Operation Flashpoint 2 while offering some intersteresting and fun moments ultimately failed to deliver on enjoyment.
Overview
I am going to be really frank on my opinion of this game, it is complete and utter garbage. Now I tried giving the game a second chance, I did, and at first I was like, hmm well maybe this isn't so bad and then boom, this is garbage.
Now it wasn't the realism that made me not like the game, in fact that part I loved. It was the unrealism that killed this one and made it utter crap. You play as ether 2nd lieutenant Hidaigo (IE the good missions) and Sergeant Hunter (IE the utter garbage missions). The Hidaigo is more spec ops missions and Hunter is more front line missions. The difference is that with Hidaigo you can get some enjoyment out of the game and the later missions for Hunter all of the games issues compound to make a literally unenjoyable experience. Now I love video games so I get some enjoyment from this just because it is a video game but if you are not like me then I doubt you will find any enjoyment from this.
Some of the issues that this game has in the unrealistic department are, to begin with the fact that you can't shoot for crap and you're a marine. Now I don't know the exact details on how good they can shoot but I am pretty sure that they put bullets on tangos (enemies) like flies on stank. Instead you get to play as a guy that can't shoot for crap and you would swear just got out of boot camp. In the attempt to make it look realistic the developers created a nightmare with this where you could aim steadily, empty your clip, and still not have killed the guy let alone hit him (I in fact did have this happen to me at a distance which I should have been able to kill him instantly.
Another issue are the enemies health, which unlike the way you have it where one bullet equals potential death, they can take round after round in typical video game health. Issue with this it isn't realistic. I counted how many rounds it took to take a guy down, nine, nine rounds single fire to kill a guy. Now I am not a soldier so I can only assume here, but I am pretty sure after the 5 bullet your arse would be on the ground but not that guy.
A newer and later issue I found in the game is random explosions. Gone is the need for a rockets smoke trail and now replaced by unrealistic death. As my brother watched a rocket went right pass my humvee a complete miss by a foot and then the humvee exploded. I am not kidding on that ether, and worse your rockets don't hit crap for crap. They will veer off and smack the ground instead of their intended targets. Yours are also slow as all crap as revealed to me when I was trying to take out an attack helicopter in one mission which I didn't succeed at as my rockets were to slow and the helicopter could just move out of the way like the rockets were nothing. You can't kill the helicopter pilot with gun fire ether (something that would be realistic) by shooting into the cockpit nor can you shoot the helicopter down with bullets ether (damaging parts not just bang, bang, boom).
Worst of all is the AI which is only slightly above Halo AI (for those that don't know the marines in halo are butt freaking stupid). They can't do a freaking thing right, which kills your ability to effectively flank or do anything worthwhile. They don't duck when they need to, they don't follow you over a simple barricade (specifically happened), and they will stand occasionally when you are downed right in front of you and not heal you after you have told them to do so. Basically they are about useless except for the fact they can shoot enemies.
Now the story while interesting will not have you wanting to fight. It is about oil, which is made abundantly clear. Sure you are also attempting to prevent a major war between Russia and China but when you think about it, your actions are only going to make the Chinese hate the US and just worsen matters.
Like: Some of the realistic aspects, early missions are enjoyable and fun
Dislike: Dumb AI, Unrealistic aspects of the game, Plot isn't making me actually want to fight, Enemy rockets, the forceful rush of some missions.
Gameplay
Okay for game play think Ghost Recon on Hard and then crap it up. You go about completing objectives from any of the 11 missions as you unlock them, the latter of which are completely awful. You do this as if you are Ghosts (from ghost recon) and in a poor attempt at making you feel like part of a bigger movement often times you will fight with others who if are killed (which happens easily) you loose. These others often times will not wait to advance until after you clear the anti tank units, but instead rush right ahead and get themselves killed and your mission is scrapped and you have to do the whole thing over again or from a check point.
Now when you are fighting you have a nice 25 kilometer island to explo… no wait scratch that. You have a long arse way to walk during missions which only take place is small parts of the island and often time will just be rushed into failure. Open worldness might have saved this game, as it would have added fun. Avoid that ambush, stalk around a road block and hit it from the rear after careful planning and great execution, the possibilities would be endless and would have thrown it much fun.
You command a 3 man team, sort of. The AI is so bad that it doesn't really work for crap. While you can use the commands to some extent, the AI of your men completely hamper any attempt at a strategy.
If you get injured you will start to bleed out or that is what it is supposed to be, instead you have a little red circle begin depleting at a decent rate until you are dead. You use field dressing to stop this bleed out and do the same for you men. This consists of holding a button and waiting for a circle to fill. What would have been nice to see would have been something like the health system from MGS3 (Metal Gear Solid 3). That would have added some dimension to the game.
Graphics
Graphics are on a decent level. The island does actually look pretty good. Not up close where the graphics fail miserably as they are your usual cookie cutter trees, and grass and bushes, but as a whole they look pretty good.
Vehicles look good, and people do as well. Not much really to say in for graphics in this game, it doesn't do anything that will wow you but at the same time it doesn't do much that is bad ether. Average is the word to use for the games graphics.
Presentation
Well the story will not inspire you to fight, the manual is not half bad but I have seen better, and the game itself only meets half way. The menus are pretty good, you can view your equipment (not change it), you can get a full briefing on why your are about to go and do whatever the mission requires and view the map of the area in which you will be carrying out the operation. All in all, not bad but not a highlight ether.
Value
If you want to play this game I would go used or discounted. It is not worth 60 dollars and will bring much frustration. Instead pick it up at around 30 dollars or Rent it.
Fun Level: 2/5
Closing Statement
The game didn't disappoint me because I didn't have an opinion on how good or bad it was going to be but in the end the game proved that it was more bad than good. Maybe a few patches down the line this game can redeem itself but as for now this game is garbage. The frustration level from just crap in the game is too high for the enemies don't have to follow the restrictions you do. They can take more bullets, they can aim better, and their rockets magically kill you. On top of that in an attempt to increase tension they try rushing the player with an urgency by making convoys move up, helicopter arriving in a few minutes, ext. Yet in the end this does not improve game play and ultimately takes away from the enjoyment factor they player is seeking and when you have so far to walk, to throw in time restrictions is a bad idea.
Final Verdict -1/-5 (1 to 5 is a rating of how good the game is, -1 through -5 is a rating of how bad)
I can't in all honesty recommend this game. If you must play it, rent it.
Parental Warning
The game contains blood, violence, weapons, and scenes of war. Parental discretion is advised for this title.
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