Operation Flashpoint Game of the Year Addition
Critically Acclaimed Wartime PC Strategy Game
Apr 20, 2009
This credit crunch climate is tough for gaming enthusiasts, and selecting the right computer game to spend all that hard earned money on can be a tricky dilemma. What looks good on the shelf, with its thrilling blurb and carefully prepared screen shots, can - after a very short time of gaming - end up being about as anti- climatic as Eric Bana in The Incredible Hulk.
However there are those rare games which, even after years, still retain their position in the forefront of the gamers’ collection. Games which are able to stand the test of time, and do not find themselves down the back of a chest of drawers, neglected to the point of ruin with their disks scratched beyond repair.
Operation Flashpoint Reception
Codemasters’ Operation Flashpoint is one of these prior rarities, and almost like a Mozart opera, it was a game horrifically under acknowledged when first released back in 2001. Although it attracted a great deal of critical acclaim, it was unable to cause much of a stir within the mainstream commercial markets, as most gamers were slow to comprehend the true significance of a completely non linear strategy game, which allowed the player to fight their way across a game map about the size of an English county.
Back then, the first person shooter genre was still being dominated by games like Goldeneye. Games which had little strategy to them, but were fast paced, intense and had huge playability. It is perhaps unsurprising then, that a game like OFP, with its realistic one shot to kill format, its emphasis on careful surveillance of terrain, and the time it took for the player to actually see any action, only appealed to a very selective niche market.
Realistic Combat Simulator
Indeed the logistics of the game could even infuriate the most seasoned strategy gamers. Although highly realistic, selecting a squad, equipping them with the right mix of weapons, plotting an approach on the map, covering the distance to the waypoint – sometimes two or three miles to run – only to be cut down after catching a glimpse of the enemy in the distance, could be incredibly frustrating.
However it is exactly these aspects which make the game so unique and –like warfare - intensely unpredictable. Flashpoint was dubbed ‘as close to war as you ever want to get’ and it is not difficult to see why. The player could find themselves fighting through dozens of enemy patrols without losing any men, completing mission objectives against all the odds and then at the last moment, when all the hard work has been done, have their entire squad torn to shreds by one well concealed enemy soldier with an AK47.
Operation Flashpoint Overall Review
So in this sense, the game has certainly inherited the feel of the army combat simulator it evolved from. It gives the player a small taste of the paranoia and chaos of modern warfare. Even though this may be from the comfort of their home, it is still one of those strategy games which will leave the player drained from the adrenaline, their computer mouse soaked in sweat, and is so unique players will go back to it time and time again. In terms of strategy first person shooters, this is the Holy Grail and an absolute must have, even eight years on. 10/10
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