Operation Flashpoint: Red River

Operation Flashpoint: Red River
Developer(s)	Codemasters
Publisher(s)	Codemasters
Producer(s)	Adam Parsons
Engine	EGO Engine
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360
Release date(s)	EU April 21, 2011 NA June 7, 2011
Genre(s)	Tactical shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, Co-op (4 players)
Rating(s)	BBFC: 15 ESRB: M PEGI: 18

Operation Flashpoint: Red River is a first person shooter video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by British game developer Codemasters. It is a sequel to Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising.

Gameplay

This game is a tactical shooter videogame, the same as its predecessor. The player has the choice of playing the campaign co-operatively.^[1] However, the game will not feature competitive multiplayer. The game will not feature a mission editor or SDK for any platform.^[2] The player will be able to choose between four classes of Marines to play as, rifleman, grenadier, scout and automatic rifleman, each with their own weapons and abilities.^[3] The player will gain experience during gameplay, which can be used to unlock guns, attachments and perks. For example, a scout could acquire an enhancement that will reduce the amount of bullet drop.^[4] The game's director Sion Lenton said "Operation Flashpoint: Red River is being built around four player co-op online play, complete with a strong narrative, new enemies and combat scenarios to deliver gameplay that immerses players in the reality of war like never before"^[5] The enemies will be able to kill the player with a single shot, apparently depending on where the player is shot.^[6] The single player campaign will be divided into three distinct acts.^[7] The game supposedly will take realism to even higher heights.^[8]

Plot

In Operation Flashpoint: Red River, players assume control of Outlaw-2-Bravo, A United States Marine Corps fireteam during a fictional conflict in Tajikistan in 2013.

A terrorist group known as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement launches mortar attacks on a US forward operating base (FOB) in Afghanistan, prompting the United States to launch operation Enduring Shield, having the United States Marine Corps invade west Tajikistan and wipe out the Insurgent threat.^[9]First, Outlaw squad is tasked with capturing several villages and an airfield, along with defusing IED's and wiping out several insurgent positions. The unit is then tasked with securing and repairing a dam, while at the same time reinforce a FOB located next to the dam named FOB Viper.

Outlaw then receives a task to quell the remaining insurgents located in a stronghold. After reaching the stronghold however, the People's Liberation Army of neighboring China intervenes, having invaded eastern Tajikistan in retaliation as the ETIM massacred Chinese athletes during the 2012 Olympic Games. Both sides start firing at each other, and the world's next flashpoint erupts. Outlaw is then ordered to slow down the PLA advance while other marines are evacuated to a secondary FOB. After Outlaw reaches the FOB, it is quickly attacked by a PLA mechanized division. With their numbers dwindling, Outlaw barely escapes from the FOB, with their commanding officer telling them that they are the only unit who made it out.

The remaining marines conduct a guerrilla war against the PLA, with Outlaw conducting ambushes and raids against PLA units. First they ambush and destroy a PLA supply convoy in order to cripple the PLA supply lines. After that, the members of Outlaw learn that, in order to halt the PLA advance in western Tajikistan, the remaining marines need to prevent a strategic set of bridges from falling in the PLA's hands. Even though they are heavily outnumbered, the marines from Outlaw manage to hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive from Afghanistan.

System requirements
Minimum Recommended Windows[10] Operating system Windows XP SP2 or later CPU Dual Core 2 x 2.4 GHz Quad Core Memory 1 GB 1.5 GB Hard drive space 5.3 GB of free space Graphics hardware nVidia GeForce 7600GT, ATI Radeon X1600 or faster (with Shader 3.0 and 256 MB VRAM or higher)[11] nVidia GeForce 8800 GT, ATI Radeon 4850 or faster (with Shader 3.0 and 512 MB VRAM or higher), DirectX 9.0c

Reception & Sales

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	PC: 67.20% Xbox: 69.60% PS3: 67.67%
Metacritic	PC: 66[12] Xbox: 69[12] PS3: 68[12]
Review scores
Publication	Score
IGN	75[13]
Strategy Informer	80[14]
VideoGamer.com	70[15]
PC Gamer	45[16]

The game has received mixed reviews from critics. Strategy Informer thinks the game fills in a niche between fast-paced action games and hyper-realistic military simulators.^[14] VideoGamer.com says the campaign in Red River is of far higher quality than in its predecessor Dragon Rising.^[15] IGN was disappointed in player movement being locked, to only a very small section of the wide-open terrain.^[13] PC Gamer criticized poor artificial intelligence of players' team mates and overly macho voice acting. "Red River takes all the things the Flashpoint name is associated with – creative, emergent destruction and go-anywhere realism – and lets them wash away."^[16] GameZone gave the game a 7.5 out of 10, stating "Operation Flashpoint: Red River isn’t your typical shooter. You’re not going to be a gunslinger, running into a compound to take out a horde of enemies like a one-man wolf pack. It’s a slower, more tactical, squad-based shooter that relies on teamwork, strategy, and finesse."^[17]

References

1. ^ Guy Cocker (6 August 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River First Impressions". GameSpot UK. http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/operationflashpointredriver/news.html?sid=6272612&om_act=convert&om_clk=picks&tag=picks;title;3&mode=previews. Retrieved 9 August 2010. 
2. ^ "Community Questions Answered". Codemasters. 27 August 2010. http://community.codemasters.com/forum/general-discussion-1335/424378-community-questions-answered.html. Retrieved 27 August 2010. 
3. ^ Stephany Nunneley (5 August 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River gets detailed". VG247. http://www.vg247.com/2010/08/05/operation-flashpoint-red-river-gets-detailed/. Retrieved 9 August 2010. 
4. ^ Brian Leahy (23 November 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River Preview". Shacknews. http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/66581. Retrieved 24 November 2010. 
5. ^ Tom Pakinkis (6 August 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River officially announced". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=258904. Retrieved 9 August 2010. 
6. ^ Words: Ryan Hodge, GamesRadar US (6 August 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River promises crazy realism, four-player co-op, a more personal experience". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox360/operation-flashpoint-red-river/news/operation-flashpoint-red-river-promises-crazy-realism-four-player-co-op-a-more-personal-experience/a-20100806173316950040/g-20100806171458508080. Retrieved 10 August 2010. 
7. ^ Simon Priest (6 August 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River 2011". Strategy Informer. http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/8864/operation-flashpoint-red-river-2011. Retrieved 10 August 2010. 
8. ^ William Usher (6 August 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River Coming 2011 For Xbox 360, PS3, PC". Cinemablend.com. http://cinemablend.com/games/Operation-Flashpoint-Red-River-Coming-2011-For-Xbox-360-PS3-PC-26191.html. Retrieved 10 August 2010. 
9. ^ Martin Robinson (5 August 2010). "Operation Flashpoint: Red River First Look". IGN UK. http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/111/1110533p1.html. Retrieved 9 August 2010. 
10. ^ "Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising". Gamestop. http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=72873. Retrieved 2009-08-27. 
11. ^ "Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising-PC". Codemasters. http://www.flashpointgame.com/?page=hardware-pc-us. Retrieved 2009-09-02. 
12. ^ ^{a b c} "Operation Flashpoint: Red River reviews". http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/operation-flashpoint-red-river. Retrieved 2011-05-02. 
13. ^ ^{a b} "Operation Flashpoint: Red River Review". http://pc.ign.com/articles/116/1162918p1.html. Retrieved 2011-05-02. 
14. ^ ^{a b} "We play Operation Flashpoint: Red River...". http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/operationflashpointredriver/1472/review.html. Retrieved 2011-05-02. 
15. ^ ^{a b} "Operation Flashpoint Red River Review". http://www.videogamer.com/pc/operation_flashpoint_red_river/review.html. Retrieved 2011-05-02. 
16. ^ ^{a b} "Operation Flashpoint: Red River review". http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/04/21/operation-flashpoint-red-river-review-2/. Retrieved 2011-05-02. 
17. ^ http://pc.gamezone.com/reviews/item/operation_flashpoint_red_river_review/

External links

• Official site
• Operation Flashpoint: Red River: Interview with Tim Browne, Principal Games Designer