Operation Flashpoint: Red River - Don't Even Bother

Operation Flashpoint: Red River (OP:RR) is a game that prides itself for being authentic. And I’m down with the whole one bullet kills players bit. I really am. In fact after soaking up a gazillion bullets as a human sponge in games like Call of Duty, Operation Flashpoint’s USP is somewhat of a pleasant change of pace. It ensures you don’t just dash onto the battlefield with reckless abandon, moving ahead carefully making every shot count. Unfortunately the game is such a horribly unpolished mess, it ends up just embarrassing itself, and the rest of the shooter fraternity.

The game actually looks a lot worse than this

OP: RR takes place in Tajikistan where you and your team of hardened marines are sent to save the day. Throughout the game, you’re given orders by one of the most annoying characters in videogame history. Not only does he spout expletives like a 15 year old who’s just learnt to abuse but worst of all, his idiotic, banal and terribly lengthy monologues about being the baddest badass in all of badassland cannot be skipped.

I am like so bored right now

The Operation Flashpoint series have been known for their realism and authenticity and Red River continues that tradition where a single bullet could end your life. Only developer Codemasters seem to have somewhat of an identity crisis as the game tries to walk the thin line between authenticity and CoD-esque explosive fun, failing on both ends. I mean how else can you explain the ability to sprint aimless for miles on end? Ok fine, let’s say for a minute all the marines present in this game have mad cardio skills, how is it that they can sprint while crouching as well? Also why is it that I am shot in the same place every time? No matter where I get tagged from, my character always undergoes the same animation when shot. He never gets shot in the chest, legs, stomach or even head for that matter. And how convenient is it that there are crates of ammunition lying all over the map? Now I know you’re probably thinking I’m nitpicking but games like Battlefield and Modern Warfare embrace their over-the-top shenanigans so it’s all good. OP:RR tries be all hardcore and stuff which is why all these gameplay designs strike me as odd.

For a game that relies heavily on tactical, squad based action, Red River’s AI is a complete mess. Your team will rarely listen to commands and will almost always run in front of your line of fire. I guess they missed the part in military school where they were trained to avoid fire. To be honest there were instances when they handled themselves just fine in battle, but for most of the time, they were proved themselves useful only to distract enemies so you could flank them. They will also never revive you in battle, walking past your dying corpse like nothing’s wrong. Sometimes I feel they just don’t like me.