Designed to realistically portray modern infantry combat, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising - the second in the OpFlash series - is a first person, squad based, tactical shooter. Are you trying to turn me on?! Seriously though, bundle the aforementioned elements into one game and you have a product I’m very interested in. Granted OpFlash hasn’t come about at an optimal time for a military shooter. Modern Warfare 2 is just around the corner, and most gamers are biding their time, not to mention sealing their wallets, until the 10th of November is upon us. But many are missing one minute detail; Dragon Rising isn’t trying to be Call of Duty. It’s a different breed of game altogether, but is it worth a look-in?
The entirety of Dragon Rising takes place on the Japanese island of Skira, with your squad of 4 - including yourself - advancing through open terrain. There’s virtually no character development, so at no point will you bond with your allies as you endure the hardships of military life, nor will you understand the background or history of the soldier you control. In fact, in a game with zero cutscenes between campaigns (yes, you read that right), emotional attachment seems to have taken a backseat entirely. Yes, Dragon Rising really is all about the apathetic side of war. This will definitely be a problem for some, especially on the harder difficulties where voice acting is completely absent from the game leaving you with little connection to those around you, but OpFlash requires your mind to be on other matters. Get the mission done.
This is the opening sequence of Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising as well as part of the first mission as played by me, CandyStoreRock. It will give you an idea of the tactical gameplay and graphical style of the game. If you’re sitting on the fence as to whether to pop into GameStation and purcase OpFlash this Saturday morning, hopefully this will help you decide either way.
Hype, huh, yeah. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Hype is generally considered to be testament to how good a game really is. So, for example, the more column inches a game receives leading up to its release, and the more buzz that surrounds it or the bigger the marketing campaign, the better the game is expected to be. However, I’ve always subscribed to the train of thought that hype can typically be the downfall of what is actually a decent game. For that reason I’ve never bought into hype. I generally approach any game with a lack of expectation, and for that reason I’m rarely disappointed.
Leading up to the release of a game I’m particularly interested in, I’ll deliberately avoid previews and development reports of how the game is panning out. I’ll inevitably hear or see tidbits as I’m scanning Twitter and perusing my feeds, not to mention I’ll obviously know the basic premise to be interested in the first place, but I never actively seek out information or spoilers. I leave any surprises ’till I have a controller firmly in hand, and this even includes the story, which generally means I’m rarely disappointed due to initial expectations not being met, because I haven’t had an opportunity to form any.
Tomorrow, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising hits the European market. I’ll be buying it based on… Well, I don’t actually know, because other than it being a tactical shooter known for its realism, I don’t know anything about it. This is how I approach gaming, because I believe conforming to the buzz media places around certain games can actually affect your enjoyment of them.
GAME is pretty much my last resort for game purchases, and today I remembered why. Sneaky tactics like hiding normal editions of games in the stock room, having only special editions — which are considerably more expensive — on display. It didn’t escape me, a regular video game consumer, but the more casual shopper could easily be fooled.
Oh, and the fact that every time I shop there my gender is somehow brought into it. “You would love Skyrim, you can play AS A GIRL!”. Not forgetting the time I queued for Crackdown and was greeted with “This isn’t a very feminine choice”.
I’d much rather throw my cash at the independent dealers, or even GameStation. Yes, I know GameStation was bought by GAME a few years ago, but there seems to be a huge difference in the attitudes of staff. GAME is run by suits. Sneaky, sexist suits.
Hmm. Uhh. Yeah. Skyrim. It’s massive. The quests are never-ending. My character has a mohawk. My class is Breton. Don’t follow me on Twitter if you want to hear zilch about this game. 300 alleged hours of gameplay? I’m being quite sensible, though, and still juggling life responsibly. Just.
Hmm. Uhh. Yeah. Skyrim. It’s massive. The quests are never-ending. My character has a mohawk. My class is Breton. Don’t