Tags:
Journalism of Courage
This game has a fictional setting in Tajikistan in 2013. When a civil war breaks out,the gamer,in the form of a US Marine Corp must move in to deal with it. However,the Peoples Liberation Army of neighbouring China becomes suspicious. When they order the Marines to leave,they refuse,and the worlds next flashpoint erupts.
According to game developers Codemasters,its latest game Operation Flashpoint: Red River is a thinking mans game. And it literally means so. For,leaving your friends to go wandering off in enemy territory will get you killed in a little more than a couple of minutes. Red River requires strategy,planning and execution. It is not the slam and wham of popular shooter games like Call Of Duty,for example.
Codemasters,in fact,has done a commendable job of rebuilding a franchise that was destined to doom. After the initial Dragon Rising,this is its second popular game in the Operation Flashpoint series that it took over from Bohemia Interactive Studio,which debuted Operation Flashpoint with Cold War Crisis,and infused with new life. The graphics are sharp,the gameplay is easy on the fingers and has immense repeat value. However,this is not to say that the game is perfect.
The biggest letdown of the game is the long winding and unnecessary introduction to various levels,normally in the back of a Humvee or while you are strapped inside a Chinook helicopter. A hideous and foul-mouthed Staff Sergeant Knox lectures on about how to play the game. This is okay for a first-timer,but should have a skip option for experienced players. At the end of each level too,perhaps to heighten the sense of camaradie or to give gamers some time to relax,the Marines take a long walk to reach the end of a level. It takes away a lot of time while you sit at your console/ keyboard twiddling your thumbs.
The game also features a Hardcore Mode that will be appreciated by seasoned gamers. In fact,Red River transforms completely in this mode where you can run through levels working as a squad while clearing buildings and compounds and storm enemy camps while increasing your skill points and upgrading your weapons. It is quicker and far less painful that the normal mode.
In the final analysis,Operation Flashpoint: Red River is an engaging game once you get a measure of the enemys intelligence and the battlefield becomes a familiar backdrop. There are a few niggles,sure,but nothing that will put off any gamer,whether casual or experienced. Red River starts off with a lot of potential. If only it had lived up to its expectations,Red River would have been an absolute stunner of a game.
