"How often will you die?" It's a question that's pretty much asked to you from the outset of Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, and while casual gamers might shrug it off without a thought, make no mistake that it's not joking: Dragon Rising is hard, more so than any other shooter I've seen in a long time. Instead of a regenerating health bar that allows players time to get behind cover and regain life, Flashpoint will have your on-screen soldier gunned down in a matter of seconds should you make the wrong decision, too fast, too slow, no matter what the cause- just like in real life. For some hardened veterans of the genre and those who complain against war shooters, this could actually be seen as a good way of showing the sheer brutality of war to teens, but for the majority of players this difficulty present even on the 'easiest' setting will seem pretty unfair. The almost total lack of a plot doesn't help, the instruction manual telling you more about the campaign than the actual game does. So why does Flashpoint score so highly? For all its faults, I can't discredit this game for being too difficult for many as if anything that's a welcome refresher from being able to complete most shooters in a matter of hours and will ensure the maximum sense of achievement come game's end. Plus there's a multi-player mode where the realism takes on a whole new meaning of 'fun', and still gets extensive use even a year on from release. In short, want an unforgiving, unrelenting challenge that pays full tribute to the hardships our men face on the battlefield? Then get Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, and be prepared to die- a lot.
No comments:
Post a Comment