Preview – Operation Flashpoint: Red River

Originally posted on Destructoid.com

Back in 2009 Codemasters attempted to bring the Operation Flashpoint franchise back up to speed with Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. It received a mixed response from fans but earned a modest Metacritic score of 76% with mostly positive reviews from the gaming press. Over a year later and Codemasters is due to release the next game in the series, Operation Flashpoint: Red River, on the 21st of April 2011 in Europe and Australia and on the 26th of April in North America. With absolutely no competitive multiplayer aspects, a heavy co-op focus, along with gameplay mechanics designed to simplify and streamline the experience; is Red River the Operation Flashpoint game that fans and newcomers alike have been craving for?

Operation Flashpoint: Red River is set in the year 2013; a civil war has erupted in the country of Tajikistan and the US Marine Corps move in to quell the violence. However, when the Peoples Liberation of China steps in and orders the marines to leave and they don’t it’s up to you to make a difference as one of the US marines caught in the conflict. Codemasters promise a deep and involving narrative with strong counterinsurgency themes, cool dialogue without overly complex jargon and a more personal vision of conflict. They succeed in making you feel like you’re very far from home. Weapons and equipment all look well worn, used and dirty and the story unfolds through web cam like footage; an art direction inspired by the fact that most people stream their news through websites. Authenticity and realism are two of the key elements of the Operation Flashpoint franchise and Codemasters have not forgotten this when it comes to Red River’s graphical presentation. Where Red River’s presentation stumbles a little bit is how its story is actually told. Judging from the cut scenes and dialog sections we’ve seen so far, Red River shares a lot of similarities with Battlefield Bad Company. The characters seem like nothing more than US marine stereotypes and a good bit of frat boy humour is thrown into the mix together with internet friendly sayings for comedic effect. Of course there’s nothing actually wrong with this and it’s obvious that these have been put in place in order to reach out to gamers who wouldn’t necessarily be interested in an Operation Flashpoint game, but it does feel a little jarring when the gameplay sections are portrayed in a more gritty and realistic manner.

Operation Flashpoint veterans might be alarmed to discover the new streamlined direction Codemasters have taken with Red River. While Red River is still described as a tactical military shooter it is no longer referred to as combat sim. A number of changes have been made to broaden the appeal of the game and to attract the attention of the Call of Duty gaming crowd and the most obvious and welcome change is the heavy emphasis on co-op gameplay. The entire game is built around four player online co-operative play and allows gamers to drop in and out of each other’s games at any time. You can choose between four different classes: Rifleman, Scout, Grenadier and Auto-Rifleman. By playing through the game (single player or multiplayer) you earn experience which can be used to purchase new skills, perks or increase your characters stats such as running speed or accuracy. These are all carried over to every aspect of Red River so no matter what you do you’re always faced with a sense of progression.

At all times during Red River you play as part of a four man team so if you prefer to play offline then computer controlled characters will fill the void for any missing teammates. The AI has been drastically improved to feature what Codemasters has dubbed “convoy autonomy” which means that the AI will move independently and defend positions depending on yours and the enemies’ current location. They will move and take cover in places that give them the best defence and ability to suppress oncoming enemies and never stray too far from important objectives such as convoys. By giving the AI orders they will receive special stat bonuses such as increased damage and accuracy which should discourage players from being a one man army and simply have the AI follow in the wake of destruction.

Apart from the main four player campaign there are four other co-op game modes to play and challenge the world to via online leader boards:

1.) Last Stand – similar to Gears of War’s Horde mode. You face waves of enemies that become increasingly more challenging as time goes on. The difference here is that in order to score any points your team must signal for an extraction helicopter to come pick you up and you must board the helicopter to finish the map. It takes about 30 seconds for the helicopter to arrive and it can be shot down by enemy soldiers, so planning and strategy is the key.

2.) Rolling Thunder – An escort game type. You have a convoy that needs to get from A to B and you must make sure it gets there.

3.) Combat Search and Rescue – An objective based game type where you have to locate randomly placed objects and bring them home.

4.) Combat Sweep – A preset number of enemies are scattered across the map and it’s up to you to hunt them all down in the quickest time possible. Very similar to the Terrorist Hunt mode in Rainbow 6 Vegas.

As mentioned earlier authenticity and realism has always been a hallmark for the Operation Flashpoint series and while Codemasters haven’t forgotten this, they most certainly have changed the way you can play Red River to make this the most accessible Operation Flashpoint game yet. One thing is for certain though, if you play Red River the same way you play a Call of Duty game, you will be seeing the re-spawn screen quickly, as well as often. Strategy and pacing is vital in Red River and the game is noticeably slower than other military shooters which lends itself well to the tactical elements of the game. You’ll find out shortly after starting the game that one man army tactics will not get you far and will only infuriate your teammates. Movements such as going prone and reloading all carry a nice sense of weight and take time so forward planning and teamwork need to be employed in order to use all the skills at your disposal effectively without getting yourself killed. All the weapons feel unique which requires you to think strategically depending on not only your own position and gun equipped but where your teammates are and what guns they are using to secure victory. Distance and bullet drop is something you always have to consider and not every encounter can be won simply by running as close to the enemy as possible and shooting them between the eyes.

The biggest issue with Red River is the fact that Codemasters have employed a number of assist mechanics to make the game more accessible; the most noticeable being the “snap to” targeting and the sprinting which makes the game feel more arcade-y than perhaps Codemasters had planned. To be fair it’s not really a big issue especially since you can turn off most of the assist mechanics to get the more authentic Operation Flashpoint experience if you wish to and since it’s a co-op only game, there is no competitive disadvantage to turning these off. The main problem is that when you couple mechanics such as “snap to” targeting with heavy, slower firing and more realistic weapons, you’re left with a game that feels a little schizophrenic. It feels like a realistic tactical shooter that has elements of a faster reflex based military shooter and when you factor in the Bad Company style delivery of its story, you can’t help but feel that Operation Flashpoint has lost a portion of its identity.

Operation Flashpoint: Red River is still on course to be a good game despite the feeling that the game isn’t quite sure of how it wants to be perceived. What we’ve seen is a well thought out four player co-op, tactical military shooter that delivers a different experience from other military shooters out on the market. The co-op game modes are varied and fun and require genuine strategy and communication. Purists may not like the attempts at making the Operation Flashpoint series more accessible but it can’t be denied that what is left is still a fun game that you can play with your friends where you have to think ahead and plan instead of trying to be Rambo. If you are looking for a new co-op centric shooter then definitely keep an eye on Operation Flashpoint: Red River.