For those who know the original Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, they are familiar with the franchise that carved its name out as one of the most tactical shooters in gaming history and the title that set the foundations for what a military simulator (or mil-sim for short) should accomplish. Originally developed by Bohemian Interactive Studios, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest war games ever.  With such a grand reputation and highly dedicated and loyal fan base, the follow up to this game, Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising, has big shoes to fill and sees Codemasters taking control of the franchise as they attempt to bring the gruff and tough world of real tactical shooting to this generation of consoles.

Many Flashpoint fans will know that since the nasty split between Bohemian Interactive Studios and Codemasters, BIS has gone on to develop ArmA and ArmA 2, which many regard as the true sequel to the original Operation Flashpoint. It goes without saying then that expectations for this title were always going to be high when Codemasters decided to develop it internally, as they attempted to create what executive producer Sion Lenton refers to as “an authentic, war documentary styled, first person squad based shooter”.

This war documentary takes place over 11 missions on the fictional island of Skira and sees the player playing as the squad leader of two U.S. Marine Corp.fire-teams (one Special Ops team and one traditional Marine team) as part of the U.S. invasion to liberate the island from the Chinese army. To cut it short; it’s about oil. Missions range from the expected military objectives like securing a beachhead for the main task force’s landing to operating deep behind enemy lines as you attempt to rescue a downed chopper crew and escort them to safety while being hunted by the Chinese. It’s all what you expect and what you’re hoping for in a title like this.

The first thing you’ll notice about Dragon Rising when you start to play is that direct help is at a minimum. Codemasters have left the hand holding at the door and expect the player to figure out their role in actually playing the game. For those of us that like a bit of challenge in our titles, it’s a breath of fresh air and it’s nice to be told to RTFM in the midst of the constant mainstream player guiding we see today. The game wants to get on with itself and it doesn’t want to waste time telling you how it’s played, because you’re going to pick it up anyway. Seeing as a lot of people who will play this game will be coming from a Call of Duty background, controls are a bit complicated first, as the amount of options you’re given to direct your squad is impressive. But once you get to grips with the best way to control your squad the game really opens up for you.