PC, Playstation 3, Review, Xbox 360
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Review
Man, there were a lot of shooters released this year, but I’ve got to say, of those, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is hands down the most difficult. In games like Modern Warfare 2, Halo 3 and even Darkest of Days, you’re given rechargeable shields or health, but Dragon Rising takes it to the next level as the most realistic shooter I’ve ever played, in that most of the time, if you get shot, you’re dead. Top that with the fact that real life camouflaged enemies are hard to spot, and thus, game enemies are hard to spot, you’re going to take a beating as you play through this beast. I’d like to thank Codemasters for providing me with a copy of this to review for you. Released on October 6th for the Xbox 360, PS3 and the PC, here is Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising.
Tags: Codemasters, Dragon Rising, Gameplay, Operation FlashPoint, Review
Zeitgeist,
You did a great job reviewing this title. I am one of those “hardcore” players who was looking forward to this title before it launched and have been playing it on Hardcore Mode since it came out in October. The extreme degree of rendered realism, along with the complete lack of checkpoints (a feature of Hardcore mode only), did frustrate me several times during my playthrough of the campaign: I would find myself within eyesight of the mission finale only to get shot by an overlooked soldier and forced to restart the +30min mission from the title screen. I can completely understand how moments like these would deter most but the very hardened of gamers, but fortunately for me I fall into that margin. These were moments of gaming bliss that kept me rethinking my strategy and particular approaches to a certain scenario.
In regards to the lack of story throughout most of the campaign…While I do agree that there is little material presented between missions with which to grab your attention, I feel this “stripped and silenced” presentation is quite successful for the pacing of the game. If you want further information, its all there for you; equipment loadouts, mission briefings, force deployments are all at the press of a button. You are presented with the bare bone objectives for each mission, and thats really all you need to know, especially considering the difficulty involved (its likely not your first attempt at a particular mission). I found it very user-friendly when I’d just died after hiking over a kilometer and wanted nothing more than to get back in the action as soon as possible.
As far as multiplayer is concerned…In my experience, I’ve found that the peak times for Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising lie somewhere between 4pm and 9pm (EST) on weekdays. Weekends tend to vary. While it is rather disappointing to see only two or three games running on average, I’ve attributed this to the game’s demographic profile. Being more of a slow-paced and tactically intensive shooter, I believe that most gamers who are playing online are well into their twenties. With full-time job commitments and perhaps even a family to support, it makes logical sense that the most activity would be from the late afternoon and into the late evening. I’ll take the time here to offer a Word of Warning: most of the players online during these hours are of the hardcore variety and so if you aren’t prepared well you are in for the beating of your life. I can sadly attest to this fact as I’ve been in said beaten position a few times on days when I was feeling particularly impatient.
I feel you have done a fair job in presenting viewers with the facts and generally accepted opinions regarding this game. This is the first review of yours I have watched having only stumbled upon your website a few days ago. I look forward to perusing your library of reviews as well as watching your future ones.
Respectfully,
Hey there.
I couldn’t help but notice, you stayed truthful.
If I had done a review for this game, it would seem godly in almost every aspect.
BTW, you did not mention the 122.7 square miles of unforgiving terain that makes up the primary island; ultimatley giving it a wop shit tonne of replay value (moslty for Hardcore mode)
I recomend to ONLY play this on hardcore, you can improvise your own strategy as opposed to following the crap ass route that HQ gives you in the other difficulties.
My Xboxlive Gamertag: Eyeisbrooksy