^ I won’t lie, this game wished it looked as good as the screenshots released

While the solo campaign is still fun, the co-operative multiplayer is truly where it’s at and will bring you a new kind of experience as you work together to get the job done.

Versus multiplayer on the consoles only allows 8 players to play against each other and ranges from team deathmatch modes to attack and defend. A nice addition to it is that you still have AI units on your team that can be controlled with commands, meaning that you aren’t left in quite and boring multiplayer games.

That being said, the game does have a few major issues as well. The game is not completely broken but definitely has it’s moments and can be a bit of a buggy experience at times. Bugs range from incorrect ammo information in the HUD and lag issues, to one glitch that made an entire mission impossible to beat as the AI units we had to escort refused to move to the landing zone that ends the mission.

The game also involves a lot of running, with traveling sometimes taking up 10 – 15 mins of your total 45 minute mission time. It does pull you into the experience more, so it’s a bit of a toss up although more vehicle sections would have been appreciated.

The visuals in Operation Flashpoint may look a bit dated at times but the engine still has it’s moments that makes you sit back and soak in the beauty of the massive 220km square open world island, as the moon coats the hazy mountains with its light or the dust kicks up as a helicopter is landing.

All of the sound effects of the weapons, environment and vehicles are fantastically recorded and feel true to their real life counterparts. The voice acting for mission objectives and commands can be a little rough at times as pre-recorded voice is cut up to allow for different variables, such as telling someone where to move (Squad… move to… Objective A… immediately).

I realise that Operation Flashpoint may not be for everyone and fans of fast paced shooters like Halo, Killzone and so on may find it a little too different from what they are used to. If however, you are looking for something that is more intelligent and tactical, then Operation Flashpoint may very well be your new favourite game.

Scoring

Gameplay: 8.5
Feels gritty, dangerous and real

Presentation: 7.9
Quite pretty considering the size of the levels but can still be a little rough at times.

Sound: 7.8
Beautiful sound effects, some rough voice work.

Value: 8.0
Campaign will run you around 12 hours if you do all the objectives, worth two plays just for co-operative, I don’t see versus multiplayer having legs though.

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Overall: 8.2

Try it if you want something something smarter than your average military shooter.

[Reviewed on Xbox 360]