Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PS3) Gameplay -No Commentary-

The original Operation Flashpoint on the PC was one of the godfathers of the Tactical Shooter genre as are it's subsequent sequels. I have still yet to play the original games in the series, so I will use the original Ghost Recon, and Rainbow Six as references. Tactical shooters are a different beast to "Modern" shooters. They are slower-paced, more methodical experiences where just taking one stray bullet can end the game for you. They can be incredibly intense because a couple of shots, and you're dead.

Dragon Rising was an attempt to bring oldschool tactical shooters to the 7th gen consoles, and while the game can be just as intense as Ghost Recon, and even shares the large, open outdoor environments with Ghost Recon (as opposed to the cramped indoor environments in something like Rainbow Six), there are a few thinks that hold Dragon Rising back.

While it does have huge mission fields, and intense tactical gameplay, and does a very good job as far as tactical shooters go at implementing all the things we love about oldschool tactical FPS games, the enemy A.I. is way too good, and your teammate A.I. is way too dumb.

As you can see at the end of this footage, I just got head-popped out of nowhere while driving the Jeep. The enemy A.I. is really good at killing you. That in itself isn't a big gripe, as previous games like Ghost Recon featured similarly too-good A.I, If it was just the enemy A.I. being too good, you can always find strategic ways to deal with them, finding better positions on the battlefield, and memorizing where they are going to come from. However, the broken teammate A.I. almost completely ruins the game.

As you can see in the footage, getting your friendly A.I. counterparts to do simple things like load up in a jeep, not run toward a sam site you just hit the detonator on to blow up, or to competently shoot enemies using the turret in the Jeep is beyond a hassle. Even giving them basic movement commands sees them slowly saunter over to the spot you told them to go to. Like they wanted to stop and pick flowers along the way. Earlier when I was trying to record a good sample, I told them to assault a building, they did the sweep and clear thing, they declared the room clear, I walk in and get popped by two enemy soldiers who are standing in the room. They also just leave you to bleed out most of the time when you are on the ground injured. They are pretty useless overall.

Overall, I do like this game, and it does at times have that fantastic intensity that makes this sub-genre of FPS games to fun to play. I think the game is at least worth trying if you are fan of either the original OF, or Ghost Recon. Just be warned that your squad-mates will be more frustrating than helpful.