Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PlayStation 3)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.5 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Chris Watters
• Reviewed on: 10/07/2009
• Released on: 10/06/2009
• Originally published on GameSpot: Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PlayStation 3) Review

Realistically simulating a modern military operation is no easy task. Every element, from the top-level command communication down to the way you reload your gun must be accurately tuned to create a believably engaging experience. Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising takes on this formidable challenge, and, for the most part, it succeeds quite well. The campaign is made up of long, tense missions in which you and your squad must traverse kilometers of terrain at a methodical pace, engaging enemies from long range and responding to dynamic battlefield conditions. Success requires patience and execution, and the reward for a completed mission is a strong sense of hard-won satisfaction. While most of the game elements combine to create a realistic atmosphere, there are some issues that hamper your immersion. Some sundry bugs will catch your attention, but the most notable problems occur in the behavior of your allies and enemies, whose battlefield awareness takes some awkward stumbles. Fortunately, you can ditch your computer allies for human ones in the four-player online cooperative mode. There are also two competitive multiplayer modes that offer a more action-packed experience and provide better opportunities to utilize your command abilities. Despite the issues that threaten to steer it off course, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising stays on mission and provides a tough, yet rewarding, tactical experience.

6232016NoneIt's not all bullets and scopes. Sometimes there are explosives!

The campaign takes place on a fictional island off the coast of Russia that has been occupied by the Chinese. The slick, stylish intro details the island's embattled history and sets the stage for your insertion. From there on out, there are no more cutscenes. There are just missions and briefing screens, the latter of which are accompanied by stirring Chinese and American musical themes. As you endeavor to complete the 11 campaign missions, you'll engage in a variety of conflicts. One afternoon you'll be flanking alongside an armored advance, while one night will find you and your squad traveling over hilly terrain to scout an enemy target. Each mission has multiple objectives and can take longer than 30 minutes to complete, which makes for a substantially varied campaign.

Though the missions are long, Dragon Rising's inherent difficulty level can extend them to be even longer. This is not an easy game, and it is easy to lose your life in the course of battle. You'll generally engage enemies from long distance, and a foe that is 100 yards away is dangerously close. By being cautious and handy with a scoped weapon, you can usually out-snipe your enemies. But hilly terrain, groves of trees, and small clusters of buildings ensure that you won't always be able to pick them off from a distance. Mortar fire, mounted machine guns, or a few bullets from an enemy rifleman can bring your mission to an abrupt end. On normal difficulty, there are a fair amount of checkpoints throughout each mission, so the penalty for dying is softened. As you bump up the difficulty level, your enemies don't actually get tougher. Rather, the game strips away helpful onscreen elements, such as indicators of your squad's health and the positions of your enemies. With these game elements removed, Dragon Rising feels more realistic, and the action is more tense and immediate. This makes victory taste much sweeter, but it also means that one bullet can erase 45 minutes of progress.

When you do get killed and have to play a section again, don't expect things to play out the same way. Depending on your squad's movement and effectiveness, the enemy may maneuver differently and employ different tactics. The same goes for any allied squads that are accompanying you. This flexibility makes the game more dynamic, and, for the most part, this is a good thing. Having to actively adjust your strategy is an appropriate challenge that adds realism to the proceedings. Yet because events can vary so widely, you may sometimes find yourself in a situation where it is nearly impossible to succeed--or even survive. Sometimes you can overcome these tough spots with persistence, but sometimes, you'll have to bite the bullet and restart the entire mission. Again, Operation Flashpoint's dedication to realism makes frustration easier to come by, which is something players will have to embrace if they hope to enjoy the game.

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Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PlayStation 3): $54.82 - $59.99

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