Sequel Operation Flashpoint made by the internal team of the British publisher Codemasters , Returned to the developers of the original game, Bohemia Interactive , and is considered a direct competitor of a military superpower Arma 2. Realism, military equipment, troops managed, sred to the Google Earth Landscape, four brave marine infantrymen … It sounds terribly familiar. But in fact, it was difficult to make two more dissimilar games on a modern military theme than the Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Riding and Arma 2.
Time control
These games are not competitors, at the sight of Dragon Rising, you should rather be wary of developers Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon and other console-oriented tactical shooters. The new OFP can be held at the gamepad without once looking at the tactical menu.
There are no tutorial or training missions and only the most necessary management tips are given. There is nothing to explain in the game. The movement route of your command is indicated by yellow markers, hostile Chinese – red triangles, key objects for mission are marked with numbers floating in the air. It is necessary to run until the yellow markers disappear, to shoot until the red triangles disappear, and to blow up until there are no more numbers on the map or the evacuation helicopter will be sent for you. It seems easier rolletto casino, nowhere.
Four marines in Dragon Rising is not a screw of a huge car, but the main characters of a colorful action movie. They will not hold the battle without your participation, and even more so they won’t win, your actions to save armored tones or destroy anti -aircraft guns are always the most important, decisive. All eleven missions of a single campaign in Hollywood are scheduled until the last second. The tasks are tightly limited in time: if you do not have time, the column will be destroyed, the offensive will choke, the helicopter will be played … Of course, these situations have about the same attitude to real fighting as the film “Rambo 3”.
All important events occur in specially designated decorations. If there is a long shootout, then there will certainly be picturesque ruins, explosive tanks with combustible or low concrete fences, because of which, as in a dash, the heads of enemies are protruded. If you need to knock down an experimental Chinese helicopter, then in the nearest box with ammunition, the Queen Bee rocket unit will be found. If the authorities authorize the call of the artillery and air support, then by this moment we will certainly find ourselves at the point from which the port or settlement teeming with enemies opens, the ruins of which will be smoked for a long time and effectively. And the “unexpected” turns of the mission (we are suddenly sent to hunt for the enemy general) would look much more natural if they had not been listed right in a briefing.
On the other hand, the Dragon Rising campaign is practically devoid of the plot. Minimum information is given about the actions of the US Marine Corps to save the oil resources of the island of Skira from the People's Liberation Army of China. No tragic hits for you in ambushes, abductions of the leader of the group and showdowns with Chinese superspreteans. Short briefing, a mission, a quiet mate in radio converters, mean praise from the authorities. Only war. Nothing personal.
Difficulty levels
AI behavior and the mortality of shots in Dragon Rising are the same at all levels of complexity, but something is still changing
NormalexPeriencedhardcore
Hipples Available immediately (mission goals, passage route, position of enemies by compass).The goals of the mission are shown only on a tactical map (while you open it and see it, they will kill), all the other markers are in place.There are completely absent, you have to shoot at random, focusing on the screams of partners. All movements – on a card without markers.
Points of conservation In many.Less often than Normal.During missions – absent.
Partners At each Chekpont, the fallen friends-Morpehi are reborn with full health.Partners no longer revive and do not restore health on Chekpunts.The same as on Experienced. Ghost Recon on Elite compared to this seems to be a peaceful walk.
Smoke on the horizon
Lakes are not so much different from the landscapes of Chernorussia from ARMA 2: the harsh northern nature, swaying grass, and during surgery in the village, among one -story log houses, you can generally think that this is the same game.
But in Dragon Rising, everything looks much more spectacular. Misses take place at dawn or at sunset: long shadows, a glow on the horizon, a cloud of smoke curtain rolled along the hills. Dramed technique in Dragon Rising continues to burn and smoke until the mission ends. And even at night – the lowland -shaped fog, the shadow of the helicopter, which closed the moon. There are always either a weak haze or a luxurious view of the lakes from the slope of the mountain, which “accidentally” passes the mission route … It is not enough to recreate the country or island in the smallest details – they must also be correctly covered, adjusted and served!
Military transport in the entire campaign has to be used only three times: twice Hammer, once – by helicopter. Railing jeeps in dust clubs last a few minutes, and the helicopter takes off, sits down and even shoot the enemy automatically, without our slightest intervention.
We are not offense at the developers: everyone already seems to be used to the fact that in projects of this kind, all forces go to the creation of the game world and the construction of mechanics, and there is practically no resources for the mission of resources. The modest Dragon Rising campaign hastily demonstrates the strongest aspects of the game – everything else will show in DLC, which developers plan to release almost weekly.
In the meantime, they use three main types of tasks: protection of convoys, the destruction of enemy armored vehicles and night sabotage. Of course, the potential of the game is enough for more, but what is it, it is realized very cool. There are no periods of inaction in Dragon Rising, we are always kept in maximum stress. If you need to make a kilometer march through the mountains, then be sure that transport helicopters will circle in the sky that plant groups of Chinese special forces so that your shooters have something to do.
Postcards from the front
Dragon Rising campaign is quite stupid, but spectacular. Below – four of its brightest moment.
Fruelment
The levels of complexity are selected so that the campaign will not work quickly. Even on Normal, it is very difficult to kill a Chinese soldier, but to get a bullet from him in the head and to die in place, on the contrary, easier. In a game where the area is visible 35 kilometers forward, it is quite difficult to even see the PLA fighter in an optical sight. And to get it … and in 99 cases out of 100, it turns out to be irreplaceable: it is necessary to send a bullet by a bullet until the Chinese stops moving. Theoretically, it is also difficult for enemies to dump you from one shot … But do not forget that a lot of bullets fly throughout the campaign in your direction.
In addition to fatal ones, light and serious injuries are provided. Blood must be stopped by a first aid package, if it is wounded in the hand, it will be difficult to aim, if in the leg, you will not be able to run. All wounds are completely healed by a physician who should crawl and stick into the commander of a department who does not stop fire on the enemy, a syringe. The call of a doctor is the only reason to recall the tactical interface. It’s not that it was difficult to figure it out – on the contrary, it is much more convenient than in ARMA 2: it is easier to divide the group, leave one fighter with a machine gun, send two guys from the left flank, and come in from the right. The partners are attacking sensibly, covering each other, squatting in the grass and throwing the enemy with grenades.
But the structure of the missions does not allow us to use these capabilities! We are always in timekeeping, after three minutes armored vehicles will go, and by this time we need to get rid of three teams of enemy grenade launchers. There are no tactical delights here – cautious partners simply do not have time. And not to sniper fawning from the distance – at the super -long distances of the enemy, it is too difficult to hook. So the tasks in Dragon Rising are performed in the best traditions Call of Duty : We fly along the route, try to get closer as soon as possible and defeat the Chinese in an open shootout due to our own accuracy and reaction speed. The developers do not allow to think and plan, the slightest delay or the only erroneous action is discarded, depending on the level of complexity, or to the last checkpoint, or to the beginning of the level.
* * *
A game where in one mission a do-it-yourself player destroys 40-50 Chinese, can hardly be called a serious simulator of military operations. Dragon Rising – it is the game, not a converted military simulator. Everything is smooth here, verified, and the developers from Codemasters are now a much more profitable position than colleagues from Bohemia. They do not need to catch a million bugs, mess with AI partners and equipment management (both are used in the game, they can be completely focused on the production of additional missions and addons. Because an extraordinary, memorable campaign is all that you need Dragon Ringing so that from a military shooter with an unexpectedly high level of complexity to become a really interesting game.
Reigracy – yes
Cool plot – no
Originality – no
Easy to master – yes
Evidence of expectations: 80%
Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 8
Sound and music: 7
Interface and management: 8
Waited? Operation Flashpoint chopped off all unnecessary; The result was a superficial, but very exciting shooter.
Mania rating: 8
"Great"