Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis

Title: Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis
Platform Played On: PC
Release Date: June 22, 2001
Date Played: June-August 2001
Time Played: 30 hours
Completed (Y/N): Yes
Score: 5/5


Opinion:
Operation Flashpoint, I heard about this game through the video game message boards. Everyone was raving about how it was one of the first games to require a beast of a video card, GeForce2 with at least 16mb of video memory.  Luckily for me I just acquired myself a GeForce 2.

Beyond the amazing polygonal graphics with extremely realistic faces Operation Flashpoint was something new and ambitions. It was a military simulator, where you have to worry about bullet drop off, tracer rounds, positioning and cover and any stray bullet could kill you.

One thing for sure, Operation Flashpoint was not an easy game to get into. Having mainly played arcady shooters where you can take hundreds of bullets and pop med-kits at will it was a whole new ball game.  Nevertheless it was a new and interesting experience which encouraged utilization of tactics and picking your battles. You could not simply walts into the enemy camp and spray and pray. You needed to use the iron signs, and if you have just sprinted and are breathing hard it would be nearly impossible to aim down the barrel. All motions and animations were mapped to the real life counterparts. For example to switch from a rifle to a pistol or binoculars you would first have to shoulder the rifle. Its not like you would just drop it on the ground. Then you have to reach for the other thing and pull it out. This was a new concept in video games, and I personally liked it.

All of these aspects of realism created an exhilarating experience, you really felt like a soldier on the battlefield, where any poorly made decision could result in instant death.

Another thing that was great about Operation Flashpoint is the fact that the entirety of the game was set in an open world, on a huge island, and it was up to you which route you would take. You could scale mountains, from which you could see for miles, or you could take a route through the forest thereby hiding from any helicopters and planes. With unscripted AI you never knew where you would encounter an enemy patrol. It may be the first game ever (it at least is the first game that I've played) to allow you to use dozens of vehicles (not sure exactly but I think its over 40), from tanks to cars to helicopters and planes.

I think it is clear that Operation Flashpoint was a very ambitious game providing the player with a unique experience. While very hard it was also rewarding, and to put it simply just "cool". The story was interesting as well, where the Russians have invaded this island and the world is on the verge of World War 3. And I guess depending how you look at it, the game is a hypothetical World War 3.

I loved every moment I had with Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis; however at this point it is extremely dated and probably hard to play. But if not for Cold War Crisis we would not hvae Operation Flashpoint 2:Dragon Rising, and Operation Flashpoint 2: Red River, as well as the ARMA and ARMA2 series, with probably ARMA3 and a new Operation Flashpoint coming in the next couple of years. Those games exist because of this game.

I would definitely recommend the ARMA and OF2 series to anyone interested in simulation, or realisting comabt. They are spiritual successors to Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, the game that started it all.

PS - Original Operation Flashpoint was developed by the same people as ARMA series. Operation Falshpoint 2 is developed by different people. So ARMA series is much closer to being the true Operation Flashpoint:Cold War Crisis sequel. I should also note that this game was ported to the ARMA engine and re-released in 2011 as ARMA: Cold War Assault and is available on Steam for $5.99. If you are not turned off by dated graphics I would suggest you check it out.