Saturday 18 May 2013

Operation Flashpoint: Red River

Stand Together


Tajikistan 2013, between Afghanistan and China, insurgent guerrilla fighters, the PLA (Peoples Liberation Army) and US expeditionary force face off in a deadly military flashpoint.

You and your fireteam can make a difference. How much is up to you, it's not the guy with the most expensive gun or the biggest heart who wins on the battlefield. It's the smartest SEMPER FI, MARINE.
 
In this edition of the acclaimed Flashpoint series, we take a short road trip from FOB Copperhead in the north of Afghanistan, into Tajikistan. The scenery looks much the same as most of the middle east, desert... Rocks... Towering mountains with snow caps. The graphics are awesome, and almost cinematic in appearance. I personally love playing the Flashpoint series as it's an extremely hardcore shooter, where there is no being pumped full of lead and walking away. Yeah, that's right, twelve year old C.O.D addicts wont like this one, it'll be too hard. Well, it's actually realistic in terms of how you can be killed and tactics employed by modern day forces. There's no indicator from where your being shot, so basically it's nothing like C.O.D or Battlefield. That alone is worth the purchase, the realism is refreshing from the crappy outputting of the same old crap that COD and Battlefield are renowned for. I especially enjoy this game because one bullet can kill you, and usually does.

From calling in JDAM strikes, Howitzer scatter pattern strikes or to call in the Wings of Death to unleash a deadly torrent of fire and brimstone upon the PLA or insurgents, you'll find these weapons at your disposal throughout the campaign. Weapons fire as they should, with bullet drop, jamming even employing damage effects and range effects for attachments, as well as environmental conditions. These can also affect how far your kill range will be. 


As the fireteam leader, it will be your orders that make or break the mission, and consequences lie in your hands. You'll be able to order your team to flank, rush, suppress and take control of mounted weapons, even to protect a certain target, just to name a few of the combat orders. You wont have access to combat support in every mission, but when you do have access to it, unleash a living hell on your enemy. If you're ever in doubt, pop smoke, retreat and re-group, then flank and attack.    

Sargent Knox is the Platoon Sargent of Outlaw 2 One, and is your direct commanding officer. You will find out about Sgt. Knox's 10 rules for survival within the game. He does display colorful language, so this game isn't for the kiddies, it only adds to the realism. The Sgt. also cracks a few funny jokes throughout the campaign. You will receive your orders from him directly, then it will be up to you to work out how you will achieve the goals of the mission. 


Gameplay is excellent with good replay ability. With firing mechanics that would leave most people awe struck, and some complaining its too hard, but if you're in the market for something more real, then this is a game for you. Also. it boasts kick ass graphics throughout the entire vista. Whether up close, or off in the distance, the graphics hold up to the havok engines beefy abilities, this includes the star filled night sky. 


My personal favorite part of this game is that it is more realistic than anything else on consoles. The ability to call in combat supports is a great advantage, being able to get access to theses isn't based on how many kills you get in a row either, which is good because the last time I checked, this isn't how the real military's around the world operate. It's a breath of fresh air into a stale genre, especially for someone who gets bored with multiplayer trash talking about darn K/D ratios.

  
In summary, this game is great value for money, with a high chance of being played over and over and over. There is a great campaign, extra missions in the following modes; CSAR, Rolling Thunder, Combat Sweep and Last stand missions. You can also download extra maps in "The Valley of Death" map pack. Being one of very few Operation Flashpoint games available on consoles, it's worth buying, just for a break from the mindless close quarters battles that feature in the dominating FPS games on consoles.

I Rate This Game 9 / 10

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