Customer Reviews

Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis

5 star:		(97)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I am currently in the U.S. Army and I must say that somebody at Codemasters/Bohemian interactive really knows what they're doing. As an avid FPS gamer I was drawn to the demo, but as a soldier I found it incredibly an deeper and more satisfying play than anything I've played previously (yes, Counterstrike included!)

My specific job requires me to know military equipment, and the models in the demo look like they came from right out of Jane's. This is real hardware, people; the T72 even has the fuel canisters in the back and the fording snorkel on the side. (I gotta try and shoot those fuel canisters one of these days ;))

The infantry in the game is also realistically modeled: you can't run forever with an M16, 4 magazines, 5 grenades, a steel helmet (we didn't have the kevlar helmet yet back then) and all your battle-rattle on and not run out of breath! Also, it may just be my imagination but I think you have to lead your shots ever-so-slightly for those long-range kills.

Don't let all this realism scare you; the game is still a blast to play. I've played it five times now (twice was all it took for me to pre-order) and it's never played out the same way twice. Sometimes the op's been smooth as silk, other times, it's only been me and one other soldier (usually the medic) who makes it to the pick-up at the end. You execute the op wondering what chance has in store for you, just like in real life. It's pure tension.

I was debating on giving the game 4 stars, due to the slightly longer but still forgiving learning curve on the game (particularly the clumsy menu-driven way in which you perform non-combat actions) However, seeing as how it's a pre-release demo, I decided to give it the beneift of the doubt. Hopefully the controls will be a little more intuitive with the final release.

P.S. A seemingly little-known feature that my fellow servicemembers haven't seemed to mention yet is the optics feature in the game: Press 'V' (default key) and you will actually look through the sights of whatever weapon you are holding, and you will see the REAL sight picture of an M16A2, PK7, what have you! It's a nice touch and it actually does make aiming easier.

This game will come the defacto standard in combat simulators for years to come. The only thing that comes close in realism is the free U.T. Mod Infiltration (five stars also), but INF can't scratch the scope of what has been accomplished here with maps and vehicles.

You'll need a fast computer and some tweaking to enjoy it, but if you got the horsepower be prepared for some of the most intense action ever seen. The Quake style of maps has been thrown out the window, your now in a lush world where everything is scale including buildings, aircraft, anti-aircraft, lakes, oceans and vehicles. The town you need to get to is 1.5 km away, hop in the jeep and drive there via driving simulator! Not in the mood to drive? Try your hand at piloting the A-10 or Apache that's over at the landing strip. Perform strafing runs on enemy convoys. Don't worry about getting shot down, just hit the eject button to realistically parachute to earth where you can continue your assault.

Ground combat takes a while to get the hand of, they broke the arcade mold and went for realism. Don't expect to survive long if your used to Quake styles of fighting. You have to run, crouch and crawl like it's the real thing. The bots are not dummies, they're hiding in the bushes waiting to pick you off.

This is the closest thing to virtual reality ever. If you wanted to see what future game design would bring us, you don't have to wait any longer. If you got the horsepower, get Operation Flashpoint.

Why the mixed reviews? Well, for one Operation Flashpoint is not your typical first person shooter.
Operation Flashpoint is a real time tactical simulation. Operation Flashpoint offers depth and realism that
no other war simulation can rival. Operation Flashpoint offers the experience of both the first person
shooter and a real time strategy, much like Sacrafice.

Graphics : 7
One of the more common complaints about Operation Flashpoint is the graphics. While the graphics are by
no means poor, admittedly they still fall short of the breath taking Soldier of Fortune : Double Helix or
even Ghost Recon. The soldiers look a bit robotic at times and the vegetation is obviously several cross
sectioned 2d images.

Sound : 6
Operation Flashpoint doesn't feature the copious amounts of ambient noises of games like Ghost Recon. In
Operation Flashpoint the sound effects can jump unexpectedly. One moment you hear nothing but the
sound of nearly silent feet pattering through grass when suddenly you jump from the floor shaking
explosions of nearby M1A Tanks. The radio voices are loud, scratchy and annoying. The voice
acting/timing leaves more to be desired.

Realism : 10
Operation Flashpoint features realism that even excels Ghost Recon. It would be impossible to list all of
the realistic effects of Operation Flashpoint, but here are a few examples.

Weapons:
The weapon physics are modeled with great detail. Everything has been accounted for including the
correct open sites, magazine capacity, effective range, distinctive sounds (firing, reloading), bullet wind
drift, bullet drop, and recoil. This makes skill a much larger component in the game. The sniper rifle
can flatten an enemy half of a mile away, if `you' can compensate for wind drift and bullet drop.
Just putting your cross hair on the target won't cut it anymore.

Vehicles:
The vehicles feature excellent damage modeling and handling. If the front tire is flattened the vehicle
pulls to that side. The airplanes and choppers respond realistically and require a great deal of practice
to master. In the case of some tanks, helicopters and planes a crew is often required to operate the
vehicle successfully. If the pilot of the vehicle is killed the vehicle spins out of control and/or crashes.
Trying to get to your extraction point 5 miles away? Grab a civilian truck, car, boat or even a tractor.

Environment:
Operation Flashpoint features a nearly limitless environment with hundreds of miles of varying terrain.
In most missions you'll find it will be necessary to find an alternate means of transportation.
The terrain ranges from valleys to mountains, from deserts to dense forests, from small cities to oceans.

Replayability : 10
Operation Flashpoint sacrifices the eye popping graphics for playability and this is ultimately more
enjoyable. What do I mean? I'm sure you'll notice after playing games such as Soldier of Fortune :
Double Helix, Return to Castle Wolfenstien, or Ghost Recon you'll begin to notice monotony of every
mission. Don't misunderstand me, they are all great games in their own right, but the missions vary little
and are fairly linear. In Operation Flashpoint you're usually given an insertion point and a set of
objectives, what happens in between is up to you. You might try sneaking into the enemy base, hijacking a
tank and taking the base by force. The next time you might try your hand at sniping the guards from the
cliff bluff overlooking the base. The possibilities are endless.

Difficulty : 10
This game isn't for the weak hearted or easily discouraged. Operation Flashpoint only allows one save per
mission and the missions are often long and very dangerous (One Shot, You're Dead).

Summary :
Operation Flashpoint is a fantastic game that offers depth and realism no other game can match. If that
realism and depth comes at the price of slightly sub-par graphics and sound, I think I can live with that.

I went to the store one day just feeling like buying a computer game. What caught my eye? I soldier with a sniper rifle on the front cover of the Operation Flashpoint box. I bought it, but to my dismay it didn't work on my old comp. So around Christmas I bought myself a present. A shining, brand-new Dell 8200 desktop computer. OFP worked liked a charm on this bad mofo. Soon i was emersed for hours at a time in a war fighting for my country against those damn dirty commies. The game is so realistic you wouldn't believe! It even starts you out with boot camp to train you for war. Then one night you're shaken awake in your barracks the night before you're going back home after your Army Reserve training. You're sent out on a mission as a grunt to liberate a town. From this mission on it's turned into a full scale war! Fighting and fighting. Then your squad and it's commander go down in a helicopter crash while evacing one of the islands. You're left alone and get picked up by the Resistance forces and have to fight with them until the US comes to get you. Then you command your own squad on a series of battles. Stopping temporarily to play a few missions as the roles of a Tank Commander, Helicopter and Plane Pilot, and a Special-Ops soldier called a "Black-Op".
You absolutely have to stay with your squad otherwise you will die! One or two shots kill in this game, sometimes, rarely, if you're lucky, it will take three shots to kill you.
You can put your weapon on your back and even salute or sit down when you're not fighting, but just waiting around. The models of the soldiers are amazing. And you don't automatically have binoculars to look through. Only the leader of your group does. In some missions a truck has to take you somewhere and you get to sit in the back while SOMEONE ELSE DRIVES! There are several single missions as well and plenty to download off of the internet. There's very realistic recoil of the weapons, especially the machine-gun which is kind of hard to get the hang of with it's big recoil. Firing from in a bush or something? Don't stay there too long or the enemy will see your muzzle flashes and lay down fire on you. Get wounded very badly? You can't walk anymore and have to crawl until you find a medic or first aid tent/center. Afraid of the fire-fight that's getting too intense outside? Go hide in a house or shoot out of it's windows. The enemies aren't idiots in this, they actually THINK. On Veteran mode they are crack shots. So watch out. When soldiers are idle you can watch them checking and cleaning thier weapons if they're sitting. The sound is extremely realistic, from explosions and gunshots, right down to bugs buzzing and bird chirping. The death animations are kind of lousy though. Not enough blood for a huge war like this in my opinion, but whatever. There's also a map editor. It's very difficult to learn how to use, but once you learn how the scenarios you can create are endless!

Upside:

WARNING: POSSIBLY CONSIDERED THE MOST EXTREMELY REALISTIC WAR GAME EVER!!!!!!! Graphics are AMAZING!!!!!! Sound effects are awesome. Map Editor provides endless createable missions. Several pre-made single missions. Tons of military equipment. And, for once you can be a GRUNT!!!! WOOT! WOO HOO!!!

Downside:
Multiplayer is iffy. Hard to get the hang of some weapons. Hard to get the hang of tank command. Hard to get the hang of troop command. Cheasy death scenes. I.E very little blood, soldiers don't flinch when they're wounded.

Donnyd
GameReview official reviewer.

This game offers a lot in terms of gameplay. However, if you are the type that enjoys Quake/UT style FPS (first person shooter) this game may not be for you.

Graphics: The graphics are extremely good considering the overall massiveness of the levels. Visibility range is obviously dampened a bit becuase in order for the game to be that realistic most pc's wouldn't be able to handle it. While not the greatest graphics they are still above par. As you get closer to trees and bushes, they become a bit boxier and pixilated. The other pitfall graphics wise is inside buildings. Because the engine isn't made for close quarters, it leaves a lot to be desired.
Rating for graphics: 4 out of 5

Sound: Ah, the sound. The sound gets pretty monotonous after a while. Everybody sounds the same on the radio. It's horrible but I guess with so many radio combinations it would be too much to do more than one. However, the radio is very specific when they tell where enemy units are located. It would be nice though if there was an option to list more than one at a time. For example, if you see three soldiers on patrol through your binoculars, you call them over the radio like this: "12 o clock enemy, soldier 500. 1 o clock enemy soldier 500" etc. It would be nicer if instead it could say something like "12 o clock, 3 enemy soldiers, 500" Oh well.
Sound 4 out of five

Gameplay: This is where the game is outstanding. Realistic reload times, keep your head down or it'll get shot. Some people didn't like the switch from soldier to tank commander or pilot but I thought it was nice. Being a grunt is stressfull. When it comes right down to it, I mostly enjoyed commanding my troops while holding back and sniping. AI is very smart. If they see bullets hitting the ground around them, they'll either run the other way or dive to the ground, making them harder to hit. The controls need to be tweeked but the missions are great and there are so many of them. You get to do so much that while there will be certain tactics you don't enjoy, there are others that make up for it. There is no one way to beat a mission and every way gives a great story to tell on the Flashpoint forums.
Gameplay: 5 out of 5

Pick it up, you won't be disappointed. NOTE: A lot of systems have a problem running it but if you search the forums and upgrade all your drivers, with a decent system, you shouldn't have a problem. I have a 500mhz AMD Athalon, GeForce 2GTS 256mb Ram and I have no problems with upgraded drivers.

Operation Flashpoint is a game like nothing we could see before. Is it possible that the complete game has been created in Czech Republic? Believe it or not, it is true. Moreover, Flashpoint defines absolutely new category of modern computer games, it is simply perfect and flawless war simulator featuring totally original treatment and excellent addictive atmosphere.

When playing Flashpoint, you can enjoy an absolute freedom and huge number of military technology at your service. You will drive tanks, planes, cars, everything you can imagine in a war conflict and the storyline is based on this unbelievable flexibility. Originally the game field should be located in Czech Republic but the authors finally decided that a set of imaginary islands would unleash all game advantages much better. But you do not have to be afraid of everything being fictive, you will find Russians, NATO armies and other well-known real nations and people.

The graphics is simply amazing. Of course, you can appreciate all details with very good and fast computer only [at last Pentium III 667 MHz, 256 MB RAM and fast 3D accelerator] but if you can take up with less graphics details, even a slower configuration is acceptable.

The best and most marvelous feature of Flashpoint is definitely the discretion in every game part. It is only up to you how you solve each mission and you can play the whole game again and again without using the same procedures.

I guarantee that you will not regret your money if you buy Operation Flashpoint.

This game literally blew me away once I started playing it. The visceral thrill of being in combat is so evident that you'll treat the life of the player as your own. Nothing beats seeing one of your fellow soldiers being blown to pieces by tank and grenade fire while you struggle to avoid the same fate. After playing this game, Ghost Recon is just terrible.

This is quite possibly the game that will spoil you for all other FPS like it. That thought alone may scare you away, but there's already an expansion pack out. Hopefully, this franchise will last a long time, since it is the only one you will ever play.

I've been playing this game for 3 months now and it keeps getting better thanks to the AWESOME mission editor. This is the most non-linear game out there. Simply awesome with limitless potential for any type of combat operation.

I think why some people may initially get turned off by this game is because it is HARD!!! This is not a doom, duke-nukem, max payne, linear game that you can blow through for quick thrills, level after monotonous level. You have to spend some serious time thinking about combat tactics, routes of movement, etc. I am an ex US army infantry officer and from my experience, this game exceeds anything I have seen so far.

The helicopters are awesome to fly once you play with them for a little while. The tanks are the only thing in the game I think they could have done a little better job on as far as targeting. I personally have no problems with the online play - if the host isn't there to start the game, that's the HOST's problem, not the game!!!

I like to play OFP to get the squad level view of things and then Combat Mission for company and larger size operations.

These games are getting good! Can't wait to see a WWII or Vietnam timeframe with the OFP game engine.

OstFront6

As an ex-Marine and a Gulf War vet I know a little about combat. This game could be used to teach small unit tactics. The only thing really missing is the smell. The way the AI utilizes Soviet bloc tactics in the demo is superb. I almost had to dig up some of my old military manuals to remember the "soft spots" on the armored vehicles in order to stop them! I couldn't believe it when the offloaded enemy infantry reacted differently every time I played the demo. Not only did they react differently every time I changed my tactics, but they reacted effectively and according to standard Soviet style doctrine. Somebody put some serious thought into designing this game and I tend to put some serious time into playing it.

Operation flashpoint is a Tactical first person shooter set in a 1980's "cold war turns hot" scenario. For those of you not in the know, while most First person shooters focus on rambo-style action, tactical shooters emphazise realism, planning, and ussually allow you to control a team.

The plot isn't exactly a novelty, A soviet invasion of a small group of Islands results in a serious clash between US and Russian forces. The story is enough to drive the gameplay however and make you feel you are fighitng for a purpose.

The game differentiates itself from others in the genre in many ways. To begin with, this is the first FPS I've seen that attempts to completely simulate combined arms combat, with a commitment to militarily accuracy. A complete compliment of 1980's military hardware is featured in the game, from abrahams tanks, to AH64 Apache Longbows, to T-80 Tanks, to a number of accuratley reproduced firearms. The selection is amazing. A large selection of machine guns, sub machine guns, grenades, tanks, planes, helocopters, APCs, and even boats are available. Each has SPECIFIC and very different features and specs. You can actually notice accuracy differences between rifles. And you can use ALL of them!

That's a BIG selling point for this game. Before Battlefield 1942 and other games like it, Operation Flashpoint was perhaps the first game to feature combined arms. So not only is it a first person shooter, but it's a tank simulator, a flight sim, and a driving game! And you can use ANY vehicle in the game. You see a car in a small town - get in a drive. You see a dead enemy soldier with a weapon, drop what you got and pick up his instead. You can even get in boats. This kind of freedom is definatley unusual.

The landscape and mission paradigm is also free form. You can go ANYWHERE. You are never limited as to where you can go in a mission, and you can get in a car and drive miles in the wrong direction if you so choose. You can complete any mission in whatever way you like too - sneak into a town and complete your mission, or jump into an empty enemy tank and blow everyone away.

Realism is a key emphasis. Get shot a few times, or once in the head, and you're dead. Get your legs shot up and you can't run as fast, or may have to crawl around. Shoot out a tire on a truck and it goes flat. Shoot an engine you might disable it completely. You have a compass and map, and a watch to tell time and there is a realist time cycle - it will change from day to dusk to night at appropriate times - and there is also weather variations. Run too long and you get tired. I've rarely seen such dedication to realism in a game.

This realism extends to graphics and sounds. All vehicles are accuratley rendered both inside and out. You can choose first person or 3rd person view, so you can actually sit inside a tank and look around at the inside. Detail is present in graphics - there is even a working speedometer on car dashboards! The use of sprites and less than perfect textures on some objects like houses and fauna limits the eye candy to some degree but otherwise the game looks really good, especially for being a 2001 release. Sound is great, and very realistic. Hearing bullets whiz by you or the reverb of a tank shot is enough to convince you that you're actually in danger!

The problems with the game are bugs. Motion is can be stuttery at times, and occasionally you'll get stuck, or pass through solid matter - if only the army got ahold of that technology! The controls for the various vehicles can have some issues, as flying is a real pain. Driving too, isnt perfect - OFP is a jack of all trades and a master of none. The realism also makes for a VERY difficult gaming experience at times. The WORST mistake was the choice to limit you to only ONE save per mission. A HUGE pain. You will no doubt have to play the same parts of a hard mission over and over and over thanks to this, and while it adds to realism, players should always be given the option to save more if they choose. This really can hurt the gameplay experience. I often become frustrated with this, especially since all it takes is one tiny wrong move to get yourself a in body bag.

Bottom line: This was a ground breaking game. If you love detailed realistic games and are a military enthusiast, you will have an orgasm playing this game! Just be prepared for a first person war simulation - NOT at all an arcade game. If you just like quick action then you best look somewhere else. This is a great game that needs some polishing, hopefully the sequel will address the flaws. I recomend buying the game of the year addition which costs the same and includes all the add ons and expansion packs.