Operation Flashpoint: Red River

Operation Flashpoint: Red River

Developer(s) Codemasters
Publisher(s) Codemasters
Producer(s) Adam Parsons
Series Operation Flashpoint
Engine EGO Engine using Havok
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
OnLive
Release date(s)
  • EU April 21, 2011
  • NA June 7, 2011
Genre(s) Tactical shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, Co-op (4 players)

Operation Flashpoint: Red River is a first person shooter video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by British game developer Codemasters. It is the sequel to Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising.

Gameplay

Operation Flashpoint: Red River is a tactical shooter. The player has the choice of playing the campaign co-operatively.[1] However, the game does not feature competitive multiplayer. The game does not feature a mission editor or SDK.[2] The player will be able to choose between four classes of Marines; rifleman, grenadier, scout, and automatic rifleman, each with their own weapons and abilities.[3] The player will gain experience during gameplay, which can be used to unlock weapons, attachments and perks. For example, a scout could acquire an enhancement that will reduce the amount of bullet drop.[4] The game's director Sion Lenton said "Operation Flashpoint: Red River is being built around four player co-op online play, complete with a strong narrative, new enemies and combat scenarios to deliver gameplay that immerses players in the reality of war like never before."[5] The enemies will be able to kill the player with a single shot.[6] The single player campaign will be divided into three distinct acts.[7]

The game uses a video camera style feedback in the game for the action. With shots near the player getting dirt in the players vision similar to a lens would, and damage scrambling the screen, along with losing stamina causes parts of the screen to scramble and freeze in some places until the player rests.

Plot

The player assumes control of "Outlaw 2 Bravo", a United States Marine Corps fireteam during a fictional conflict in Tajikistan in 2013.

A terrorist group known as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement launches mortar attacks on a U.S. forward operating base (FOB) in Afghanistan, prompting the United States to launch Operation Enduring Shield, invading western Tajikistan to wipe out the insurgent threat.[8] Outlaw platoon is tasked with capturing several villages and an airfield, along with defusing IEDs and taking several insurgent positions. The unit is then tasked with securing and repairing a dam, while at the same time reinforcing Forward Operating Base Viper, located close by.

Outlaw is ordered to quell the remaining insurgents located in a stronghold. After reaching the stronghold, the Chinese People's Liberation Army intervenes, having invaded eastern Tajikistan in retaliation for the ETIM massacring Chinese athletes during the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. Outlaw is ordered to slow the PLA advance while other Marines are evacuated to a secondary FOB. After Outlaw reaches the FOB, it is attacked by a PLA mechanized division. After a fierce battle, Outlaw barely escapes from the FOB, with their commanding officer telling them that they are the only unit who made it out.

The remaining marines conduct a guerilla war against the PLA. First, they ambush and destroy a PLA supply convoy in order to cripple the PLA supply lines. After that, the members of Outlaw learn that in order to halt the PLA advance in western Tajikistan, the remaining marines need to prevent a set of bridges from falling in the PLA's hands. Even though they are heavily outnumbered, the Marines manage to hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive from Afghanistan.

After the fight at the bridges the Marines start pushing the PLA back. They fight through PLA defenses and towns to secure an old fortress and establish a new FOB there. In order to have air support for the last battle, Outlaw attacks PLA SAMs at an old observatory. After knocking out the SAMs, Outlaw launches an attack on a town in the middle of the battle. After pushing though the town, with support from LAVs, Outlaw holds off a massive PLA counterattack with help from artillery and aircraft. In the end, the U.S. Marines push the PLA back across the border, into China.

Characters

S/Sgt Damien Knox - Outlaw 2's commander, he is fond of colourful language and has his 10 Rules 'to live by', of which he brings up at every opportunity.

Sgt William Kirby - The player, he is in command of the fireteam Outlaw 2 Bravo, one of 3 fireteams in Outlaw 2.

L/Cpl Daniel Taylor - A marine whose face is never revealed to the player, he is the quietest and possibly most sensible person seen in Outlaw 2. He is the second in command of Outlaw 2 Bravo, the player's fireteam. This is strange because he is the lowest ranking person in the fireteam.

Cpl Jose Soto - The scout sniper and third in command of Outlaw 2 Bravo. He takes his job as a sniper very seriously and realises the danger the enemy pose to him and his fellow marines.

Cpl Ryan Balletto - The machine gunner of Outlaw 2 Bravo. He is the least realistic of any marine in the squad, with a deep southern - USA accent with a trigger finger. He is portrayed as a redneck with a love for weapons, explosions and combat. In his video documentary he appears to be aware of how people see him, but claims he is not the 'loose cannon they make [me] out to be'. He is the fourth and last man of the fireteam Outlaw 2 Bravo.

Sgt Sorenson - A sergeant who commands Outlaw 2 Charlie, one of 3 fireteams. He appears to be one of the most stereotypical marines in the squad, almost never showing any sort of thought but runs off pure adrenaline, he always seems disappointed when Charlie gets the boring detail.

Sgt McGee - Possibly the most realistic character in the squad, he shows intelligence and leadership qualities throughout the game, whilst incorporating the stereotypical marine. He and Sorenson are constantly arguing, usually with McGee showing the brains behind the argument. He is in command of Outlaw 2 Alpha, one of the fireteams of 4 men in the players squad.

These are the only marines with known names in the squad, the remaining 6 (three from Outlaw 2 Alpha and Outlaw 2 Charlie) are never named except a couple, but it is never made known which particular marine they are. None of these 6 have unique appearances and follow those of the player and his fireteam. Knox, McGee and Sorenson all have unique appearances and strangely for a shooter game, do not have script armour and can be killed by the player but not by AI. The deaths of one of these 3 or the player result in a game over.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankingsPC: 67.20%

Xbox: 69.60%

PS3: 67.67%
MetacriticPC: 66[9]

Xbox: 69[9]

PS3: 68[9]
Review scores
PublicationScore
IGN75[10]
Strategy Informer80[11]
VideoGamer.com70[12]
PC Gamer45[13]

The game has received mixed reviews. Strategy Informer thinks the game fills in a niche between fast-paced action games and hyper-realistic military simulators.[11] VideoGamer.com says the campaign is of far higher quality than in its predecessor, Dragon Rising.[12] IGN was disappointed in player movement being locked to only a very small section of the wide-open terrain.[10] PC Gamer criticized the poor artificial intelligence of players' team mates and overly-macho voice acting. "Red River takes all the things the Flashpoint name is associated with – creative, emergent destruction and go-anywhere realism – and lets them wash away."[13] GameZone gave the game a 7.5 out of 10, stating "Operation Flashpoint: Red River isn’t your typical shooter. You’re not going to be a gunslinger, running into a compound to take out a horde of enemies like a one-man wolf pack. It’s a slower, more tactical, squad-based shooter that relies on teamwork, strategy, and finesse."[14] In September, 2011, it was however confirmed that Codemasters Guildford was about to be closed. The studio's recent project, Bodycount, was poorly received, as well as Operation Flashpoint: Red River. Codemasters official statement reads that “As Codemasters looks to take greater leadership in the racing category, the company is proposing a studio structure that adds resource and strengthens our best-in-class racing teams.” [15]

References

  1. ↑ Guy Cocker (6 August 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River First Impressions". GameSpot UK. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  2. ↑ "Community Questions Answered". Codemasters. 27 August 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
  3. ↑ Stephany Nunneley (5 August 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River gets detailed". VG247. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  4. ↑ Brian Leahy (23 November 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River Preview". Shacknews. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  5. ↑ Tom Pakinkis (6 August 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River officially announced". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  6. ↑ Words: Ryan Hodge, GamesRadar US (6 August 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River promises crazy realism, four-player co-op, a more personal experience". GamesRadar. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  7. ↑ Simon Priest (6 August 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River 2011". Strategy Informer. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  8. ↑ Martin Robinson (5 August 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River First Look". IGN UK. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Operation Flashpoint: Red River reviews". Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Operation Flashpoint: Red River Review". Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "We play Operation Flashpoint: Red River...". Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Operation Flashpoint Red River Review". Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Operation Flashpoint: Red River review". Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  14. ↑ http://pc.gamezone.com/reviews/item/operation_flashpoint_red_river_review/
  15. ↑ http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-09-14-codemasters-to-close-guildford-studio

External links