Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis

"A great game for fans of realistic FPS, or any genre, for that matter"

Graphics: The graphics in this game are neither revolutionary or below average. The characters are somewhat blocky, and display minor stiffness in various movements. The landscapes are great, complete with rolling hills, scattered forests, and small villages. What the game lacks in graphical capability, it makes up for in attention to detail, perhaps the greatest I've ever seen in a game. When tanks drive by, you can see the wheels inside the treads bounce up and down as the vehicle moves across rough terrain. There is accurate damage modeling also, your uniform becomes blood soaked depending on where you are hit.

Sound: Sound is never really a big issue in games to me unless it becomes annoying. But it is nice if you end up with good music and Sfx while playing. The music in the game is good, it fits the gameplay perfectly. Same with the realistic sound effects. The worst part of the audio was the voice acting. It was for the most part decent, except for when a character would occasionally yell out a single word in a sentence, as the the scrips had been pasted together. Also the radio can get annoying during missions with the akward, and obnoxiously loud radio transmissions.

Gameplay: The gameplay is the strong point in Operation Flashpoint. The missions greatly vary from attacks of towns, stealth missions, sabotage, patrols, defending strategic locations, and many more. You control several NATO soldiers throughout the game, from the grunt-Armstrong to the tank commander Hammer. Several missions allow you to be a special force operative doing stealth missions. Some missions are extremely difficult and some are fairly simple. A weak point in gameplay is that some missions are too heavily scripted and you cannot change the outcome. Never-the-less Operation Flashpoint it one of the best releases this year and is worth your money.

Vehicle control- driving regular vehicles is the high-light of all the transportation modes in the game. Tank control can be annoying and confusing at times, especially when you are the commander. Helicopter control is better and more fun.

Squad control: Squad control can be difficult, but the Ai is good enough so that you only have to issue occasional commands. Your squad will go prone, take out tanks, and cover you during battle.

Graphics 8/10
Sound 9/10
Gameplay 9/10
Difficulty 8/10
Replayability 9/10- I'm not the type who plays games over and over again, but flashpoint might change that. There is a mission editor, decent multiplayer, and just great gameplay to keep you addicted.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/14/01, Updated 09/14/01