Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising

Geeks and fanboys love to argue and one of the longest standing of these ‘debates' has to be that of the PC  vs the console.  The Geeks will tell us (in l33t spk) that their displays are sharper and their controls more accurate. The Fanboys will then reply (IN CAPPS!!1) that consoles don't crash and you can play whilst lounging in your favorite armchair. It's all pretty daft when it comes down to it though, after all one person's meat is another person's terrorism. Or something...

There are some clear differences between the two; consoles have traditionally been your only option if you wanted to play the more esoteric Japanese videogames while in-depth simulation videogames have been pretty much exclusive to PCs. British developer Codemasters seems to have decided that it is time for that to change. Following on from the excellent IL2 Sturmovik, an in depth flight simulation, they are bringing the latest Operation Flashpoint game to Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Operation Flashpoint is a soldier simulation, so unlike most shooters you might have played bullets here are lethal, the enemy is smart and you won't be finding a gun which fires green electricity to help you through the hard bits! Everything about Operation Flashpoint is intended to be as close to reality as possible, from the orders you are given to the tools you use to see them through.

You play a squad commander in a small war for oil reserves on a Pacific island. As each mission begins you are briefed on what is expected of you and your team and it is made quite clear at this point just how many other units are relying on you hitting your objectives. As you start into the missions you are free to execute your orders as you see fit. Frontal assaults, flanking maneuvers, sneaking behind their lines to hit them where it hurts or ordering suppressing fire while you snipe the enemy from afar. All of these can be valid tactics and your computer controlled team of troops is more than capable of following your orders seeing your plan to completion. Of course you can have your friends play your squad mates if you want to play online opening up tactical options and cunning plans even further.

Missions are satisfyingly fluid as objectives are reached and retaliations can cause a shift in priorities and new orders from command. This does mean that this already fairly unforgiving game can catch you off-guard, but then it is war and on the standard difficulty at least the last checkpoint is rarely too far behind if everything does go FUBAR.

It is the scale of the game that makes Operation Flashpoint feel so real. Every mission, the entire island (and it's a big one) is open for you to explore and use as you see fit. Your binoculars become your best friend as you scan the horizon for signs of the enemy; if they see you first you are in trouble! In the larger conflicts you will be fighting alongside tanks and in the shadow of helicopter gunships, any of which could need your protection from enemy anti-armor teams. They will probably repay the favour before the mission is out too. Did I mention that you can call down the artillery strikes yourself? You even get to choose exactly what kind of strike to fit the destruction to the target and really have to be seen to be believed!

There is nothing else quite like this available for your console or PC. Other war games may be able to hint at the intensity and chaos of warfare but none get into the planning and tactics like this. It is a difficult game, initially just because of the option available to you in the field but later on because you will be expected to complete the sorts of missions spec ops teams are given in a war. Some missions can take time and commitment and perseverance, all of this effort is well rewarded with the warm glow of a plan well executed, even if the final plan bears almost no resemblance to the original one!