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OPERATION FLASHPOINT: RED RIVER (X360)
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Publisher: Codemasters.
Developer: Codemasters. Released: April 2011 (Europe). Genre: FPS. Other versions: PS3; PC. Posted 23rd January 2013. By Shane Battams © 2013 |
As consoles become more of a predominant platform for shooters, we see developers transferring their series’ away from PC and into the console market. One franchise to make said jump was Operation Flashpoint, a tactical shooter from Codemasters which emphasised realism and challenging scenarios. It was deemed successful on the PC, garnering high critical approval, but it seemed the console was not a comfortable fit with 2009’s Dragon Rising. Short, buggy and visually displeasing, it was straight in the middle of mediocrity. Two years later and out comes Red River, a new sequel. And sadly, it feels like a huge step sideways.
Taking place during a fictional conflict in 2013 set in Tajikistan, Red River puts you at the head of a squad of four, known as Bravo Company. It starts out as an operation against a group of terrorists but turns into a conflict with the Chinese People Liberation’s Army around the midpoint. What ensues after that is a mostly plot-free conflict filled to the brim with typical jarhead banter. It’s far from engaging stuff; everything from the long-winded mission briefings to the persistently dry dialogue from Sgt Knox becomes grating before the third mission, let alone during all ten of them.
There’s certainly a sharper attitude to how it’s presented, but Red River is pretty similar to Dragon Rising. Ten missions are available, each taking place over expansive landscapes. There are possible side objectives, but once again there is more of an illusion of freedom as going outside the mission zone causes failure. There is certainly room for different approaches, but the objectives never change. And they become stale fairly quickly: it mostly boils down to clearing a compound of enemies, defending an area or retreating from said area before defending the next one. Red River is at least a fairly lengthy game, especially compared to its predecessor. The campaign will take a good ten hours and missions are ranked with medals, which reward you with points to increase special statistics such as assault rifle efficiency, therefore encouraging replays.
It's lucky most FPS fans' favourite colours are grey and green...
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...as they get to enjoy the full 2011 range here
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Like previous games, realism is high on the agenda. This comes under shooting mainly, with aspects such as bullet drop coming into play. The difficulty is also decidedly higher than other games, as one shot can be all it takes to drop you. Those bored of the ever-decreasing difficulty of shooters will find the challenge here refreshing. Another plus is the class system, allowing you to play the role of the rifleman, heavy gunner, marksman and grenadier. Each class comes with their own weapons and bonus perks, though much of it is locked under a level system. Each class can earn 20 levels through kills and objective competition, and each level unlocks more weapons and perks, meaning finding your comfortable class will bring rewards as you play.
Sadly, Red River is bogged down by a myriad of problems, jumping between nasty old habits and new flaws. The most noticeable is the A.I., both friendly and hostile. More frustrating are your allies, who stupidly fail to follow orders, run straight into your line of fire and stand in the open until they’re filled with lead. Hostiles can fail to hit you close range or freeze in a static position, but it’s not quite as bad as the previous game. Only land vehicles return this time, but they remain shoddy to drive which is odd considering Codemasters’ track record of driving games. The pacing also feels a little jumpy. Encounters are integrated between moments of travelling to objectives and long, tiresome driving cut-scenes where you listen to jarhead dialogue for a minute or so.
They say that things are best experienced with others, and perhaps Red River’s biggest selling point is its co-op. The entire campaign can be played with three other players and this naturally removes the issue of idiotic squad A.I. while making tactical plans easier to execute. Competitive multiplayer has been cut, but a new mode called Fireteam Engagements takes its place. Four types are available: Rolling Thunder tasks you to protect a convoy of vehicles, Combat Sweep lets you scan an area for enemies and caches to destroy, Last Stand is all about surviving waves of enemies and CSAR missions challenge you to protect to downed pilots on the map. The challenge is cranked up here and they also reward you with XP for each class, but with only two maps per mission type, it feels somewhat limited. A ranking system is still in place here though, so you’ll probably replay multiple times.
Sadly, Red River is bogged down by a myriad of problems, jumping between nasty old habits and new flaws. The most noticeable is the A.I., both friendly and hostile. More frustrating are your allies, who stupidly fail to follow orders, run straight into your line of fire and stand in the open until they’re filled with lead. Hostiles can fail to hit you close range or freeze in a static position, but it’s not quite as bad as the previous game. Only land vehicles return this time, but they remain shoddy to drive which is odd considering Codemasters’ track record of driving games. The pacing also feels a little jumpy. Encounters are integrated between moments of travelling to objectives and long, tiresome driving cut-scenes where you listen to jarhead dialogue for a minute or so.
They say that things are best experienced with others, and perhaps Red River’s biggest selling point is its co-op. The entire campaign can be played with three other players and this naturally removes the issue of idiotic squad A.I. while making tactical plans easier to execute. Competitive multiplayer has been cut, but a new mode called Fireteam Engagements takes its place. Four types are available: Rolling Thunder tasks you to protect a convoy of vehicles, Combat Sweep lets you scan an area for enemies and caches to destroy, Last Stand is all about surviving waves of enemies and CSAR missions challenge you to protect to downed pilots on the map. The challenge is cranked up here and they also reward you with XP for each class, but with only two maps per mission type, it feels somewhat limited. A ranking system is still in place here though, so you’ll probably replay multiple times.
Reading the last line of letters at the optician's seems to get harder with age
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The likelihood of bagging £250 from You've Been Framed seems remote
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Dragon Rising wasn’t exactly a pretty game for its time, but somehow Red River looks worse, looking more like an upgraded Xbox game than a 360 title of 2011. The murky colour palette and low-res textures are awful, while stiff animations and unflattering character models make matters worse. Though the world is expansive, it is mostly filled with three feet of dirt and hideously sparse buildings. Weapons look fairly detailed though, and the motion-blur effect while running and reloading is nice. Weapons also feel pretty powerful at least with potent effects, but the audio is bogged down by everything else. Random clips of music during transport cut-scenes are okay, but the limited selection causes repetition. Worse still is the awful dialogue. Cursing is frequent but not too off-putting, while the constant juvenile quips grow tiresome very quickly. Particularly grating is Sgt Knox, who talks so damn much you wonder why his head hasn’t been blown off.
Operation Flashpoint: Red River cannot be considered anything more than a huge step sideways. It’s no worse than its mediocre predecessor – mostly because it isn’t all that different – but a majority of the issues which plagued Dragon Rising remain present. Terrible A.I., poor visuals and the mere illusion of freedom plague Red River, undermining any attempts at realism. It’s got some appeal in its co-op focused modes and the possible benefit of challenge, but many will find the troubles too much to bear. Those interested in the above may do well with a cheap purchase, but many will deem this yet another operation failed for Codemasters.
Operation Flashpoint: Red River cannot be considered anything more than a huge step sideways. It’s no worse than its mediocre predecessor – mostly because it isn’t all that different – but a majority of the issues which plagued Dragon Rising remain present. Terrible A.I., poor visuals and the mere illusion of freedom plague Red River, undermining any attempts at realism. It’s got some appeal in its co-op focused modes and the possible benefit of challenge, but many will find the troubles too much to bear. Those interested in the above may do well with a cheap purchase, but many will deem this yet another operation failed for Codemasters.
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VERDICT
Visual: 3/10
Audio: 5/10 Gameplay: 5/10 Longevity: 7/10 OVERALL: 5/10 |