s going to affect you in different ways. Shot in the arm, harder to aim. Shot in the leg, movement is decreased. Shot in the face, dead. You do however have a medic class that is in your squad and can heal you and you and other characters also carry field dressings to stop you from bleeding out, while only the medic can completely heal you. The guns are also more realistic and will have recoil you will have to account for. If you are aiming down the sites and try and hold down the trigger, 1 or 2 of your 30 bullet spray may end up hitting the enemy. You have to be really precise and make sure you burst fire when there is any distance at all. While some may be annoyed by that, it is a nice change of pace.
Most missions you start out getting orders barked at you over the radio, you then have objectives set on the map or in your display to navigate you across the island. It's pretty straight forward as far as objectives and completing them go. Though when the objective is to rescue another squad (whom you can't give commands to), you will end up with them dying and causing you to restart from your last checkpoint. This becomes especially frustrating when you even tell your squad to follow the NPC you are to rescue, and they simply refuse. You will however run into several missions that are pretty fun to carry out. A mission to take out enemy forces in a small village, calling in a howitzer strike upon them and watching the fireworks, can be a blast.
The game also features 4 player co-op over Xbox LIVE or system link. In this mode you play through the campaign with up to 4 players while the A.I. controls any spots not taken. This can be frustrating in part because of the problematic A.I. and more because you can all pull up the command menu and order the A.I. around, without communication, it can get confusing and things can go bad. If you do play with a full team, the game becomes more enjoyable but finding a good team can sometimes be hard to do. The game offers a competitive multiplayer mode as well, which you will likely try out and never play again.
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When the game is working smoothly, you will enjoy it. Watching a howitzer take out a small village filled with enemies and then cleaning up those left over, can be a ton of fun. The game however has far too many frustrations caused from bugs or the game just not working as smoothly as it could. If CodeMasters had taken more time to tweak the friendly A.I. and a few gameplay elements, the game would be pretty stellar. As it is now, the game is maybe a rental.
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