Operation Flashpoint: Red River

Operation Flashpoint: Red River does a good job of capturing the spirit of war, but it sadly fails to capitalise on its lofty ambitious.

The Operation Flashpoint brand is increasingly turning towards casual gamers. Is there a chance that they will like Red River and what do supporters of productions with a high degree of realism think about it?

The Last Stand FTE mode. Getting through that is quite a rewarding experience.

As a self-styled military sim, the Operation Flashpoint series has always helped in serving as a sobering lesson that the life of a soldier on the frontline is a dangerous business, not that you should ever need reminding of that fact. It's pretty obvious really. A single bullet can kill, and the same goes for Operation Flashpoint: Red River, except when you get shot in the game, you can always reload your checkpoint. You might get annoyed or frustrated, but that's about it. The worst thing t...

All told, Red River just about achieves its objective - an engaging halfway house between soldier simulation and improbable heroics, and a slick, smart co-op modern warfare experience. If only it had trimmed down the flabby downtime and the reams of prattling fratboy dialogue which dominate its campaign, and instead pursued more tactical variety, we'd perhaps be looking at something exceptional. As it is it's merely capable, with occasional flashpoints of brilliance.