I'll throw my hands up here and admit that Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising was never on my radar. I have some very vague memories of the last generation outing, and the conjure of frustration I also remember from that time. However, being a big boffin for anything co-operative, and after hearing that Flashpoint featured 4-player online co-operative play, I was naturally intrigued to slap on the face paint and find some grass to crawl through. Ultimately I just ended up playing the game which thankfully has a much larger landscape to crawl through than that found in my garden.

Gameplay:

There's no game out this generation currently that plays like Flashpoint, with the myriad of gamers who enjoy their Halo's, Gears of War's and Call of Duty titles, which for the most part succeed where films do in delivering high-octane action, or putting it simply, they make the player feel like John 'bloody' Rambo. It's a nice feeling, isn't it? Well, Flashpoint goes in the complete opposite direction, as opposed to the likes of Call of Duty which must have Army sign-ups at an all time high of games players wanting to put their 'skills' to the ultimate test. Flashpoint, as you might have guessed by now, does not feature John Rambo, you are not a super solider and if you play Flashpoint you are going to be killed.

Frustration, that's the word that sums up my first 10-minutes with the game, and yes, I like my Gears of War's, my Halo's, and my Modern Warfare's as much as the next gamer, sadly I am not John Rambo. Bearing in mind though, when I returned back to it with a co-op buddy, we had a blast sneaking around the woods in the dark and immediately dropping prone into the grass as soon as we heard the enemy chopper above – and there came a new found love for Operation Flashpoint. Needless to say, playing Flashpoint like the previously mentioned games will get you absolutely nowhere. Codemasters have a clear and distinct emphasis on realism, if you get shot, you're wounded until your medic heals you or you apply a field dressing. Naturally, unlike good old Master Chief, if you get shot in the face, there is very little use for a medic then, which gives a sense of caution to every decision made.

The biggest challenge is just getting accustomed to the squad controls, and learning the options as quickly as possible as you will have a few menus to go through to get to your desired option for your squad, whether that be to sending them on flanking duty or ordering them to quickly rush up a hill. As friendly bots go, they're not the greatest of allies, although they will occasionally save your backside and are worth having them close-by if only to send them in as cannon fodder to spot any enemies, and hopefully eliminate a few nearby ones for you, too.

The Flashpoint experience comes all into its own in co-op mode, where you play the same single-player campaign but can have up to three of your friends filling the boots of the previously mentioned friendly bots. Obviously co-op works extremely well in this regard, as you're no longer concerned about ordering your team around with a cumbersome menu system, but instead can bark orders at your friends and relay strategies, which works much, much better – provided your friends don't think they're still playing Call of Duty, that is. The added appeal of co-op play is that it also enables players to respawn a limited number of times, where as in solo play you would start at the previous checkpoint, which could be a good half hours jog from your current position. The only downside to coop is if your squad is unfortunate enough to all die, instead the game annoyingly does not put you back at the last checkpoint, but rather the beginning of the mission, thus giving an even extra emphasis on cautious squad tactics.

With Codemasters behind the game, and with Flashpoint using the ego engine, which Codemasters have used on some of their more popular racing titles, we would have liked to have seen some better handling for the vehicles. They're not good, it's extremely easy to tip a large truck carrying your squad mates, for one. Vehicles, you say? I may have nearly forgotten, but with the large scale environment, it is not uncommon to stumble upon the odd Jeep, which makes things much quicker for getting to your objective, as opposed to the 20 to 40 minute trek it might literally take on foot. Not forgetting the all too handy helicopter, and of course, everyone loves a tank. It's all here, although most of the time will be spent in the lovely green grass, contemplating on whether or not to take out the enemy on the hill straight ahead, or just save your ammunition and sneak on by.

Graphics:

Codemasters have delivered what not only plays like, as one might imagine a real-life war situation to be like, but they have captured the gritty reality of war from the rather fascinating black and white look of the main menu (including a fantastic alcoholic drunk singing) to the scope and scale of the battlefield. Other noticeable touches include character damage models, the gore is by no means over the top but there are nice little touches, such as if you get shot in your arm you will likely have blood smeared on your hand.

Flashpoint has a style that is its own and it's somewhat unfathomable how Codemasters have achieved such a feat. on the hardware, when taking into account the scale of the battlefield and the open-nature of the game, it really does look quite stunning at times. The only knock in the visual department is the horrendous low-res textures for some areas of the floor, although admittedly you are rarely going to see this as most areas are covered with lots of grass for you to crawl through.

Sound:

The sound in Flashpoint is incredible, there's no other way to describe it, with the amount of vehicles driving through the odd area, to helicopters scouting out last known positions, to even the birds tweeting among the trees in the evening, the game's sound is that fine finishing touch to the incredible atmosphere that is being portrayed.

However, then someone talks... and this is where that realism factor breaks down somewhat. For the most part the soldiers and many of the lines that are spoken throughout the game sound like they have been read from the dictionary, and then put together to make a sentence, this is where that much strived for realism factor breaks down. Many of the games lines simply sound like they have been read out as separate words, and later edited together to form the desired sentence. It doesn't help that realism factor at all, it's certainly disappointing that Codemasters could not or did not have the time to have these lines read out properly as part of the story, in this regard it very much feels like a disappointing rush effort in regards to Flashpoint's dialogue, which is a shame as the rest of the audio is done to such a high standard.

Longevity:

Like most war-torn shooters, there is a story that lays within, and like most shooters it is quickly forgotten about. There doesn't seem to be much emphasis on a story driven campaign, you mainly receive radio chatter informing you of your next objective, and proceed on. The missions themselves don't really offer up anything fresh in terms of gameplay, the new 'thing' though is really with choice, you and your team have multiple ways to engage the enemy, it is this that will keep your squad coming back for more.

Normally this is the area where I would cover the multiplayer offerings, although Flashpoint's is quite the odd affair. There's two modes in Annihilation and Infiltration, although it's difficult to find a competitive game with players. Typically people seem to hide in the grass for 20 minutes doing nothing, it's almost a case of who gets bored first and rushes in, ultimately to their timely death. With just eight players online for console versions, and the rather large environments, it's not offering up any addictive gameplay in multiplayer.

Hardcore difficulty will be one for the purists only, and represents an even further challenge for co-op squads looking to rack up Flashpoint's achievements. It doesn't necessarily represent any difference or increased challenge in terms of the enemy A.I., what it does do however is remove all the 'game' related aids. There's nothing on your HUD to indicate the enemies position, your ammunition counter is no longer visible, thus leaving you to judge when to reload, and further more there is no cross-hair marker for your weapon, leaving you to rely only on a steady hand and your weapons scope.

Needless to say, co-operative play is what gives Flashpoint legs. This is what players are going to be replaying with their friends, and besting the difficulties on offer, and ultimately making different choices through each play-through to make the game different from the last session.

Overall:

While there is a heavy emphasis on realism and tactical thinking, Flashpoint is certainly not without its flaws, whether that be glitches with the checkpoint system or the rather cumbersome squad controls. Fortunately these are nothing but mere annoyances, and soon forgotten about in an otherwise extremely well crafted co-operative experience.

For shooter fans looking for that realistic experience, there's nothing else as authentic as Flashpoint currently available. The adversarial multiplayer is unlikely to appeal, and the solo play may offer up some cumbersome squad controls, but the challenge is there for the gamers that crave it. Ultimately though, shooter fans in general that want a real glimpse of war on their home consoles, then certainly Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising delivers a thought-provoking and tense experience that is like no other.