Operation Flashpoint Red River

Let it be said: THIS GAME IS A GREAT GAME! One thing that makes it so good is that the player have to work hard to find the most tactial approach to every given situation! This gives a great sense of accomplishment when the situation/objective is completed. In addition the game gives you credit(points) for not getting shoot, shooting enemies and using a tactical approach, which in turn gives you perks and so on!

I think people that state this game is bad maybe fell for the temptation of putting down the controller after 30 minutes of gameplay, in this game however, the player have to immerse himself/herself in every aspect of the games controls and workings to get the most out of it! It's just not handed to you like in more arcade-like shooting games. If you like tactical shooters and don't mind using an hour or so reading the field manual, this is THE GAME for you! If you like being the one-man-army-run-and-gun-hero-type maybe you should try something new, or not..you know best!

Dragon's Rising was a good game. Its Metacritic score of 7.5 confirmed this I'd agree with this score. I enjoyed the game but you could tell the thing was unfinished. Many complained about the enemy AI, but I'm a grown up and I can play a grown-ups game, the AI was not unbeatable and simply punished the player mistaking it for Call of Duty. It is the minimum the player should expect for such an insult.

However there were deep flaws. In co-op, team mates were unable to pick up enemy weapons and in single player mode the friendly AI often would not co-operate, was fiddly to command (especially over the map with the crap waypoint system) and often when you were bleeding out and needed help, you'd order them and they'd just sit there and watch you die. Not enough to ruin the game but something which should have been addressed at the Beta stage and definitely should have been patched within the first few weeks.

The friendly AI is far better, in fact they often pip you to. They do exactly what you tell them to, if they mess up, it's probably your fault. I felt I had a problem getting the friendlies on board a Humvee and wondered what was going on, but I had earlier asked one single team member to "Defend" a house and I forgot and as that house was some way back in the map (they're absolutely massive maps) and was after the previous checkpoint, he had to run back to me (you can speed this up with the "rush" order).

This was my fault. Official Xbox's reviewer made the same mistake and blamed the AI when clearly it was his intelligence that should have been criticised. In levelling his argument he criticised Codemasters for correcting one of the major flaws of the old game in that the AI actually listens now.

Gone are the maps, the waypoints ordering system for squad movement and for the most part when you enter a vehicle it is as a passenger. Hitting enemies is a little easier now with slightly larger hit boxes where in Dragon's Rising anything over 250 meters was a test in patience even when considering bullet drop. A great effort has been made to streamline the game - not dumb it but keeping things a little simpler when overcomplicating things would detract from the overall enjoyment of the game. It is much less a sim now, but still not a straight FPS as we've come to expect. I don't think the hard-core fans have necessarily been betrayed by the changes presented.

One thing I like about the campaign is the award of points and medals for your performance on a map. As well as the primary objectives, there are usually several secondary missions comprising of different tasks and this in addition to your aim, how much you got shot and your time all determine whether you are awarded 3, 2 or 1 point at the end of the mission. Each point can then be spent to level up certain aspects of your characters skills, just like the original Ghost Recon.

Weapon load outs and customisations are a cross between what you get in Graw and the customisations from MW2/Black Ops online multiplayer (red dot sights, ACOG scopes, silencers, grenade launchers etc - depending on class). There is less of an emphasis of weapon variety, but each gun is terrific and it's all about what you do with the gun not what the gun does with you. The emphasis is on strategy, tactical appraisal but this does not stop the game having some really good close quarters settings.

The co-op campaign is exceptional and probably the best multiplayer FPS experience available on the Xbox 360 at present. The single player campaign is also great and very satisfying; especially when you painstakingly get a gold medal you feel a great sense of achievement. Fire Team Engagements are also immense fun in both co-op mode and is also quite entertaining when playing alone.

The enemy AI on this game is far more forgiving than Dragon's Rising opening the game up for those who want strategy but don't want to be bogged down with a product that is far too serious for its own good. If you're looking for a Call of Duty type of game, then this will not be for you. If you're looking for a game which is more along the lines of the original Ghost Recon and Ghost Recon Island Thunder, then this surpasses those titles.

Unfortunately I feel that some functionality over squad orders have been taken away from its predecessor. The AI has been improved from the last game and are helpful in this game. However I would only recommend this game for tactical single player, if your looking for multiplayer then stay away. Multiplayer is not this games forte, plus you would be lucky to be able to find an online game.