Operation Flashpoint truly is more than a classic. It's a revolution for the tactical FPS genre.
How come? Well, first of all, I was awed by it's extremely realistic gameplay, real-life weapons, open mission design and tons of vehicles you can operate. If you're looking for a cool action game, you won't find it here. This game is a gritty simulation of what it's like to be a common soldier on a huge, open modern battlefield. Every shot counts here, as one bullet kills easily even the toughest Rambo-wannabe types. Here you don't have a crosshair that stays on your target perfectly still as you're running sideways among your enemies and dodging bullets like Ryu Hayabusa. Here you have to stand still, aim carefully and pick your targets with one or two shots. Believe me, there's nothing more difficult then hitting a moving target (considering the realistic bullet trajectory simulated in this game). When you kill the enemy, he'll simply drop on the ground, without any "John Woo" movie-style tumbling and acrobatics you might expect, and you usually see your enemies only from a distance, just like in the real world. Gritty and realistic, that's the word here. The AI is great, the enemies are smart, effective and act like real soldiers should. If you fire at them from a distance, they'll drop on the ground, scan the horizon to see where the shots are coming from, then return fire. If you press them hard, they'll run for cover, or even retreat. All while covering each other and trying to hit you in the chest. So you have to be fast, exact and accurate with your weapon. Your squad mates are smart as well, but don't think that gives you an excuse to play a hero. This game could easily be used for training real soldiers, if you know what I mean.
But oh, where are my manners? I still haven't said a word about the game's story. Yes, there is a story, and a pretty good and believable one. The scenario is set during 1980's, when the Soviet Union was still a global superpower and Cold War was in a constant state of "could turn hot any minute". It all takes place on a fictional set of islands in the Baltic Sea. You play a role of David Armstrong, young American soldier who's just waiting for his turn to come up, as the war suddenly breaks out on the islands. No one knows what's going on, and who the attackers really are. It's a nightmare scenario of World War 3. And believe me, it's not a good time to be on NATO's side...
That's for the story and gameplay. As for the graphics...well, it must have been good in 2001. Altou I seriously doubt it was breath-taking even then. Today, it looks plain ugly. But such sacrifices had to be made, since game takes place in huge open spaces you can explore as you please. Back in 2001, it wasn't possible to make a game like this with stunning graphics. But don't worry, it still looks good enough. Character models are pretty good, and vehicles look just awesome. The sounds are also pretty great, since every weapon and vehicle sounds exactly like it's real world counterpart. The voices, on the other hand, are not too good. During combat, they issue orders and communicate in such a robotic way it will make you puke. Cutsceenes between missions are mostly OK, altou nothing deserving an Oscar. The missions themselves are well-balanced and challenging, so you should have a lot of fun there. Later in the game you'll even advance through the ranks, get a chance to drive a tank, a gunship, and a lot more. Don't wanna spoil the surprise, hehehe...
So, why 9.0 instead of 10?
Bugs, my friend, oh the bugs... Since this is a massive game, there are a lot of bugs involved. First and foremost, missions play out by trigger events (pretty much like Half-Life) you have to trigger the right way in order to proceed. If you don't you're pretty much busted, with no way to finish the mission. Altou it doesn't happen so often, it still does happen. Sometimes you'll trigger it properly, but still won't be able to finish the mission. Grrrr... In those cases, you don't have a choice but to reload your save and try again. Or you'll even have to reload the entire mission. Again, it happened rarely, so don't let it divert you from this awesome game. Just so "ye be warned".
Oh, and one more thing that nearly cost this game it's fan base. Even tough it's extremely difficult, you only get one free save per mission. That's right, even tough most missions take longer than 30 minutes to beat (especially later on in the game), you can only save once. For the love of who-ever, is it so hard to let the players decide if they want to play Rambo-style, especially in a game as difficult as this one?
Well, one thing's for sure... When you try this game for the first time, you'll either love it or hate it. There's no other way.
Just remember, this game is not pretty...it's just war.