Game Review : Operation Flashpoint : Dragon Rising

Alright Time for another Game Review. Last week I got my hands on the Operation Flashpoint : Dragon Rising. And here is my Review of the game.

Title : Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
Developer : Codemaster
Publisher : Codemaster
Release Date : October 6th, 2009 (US)

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Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is a direct sequel from the first Operation Flashpoint 10 years ago.
The story have evolve from the US army fighting the USSR in the coldwar to US Marines Fighting the Chinese PLA (People Liberation Army) in the near future.

There are much story behind OP:DR. It is very boring actually. There is no Big Bang Boom like Call of Duty 4. They just send you to do some mission with out a great detail behind it. It make you want to say "HAH? That's it?" in the end of the game.

With all the hype from the Codemaster about the game, I must say its a disappointment.

These are couple things that I found quite annoying in the game.

1) In Single Player, you can't even choose what weapon you want to use. They let you see what you going to have on the mission but you have don't have the flexibility to change it or put different attachment to it. You stuck with what ever layout they give you. So if you want a Sniper Rifle that your team mates have, you just have to kill him at the start of the level and pick up his weapon and ammo. IT SUX! I don't even know why the did this.

2) I see this mistake many many times in FPS shooting games. Only some of them get its right. OP:DR has make the same mistake again. (Codemaster claim that they have research the all the weapons in the game to the detail) YEAH RIGHT! Come on people!

The problem is at reloading sequence. I know, Not many people can see this problem because they don't have a good knowledge about guns. BUT! Mistake is a mistake. For example :

Some of US weapons with a Close Bolt system don't have to be cock it very time you change magazine. You need cock your weapon only the first time you ready it for combat. After that, if you change to a new magazine all you got to do is press the bolt catch release button and your weapon is ready to fire again. you do not need to cock it again and again. Even though not every weapon use this system, but many of the current US weapon using this system. eg (M4A1, M16, SCAR L, SCAR H)
I can brag more in this matter if I want. I Still find some other mistake on the reloading sequence. But that's for other time.

3) Both enemy and friendly AI are stupid. But enemy AI even more dumber. The enemy certainly don't have any clue about cover. When you shooting at them, they will star running towards you without thinking they can be pick off one by one. Some of them start shooting and some of them crawling on the ground. Easy pray for me and my team to kill them.
the friendly AI are stupid too. When you shooting the enemy, suddenly they will jump in front of you firing line. MY GOD how dumb is that? Again, when you ask them to clear a building and defend them. they will be sitting around about 40 m outside the building. And they do a lot more stupid things in the battlefield.

4) I am quite disappointed that in some level we are not allow to use some vehicle. For example I shoot a enemy helicopter pilot once. and the helicopter landed near my position intact. so I come running for it and try to board it my self. it turn out that you can't use it. the only time you got a change to fly a helicopter are only in Mission one and the last mission. Some times in one of the mission I found an abandon car so I think I want to ride it, turns out that you can't board it at all.

5) Checkpoints. OMG! it is really annoying! Codemaster once told us that OP:DR is an open world military simulation. You free to choose your way to finish your mission. It turn out you can do it! YEEEEAH! But there is a catch here. If you don't follow the way point they plan it for you, you won't get the Checkpoint. So if you die, you just have to restart from the last checkpoint you got. Not really open world huh? For example : After I save some POW, I need to take them to the EZ (Extraction Zone) I look at the map, the EZ are about 2 KM away from where I am. The way point tells me to go follow the road. But I say we go through the mountain to cut some corners. So I walk to the EZ through the mountain and countering light resistance here and there but no problem at all. When about 600 Meters away I found that our EZ just been occupied by the PLA and HQ say they won't land our bird there if the LZ is to hot. So I need to clear that place first. At this point you usually get a checkpoint, but since I don't follow the Way Point I don't get them. SH!T!!! So I fight these guys from a far. Snipe them one by one but unfortunately one of them shot me and I died! I have to restart again from the last checkpoint which is way way back. Then I say, ok then let's follow the road, which is a lot further then the mountain path but I got several checkpoint there. What so Open world is this game? Hmmm....

Is Operation Flash Point unplayable? I won't go that far. But indeed OP:DR is not for everyone. It's still a good game. It give you different feeling from any other FPS games on the markets. you have to plan your move carefully and observe the environment really really carefully. you never know where is the PLA might be hiding. One wrong judgment, you will be dead!

Shooting mechanic in OP:DR are quite different to from other FPS, you have to really count your distance. so when you are sniping you have to know how the distance from you to the target and you have to compensate the distance. Your binocular is really a life saving equipment here.


My Score
Operation Flashpoint : Dragon Rising = 6.0 / 10

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