Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising PC
War can be many things but boring it is not in Operation Flashpoint Dragon: Rising where you command a squad and fight your own little part of a wide scale battle over plenty of terrain.
Ratings:
Graphics & Audio: 21/25,
Gameplay: 23/25,
Creativity 18/25,
Fun 24/25
Total: 85/100
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is the sequel from Codemasters that pits your war fighting abilities and squad leader skills against an army. With the recent release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 I really do see a huge difference in first person shooter and tactical shooter that sets the two games apart.
While Modern Warfare 2 is a dazzling spectacle and a fun roller coaster ride Dragon Rising is a walk through real war and a tough lesson in the finer points of warfare. Dragon Rising is a serious first person shooter as well as a tactical shooter in that you cannot just go into combat with guns blazing and expect to survive.
As a matter of fact this game will show just how serious and slow paced some wars and combat can be with snipers always a possibility in war zones and the enemy somewhere out there. Dragon Rising is a wide open first person shooter where you start off your campaign as the head of a four man squad tasked with various missions such as secure a landing zone, take out an enemy SAM site or silence those anti aircraft guns.
Throughout the game you will be in charge of the team and they will look to you for guidance and orders which are quite easy to carry out using a radial dial order system. Technically the game is great for controls and handling your squad and your own gear but graphics and effects could have been a bit more polished.
The game is great but does miss the mark with a less than finished look in some of the effects and graphics but it works great for what it is, a slow paced realistic combat game. This is not your fast paced shooter like the Call of Duty series or Crysis, you need to plan and execute your objectives using not only your squad but every resource you have including the map and your gear.
Using things like waypoints allows you to get where you’re going without having to resort to popping up the map every few minutes which in the wide open sandbox of Dragon Rising happens even with them. Some things that truly stand out with Dragon Rising is the reality of the gaming and the wide open expanses you can use to your advantage.
When standing on a hilltop and seeing your objective two valleys over and knowing you can take literally any route you want and take as much time to get there is fantastic. Also knowing that there are roving patrols and even some help to your destination by acquiring vehicles that are probably near buildings or guard posts is nice.
Some of the missions do have a time limit but mostly you are free to tackle objectives in as much time as you want even if the commander of the battle is harping about getting your squad in gear. Many of the missions have wide open terrain with mixed cover and you can really tackle objectives how you want but you are forced to use the gear selected for each mission in the campaign and single p[layer missions.
You also use your map to find spotted enemies as well as finding your way along with your radial compass on your HUD that also has red arrows to help spot known enemy locations. You can just as easily increase the realism and get rid of everything on your HUD for the most authentic combat simulator I have seen.
Wounds and disabilities are also addressed with medics being able to patch you up and you can even dress a wound yourself but you will notice a decreased agility or the appropriate disability according to wound location. This added realism along with things like getting winded after running and unsteady hands due to that sprint mean a very realistic game.
This is not your quick run of the mill FPS game that will take you a couple of hours to run through the campaign or even those short ten minute multiplayer games on a two block long playing field. This is miles of battlefield with plenty of time to hit objectives even if you have to walk all the way and online multiplayer is large battlefields with up to 32 players and times up to 60 minutes.
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising may not be the greatest looking game with a few minor graphics glitches and things like effects that are not on a par with Modern Warfare. The realism and scope of the game surely makes it a best bet if you’re looking for a longer playing game both in single player campaign and multiplayer online gaming for a very realistic war shooter.
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising has also just been patched so some issues such as poor AI and some effects have been addressed which is nice to see in a new game. I really like when a developer or publisher continues to support a game after release and only a month after release they have patched the game already.
Included in the online action is the 4 player coop mode where 4 people can join forces to defeat the campaign game or any of the missions in it. This mode is a welcome addition for gamers who have friends who enjoy the game as well so you can get together on the same team.
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is a really good tactical first person shooter on a wide open sandbox battlefield but lacks the final polish for a better rating. This is warfare at its best with only a few disappointing features that keep it in the running as a great game but not an overall excellent one.
If you enjoy more sedate but still action packed and realistic warfare check out Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising that is also available on the Xbox 360 and PS3 as well as the PC version I reviewed.