OF: Dragon Rising is a game that could've been great. Unfortunately bad AI and other various problems prevents that.
There are 11 campaign missions, and while you may think that isn't much, if you consider the fact that each mission can take up to if not longer than 1 hour sometimes, it's actually not bad. The island of Skira is huge, and you will be fighting all over it throughout the campaign. Sometimes your objectives will be over 2 kilometers away, and the only way to get there is on foot. Enemy engagements can happen anywhere, at any time. You're never safe. At any time your squad could come under fire from the enemy, and you may not even see where they are. What Dragon Rising does really well, is capture that intense, war-like feel. If you're under attack, it's imperative that you take cover anywhere you can, because in this game, 1 bullet can kill you. There are no regenerating health bars in Operation Flashpoint: DR. If you're shot, you will either die instantly, fall to the ground needing quick medical assistance, or in some rare cases, still be able to continue fighting. If you're shot in the leg, you can't sprint, if you're shot in the arm, it's more difficult to aim accurately. All of this combines to give Dragon Rising a realistic feel, and makes for a very intense experience. Realism is taken to a whole new level on the hardest difficulty. There are no checkpoints at all throughout a mission, which means that even if you've been fighting for over an hour, and are almost through with your mission, one shot can send all of that time and effort down the drain. Some may love this, while others can breath a huge sigh of relief that there are other difficulties that offer a decent amount of checkpoints throughout each mission.
As squad leader, you're able to deal out many different commands to your comrades. You can give these orders to all your men, or give each a different command. It's a shame that most of the time, your squad mates fail to do exactly what you were hoping they would do. Bad AI is what makes Dragon Rising a disappointing game. As a tactical, realistic shooter, you'd think competent AI is something the developers would strive for. That isn't the case here, though. Instead, it's bad - really bad. Tell your men to get in to a Line (or any other) formation, and they don't do it. Tell them to fire only after you engage an enemy, and they'll fire (sometimes) before you do, even though you told them not to. The list goes on and on. The bad AI is a real disappointment, but it's not just friendly AI that's horrible. Enemies will just stand tall right out in the open sometimes, or instead of taking cover behind that rock 3 feet to their left, they will continue to stand out in the open, not shooting at all, just begging to be shot. This isn't always the case, but the fact that these problems even occur at all is disappointing to say the least.
Visuals are so-so, and at times look incredibly underwhelming. I did not encounter any framerate drops while playing, though I did encounter some bugs and glitches, like in one case where I could not advance to a new objective after completing another. Voice acting is terrible. The thing that is most disappointing about the game is the AI. Gunplay is excellent, and the game is very intense and fun despite its flaws.
In addition to its campaign, Dragon Rising also features 6 unlockable fire team engagement missions. These are short missions usually with only one objective. As with the campaign, the same AI issues are present, though the experience is still an good one.
Thankfully, you can leave that bad AI behind and take your game online. With up to 3 other players, you can play through the entire campaign together. This is definitely the way to go if you can play online. So long as you can find others willing to work as a team, playing Dragon Rising with other people will definitely make the game even more enjoyable.
The game also features a competitive aspect, but this isn't exactly a highlight of the game or anything. There are several different modes, including Team Deathmatch, among others.
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is a good game that could've been so much better. Some technical issues, bad AI, below average visuals, and awful voice acting hamper what could have, and what should have been a great game. Despite its flaws, Dragon Rising is a game any fan of tactical shooters will most likely enjoy. And if you're able to play the game online with others, the experience can possibly become a great one.