OFDR will kick you from pillar to post - just what every mamma's boy needs!

User Rating: 8.5 | Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising X360
I played this last year on release and got so frustrated with the game by mission 5 that I quit and returned it. It took twelve months to sink in what OFDR was all about, so I bought it for cheap and took to putting down those pesky PLA pretenders.

This game is great because it forces you to adapt if you want to progress. After dying or failing objectives you have to re-evaluate your tactics to get the job done. It's not a matter of remembering the bad guy round the corner of the stairwell on the 3rd floor, it's about positioning yourself and your fire team to cause optimal damage, or remain unobserved by the enemy. Sometimes that means mounting a fast assault using suppressing fire to punch a hole in enemy lines and complete a time dependent objective. Sometimes it's crawling on your belly to get in sniping position on the nearest hill, while sending the rest of your fire team through the trees.

Everyone has talked or heard about the bugs. Some of this is present, but on the other hand if you give stupid or illogical orders to your AI team they will do stupid things or get killed. Keep them close, use them to suppress and flank, and keep giving them orders so they don't get any cowboy ideas. Don't be half-hearted. I found this minimises frustrations and makes the game work really well. Take charge and back your plan until it fails.

The missions themselves are quit varied and require an approach tailored to each in order to succeed. You will get shot to bits in the open at any distance under about 150 - 200 metres, so a good start is to stay out of the open and keep the battle at between 200-300 metres for best results. Distances of over 300 metres can get tricky without a scoped weapon. Don't throw grenades unless you're behind cover. The abrupt nature of getting killed in a split second will be evidenced time after time if you fail to respect the enemy AI. You can tearing it up from behind cover and still take a fatal shot seemingly out of the blue.

The weapons are fantastic, the graphics are better than people give credit for, the vehicles are aweful but the experience is fantastic. This is a unique game that is a terrific attempt at a ground combat sim. The best of any so far.

Presentation: 8.0
Graphics: 8.0
Audio: 9.0
Gameplay: 9.0
Overall: 8.5/10