Operation Flashpoint: Red River

 Xbox 360
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 34 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 34
  3. Negative: 11 out of 34
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  1. Sh0dan
    Jun 11, 2011
    7
    I loved this game. We don't see many deep semi-realistic and tactical shooters these days, especially on console, its all run & gun CoD, Gears of War and other immature dumbed down for the casual audience / weekend warrior shooters. In this game one bullet can kill, and there is realistic bullet physics like bullet drop and weapon handling / recoil, the combat itself is really a lot of funI loved this game. We don't see many deep semi-realistic and tactical shooters these days, especially on console, its all run & gun CoD, Gears of War and other immature dumbed down for the casual audience / weekend warrior shooters. In this game one bullet can kill, and there is realistic bullet physics like bullet drop and weapon handling / recoil, the combat itself is really a lot of fun of you prefer the more realistic approach. And since we don't get ARMA on console this pretty much the most simulation like game you can find. One of the best things about this game is the size of the levels, it present an amazing broad play space, which allows for tones of re-playability in single players, especially with the load-out and persistent class system in which you can unlock new skills, weapons and equipment . Huge maps and environments, and it looks fantastic. If you like tactical squad game-play then you'll love this game. The A.I is very solid, much improved over OP: Dragon Rising, as are the controls which have been stream-lined but still give plenty of depth like switching fire modes and such. The game has lost a little bit of depth, like no searching dead bodies any more or alternate ammo types, and there isn't any scope wobble, instead the iron-sight remain dead still, but hopefully next time they can bring these features back since I really enjoyed them in Dragon Rising. One of the best features is the 4 player coop and especially the bite-sized MP scenarios which really are a tone of fun and some of the best multi-player coop gaming I have experiences to date. Easily surpassing Gears, L4D and even Borderlands.

    I want to give it a 8.5 / 10, but MC doesn't allow that so i'll give it a 9. Oh and btw Metacritic, this game has been out for months in non US countries, and yet the user reviews have only just been allowed? kinda sucks guys.    … Expand
  2. paulyh
    Jul 28, 2011
    8
    Very entertaining game, campaign is more realistic than cod but not quite as brutal as dragon rising only the abrupt ending is a let down. Online is fine, nothing special just a shame there is no adversarial modes (my personal preferance). Graphically its decent and ditto the sound. All in all a good package especially as you can now get it for less than £20.
  3. Matteo217
    Jul 4, 2011
    10
    Just bought this game today and i must say it is one of the many games of this year that has been put down because it strives to be different. This game is awesome!!! The AI on both sides is remarkably smart. The Taliban insurgents move to flank your positions and suppress your cover when they get a solid read on your range. As for your team they also prove to be fairly capable, whilstJust bought this game today and i must say it is one of the many games of this year that has been put down because it strives to be different. This game is awesome!!! The AI on both sides is remarkably smart. The Taliban insurgents move to flank your positions and suppress your cover when they get a solid read on your range. As for your team they also prove to be fairly capable, whilst not the smartest they will do their duty and kill any enemy that comes within their sights. If you are a proper tactician and make smart orders you and your team will become death dealing machines. the graphics are impressive and dazzling at times when you realize the sheer scale of the world your in. Tajikistan is large and it really shows when the sun sets over the beautiful mountain ranges and you realize just how far you are from your objective. The last review that i read was from IGN who frankly cannot review worth **** They marked sound down to a 5.5 because your Sergent is annoying. Yes the Sergent is irritating at times but the story and dialog that occurs between your squad and Sergent is humorous at times. The guns sound perfect and powerful especially the snipers and the customization options are nice. explosions are beautifully rendered and feel large in scale and power. Airstrikes and Artillery bombardments are fantastically realized and very well done. This game is not for everyone however, This game IS first and foremost a tactical military simulator. Fights are scaled back but when the fighting breaks out the firefights are action packed and intense. Its also very nice that the heartbeat of your soldier is monitored by vibrations from your controller as well. Between levels and some fights long driving scenes full of dialog are put as filler and used for debriefing and mission briefing. Some people may find the game boring but it is tactical and requires as such. If you go gung-ho and try to be the solo killer you are in games such as COD you will get slaughtered faster than you can blink. Issuing commands requires thought and a bad order is nobody's fault but your own. Closing Comments: This game gets a 10 in my book its fun to play solo and amazing to play in Co-op. the only gripe i had which is not severe enough to degrade my review is the fact that unlike Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising the game is not free roam and wandering away to far will result in an AWOL insta-death. But they give you warning and the game still has freedom of approach to missions. You can choose how you want to complete your mission and you have freedom of choice to complete your objectives. If you want to be an invisible long range death dealer in the form of a sniper you can or feel free to go silent and be the assassin by equipping a silencer and sneaking into enemy compounds unnoticed. This game allows many choices and is fun for those who are fans of the series and the genre. If you expect the game to be like CoD its NOT. If you try to play like it is you will DIE...end of story. All i can say is give this game a chance and you wont regret it. Happy Hunting… Expand
  4. Ravenous
    Aug 1, 2011
    10
    An extremely underrated game. It does just about everything well. The missions are much more fun and definitely easier than OF: Dragon Rising. I don't know how anyone could think that this game is too hard. If anything, it is a little too easy at times. This game manages to avoid all of those really frustrating encounters a la Dragon Rising and provide the player with a constantly excitingAn extremely underrated game. It does just about everything well. The missions are much more fun and definitely easier than OF: Dragon Rising. I don't know how anyone could think that this game is too hard. If anything, it is a little too easy at times. This game manages to avoid all of those really frustrating encounters a la Dragon Rising and provide the player with a constantly exciting and enjoyable experience. Almost every single mission is fun. The ability to customize one's weapon kits with various scopes etc. is what the tactical shooter market needs, and this game does it better than any console game yet. No one who is seriously reviewing this game could possibly give it less than 7 or 8 stars, unless they are delusional.… Expand
  5. ISSGOD
    Jun 20, 2011
    9
    Operation Flashpoint: Red River has its faults, but what it does right more than makes up for its shortcomings. Not since the old Delta Force series of games from Novalogic have I had this much fun in a military shooter. And OFRR is a way better game then any of the old Delta Force games. It is HUGE with wide open spaces so you can pick and choose your axis of advance. This leads to manyOperation Flashpoint: Red River has its faults, but what it does right more than makes up for its shortcomings. Not since the old Delta Force series of games from Novalogic have I had this much fun in a military shooter. And OFRR is a way better game then any of the old Delta Force games. It is HUGE with wide open spaces so you can pick and choose your axis of advance. This leads to many interesting opportunities as you progress through a level. Gameplay
    OFRR can be played single player or 4 person coop, sorry no PvP here, but no loss as there are a ton of PvP military shooters out there like CoD. Single player is a mixed blessing. You control 3 AI team members and give them orders like follow, stay, suppress... you get the point. But the bad thing is that the orders are useless as the team rarely follows them. I generally just have them follow me which they do well enough. You have your pick of 4 classes, Scout, Rifleman, Grenadier and Auto Rifleman. Each class can be leveled up to a cap of 20. Gaining a level earns you new weapons, munitions, accessories and perks, which in turn make you a much more deadly soldier. As you level each class, your AI team also improve and become deadlier. So it pays to level all four classes to max as this will make going through the single player game much more easy.

    Your team AI is a mixed blessing at best. At times their tactical brilliance is only matched by their profound stupidity. They will follow you to a roof top position and effectively rain death on the enemy, but later in the same mission they may run in front a moving Humvee and get killed, or walk in front of you as you fire... this happens way to often. But with that said, if you just leave them on follow, they do well enough to protect you, and even rescue you is you are hit and go down.

    Coop is where OFRR shines. Play this game with 3 other people online, and you are in for a treat. Using voice communications and playing as a cohesive team makes you truly feel like a mean green United States Marine. I have had so many "OMG I can't believe we just survived that" moments in OFRR. And playing the game on Hardcore takes away all but one of your HUD, making it so you know where your team leader is. So to survive, you all have to stick close to the leader, use voice comms to update your position, have fire discipline because it is very easy to mistake a friendly as an enemy if you loose sight of your team. So communication and team work are a must to survive. But when you pull off your first coop mission on Hardcore, you really feel like you accomplished something special.

    The campaign is 10 missions long, and there are 8 and soon to be 16 Fireteam missions. These missions are short objective based missions like, rescue the downed pilot, destroy enemy munitions, hold the line, etc. Everything in the game can be played single player or coop. The campaign missions are up to an hour long, and the fireteam missions are more like up to 30 minutes or so.

    Enemy AI in the game is very well done. They will advance on you and flank you if you give them the chance. And in the rescue the pilot fireteams missions, once you have the pilots, you have to MOVE! If you are slow or try to turtle, the enemy AI will surround and overwhelm you. The enemy AI is a shining point in the game and makes many of the firefights feel like a real life and death struggle.

    Graphics
    The graphics are another mixed bag, but overall the game looks fine and sometimes even beautiful. Control.
    The game controlled like a charm. If you are using a bulky weapon like the SAW, your turn rates (swiveling the weapon left or right) will be much slower than if you were using an assault rifle or a submachine gun. This makes sense and makes weapon swapping to respond to changing conditions on the battlefield essential. You can carry 2 weapons, so say you are using a sniper rifle as you close on a village, but to actually assault the village you switch to your M16. Also there is a realistic bullet drop. So if you are shooting at longer distances, say like over 250 meters, you have to account for this and aim a little high. Also you have to lead a moving target if you want to hit them.

    In Closing Operation Flashpoint: Red River is a good single player game and an amazing coop game. If you like military sims and have an XBOX 360, then this is a no brainer. This game is not perfect, but it does what no other military shooter on the console can do... provide thrilling firefights on HUGE maps that are a blast to play with friends online! For this reason I give Operation Flashpoint: Red River a 9/10    … Expand
  6. Maccodered
    Jun 15, 2011
    10
    This is the most underrated game yet. The graphics are excellent, the game play has excitement. The enemies are smart they do not just run out at you. CO OP will keep you on your toes just by holding down your bases. Weapons are excellent and you do have to earn them. Buy this game and you won't regret it. I give this game a 90
  7. SpartanEdge
    Jun 8, 2011
    9
    Whats with the user reviews going up so late with this game.It was released months before user reviews went up.. Anyway,this is a good Hardcore Military Squad Game/Sim.Anyone who likes the Co-Op missions in Ghost Recon-Advanced Warfighter 1&2 will love this too.Though Red River may at first seem like a backward step from the last title,Dragon Rising,in fact it isnt,but actually in theWhats with the user reviews going up so late with this game.It was released months before user reviews went up.. Anyway,this is a good Hardcore Military Squad Game/Sim.Anyone who likes the Co-Op missions in Ghost Recon-Advanced Warfighter 1&2 will love this too.Though Red River may at first seem like a backward step from the last title,Dragon Rising,in fact it isnt,but actually in the end,an improvement.I'll explain. In DR(Dragon Rising),much more area was open to you.The whole island basically,so you could say it was free roaming.In the new title,Red River you cant free roam.You have a set 'Area of operation' for your current mission & objectives.At first that doesnt sound good,but when you think about it,in DR,you rarely,if at all,would wander from your mission objectives & use this capability to free roam,because,well,there was no point to do so.. Besides,the size of Areas for you to operate in,in Red River,are actually quite large,& big enough to still give you the options on how to opproach your waypoints,like your used to in DR.Very rarely will you find yourself leaving the area of operation,& if you are,then your going off track too much anyway.. Moving on,the game has a much better sense of story,with more talk between squad members between & during missions.I find the squad orders interface much quicker & easier to use than in DR,so thats good.With your squad actually doing what you tell them to do,unless you tell them something crazy,like run into an open area under heave fire,or something like that.It took DR a long time,& a few patches to finally get that right,so its good to see Red River get it right from the get go.Although shooting isnt quite(& i do mean quite),as realistic as DR,it is still more realistic than any other non Operation Flashpoint title on console,& the aiming feels better & tighter,& is still satisfying when you take down an enemy.The enemy are not so hard to spot now,which is good.The graphics are also better,With some beautiful scenery & sun effects,with big open areas to cover & enjoy long & medium range engagements in.Its great to see the series still have 4-player Campaign Co-Op,& its great having a squad of mixed classes in Co-Op.Being able to heal your squadmates is a welcome addition,for me anyway,not that it makes it easy,as you can still be put down with a single shot,& die if not treated quickly enough.Theres many great moments in this game,& alot of enjoyable firefights,with everyone looking for a good position to shoot from,with good cover.The ranking up system is a good addition too,having to earn points to get general & class specific skills.It adds alot to the game,& gives a good reason to keep coming back,& get rewarded for it.the only critisism i can say about this title,is that vehicles are under used,but i guess they wanted to keep it primarily a 'Boots on the Ground' squad experience,which i can understand.I highly recommend this,& as i said,anyone who likes the Co-Op missions in GRAW 1&2,would love this too,as it has alot of similarities.… Expand
  8. byaneye
    Jun 14, 2011
    8
    this game is a big improvment from dragon rising but no helecopters and no free roam for that i traded it in because full 1000gs and not enough levels good game with great grahpics that any tactical player would enjoy for the very best. worth £28 in my value of how good the game really is.
  9. FalloutGR
    Jun 21, 2011
    1
    Very laggy game but its still ok.The soundtrack is awesome :p
    Alone its very difficult but if you play co-op its better.
    Also if you play it like simulation game its nice!!!
  10. panthers9cc
    Oct 16, 2011
    1
    Probably the most boring war campaign I have ever played in my life. The campaign is hard and is really boring. Sometimes, you will just be running for about 5 minutes throughout the deserts and wont even encounter a person to fight. Also, even on normal difficulty, two bullets can kill you. The graphics are not good so I don't know what people are saying. They are all just suck-ups forProbably the most boring war campaign I have ever played in my life. The campaign is hard and is really boring. Sometimes, you will just be running for about 5 minutes throughout the deserts and wont even encounter a person to fight. Also, even on normal difficulty, two bullets can kill you. The graphics are not good so I don't know what people are saying. They are all just suck-ups for this game. It is also laggy which makes even harder than it already is to shoot. There are many other war games that are 10x better than this one so I would not waste my money on this.… Expand
  11. diehard-gamer
    Apr 24, 2012
    9
    Another great Flashpoint installment. Almost.The Flashpoint series has always been THE real infantry sim. While MOH and COD and even BF let you pretend to be a super soldier shrugging off the bullets and winning the war single handed, Flashpoint lets you be a mortal soldier facing enemies who can kill you with one burst before you even spot them. Red River still offers the realism, but hasAnother great Flashpoint installment. Almost.The Flashpoint series has always been THE real infantry sim. While MOH and COD and even BF let you pretend to be a super soldier shrugging off the bullets and winning the war single handed, Flashpoint lets you be a mortal soldier facing enemies who can kill you with one burst before you even spot them. Red River still offers the realism, but has a major comedy surprise up its sleeve in the form of Sgt. D.J. GangstaMan (or whatever hes called) your esteemed leader and mouthy hiphop legend. If you thought the missions in Dragon Rising were hard then just try to keep a straight face in Red River while D.J. gives you your mission briefings in his inimitable gangsta jargon - you almost want the enemy to 'pop a cap in his a$$' just to shut him up. The AI is a little dodgy - at one point I was in a convoy with D.J. outlining the next mission when all the vehicles decide to stage an impromptu traffic jam for no apparent reason. Its a sort of intermission cut scene using the game engine, so theres no escape until the AI sorts itself out 20 minutes or so later - with D.J, rapping away with his toilet mouth for the whole time. And yes I did try to shoot him. If not for D.J. I'd have rated this game 10.… Expand
  12. Matriix
    Feb 13, 2012
    1
    Worst game in the history of xbox 360, absolutly shocking in every aspect. avoid at all costs! OF Dragon Rising was at least an OK game, but this ladies and gentlemen is the worst game ever made for the 360 hands down!
  13. Schnippshly
    Sep 24, 2011
    8
    You're right, Operation Flashpoint: Red River, who needs tanks and helicopters and hummers with machine guns when you can just walk everywhere?
    Tell me, reader, what do you think would happen if four US Marines with no characterization or personality had to fight the entirety of China by themselves without any support? If you guessed "They would win hardcore", YOU ARE CORRECT.
  14. Bigredd77
    Nov 13, 2011
    5
    Honestly this game is trying hard but comes up short, the feel is much more "real" military feel to it (I was in the military myself so.....) Lot of agnst and trash talking about what's going on (spot on) Two bullets kill you, yea pretty much :) No need to cry about it. However.......the controls are lacking and aiming down the sight is not as smooth as it should be, Attackers are far toHonestly this game is trying hard but comes up short, the feel is much more "real" military feel to it (I was in the military myself so.....) Lot of agnst and trash talking about what's going on (spot on) Two bullets kill you, yea pretty much :) No need to cry about it. However.......the controls are lacking and aiming down the sight is not as smooth as it should be, Attackers are far to brazen with no fear, your squads are blockheads and it is honestly every man for himself.....very unrealistic. still not bad but not great either. Worth picking up cheap.… Expand
  15. ToppleFlopper
    Nov 9, 2012
    7
    Ok, let's get this out of the way. The graphics are terrible. It looks like it was built for the PS2. The AI is terrible. They run around the battlefield like idiots but somehow still manage to have 90% accuracy. The game is glitchy almost to the point of being game breaking sometimes. However, something happened while I was playing that I didn't expect. I started enjoying it. Yes, inOk, let's get this out of the way. The graphics are terrible. It looks like it was built for the PS2. The AI is terrible. They run around the battlefield like idiots but somehow still manage to have 90% accuracy. The game is glitchy almost to the point of being game breaking sometimes. However, something happened while I was playing that I didn't expect. I started enjoying it. Yes, in nearly every respect it's a terrible game deserving of a 2 or 3 for a score. But once you get a few levels in the gameplay grows on you and it starts being pretty fun. Commanding a squad actually works pretty well for a broken game and adds a fun touch of strategy to the gameplay. The levels are very long and sometimes repetitive but at no point did I ever not feel like finishing them.The multiplayer is not bad because there are so many co-op modes. This is probably the games biggest selling point. I can't imagine people paid $60 for this when it was new, I only recommend it if you can get in extremely cheap (my new copy was $10) but also be prepared for the initial things I mentioned that will discourage you from playing it. Like I said though, give it a few horus and it should grow on you...… Expand
  16. FrancisDoyle
    Nov 10, 2011
    1
    Rubbish. Was really looking forward to this too. Loved the other games. BUT- The whole thing is on rails so you are very much forced into combat- theres no hiking around to attack from another angle. The enemy is DUMB- They will pretty much stand and shoot no matter what you do. Your own guys are DUMB so it is kind of like you have taken a bunch of retarded soldiers into a war zone. I'veRubbish. Was really looking forward to this too. Loved the other games. BUT- The whole thing is on rails so you are very much forced into combat- theres no hiking around to attack from another angle. The enemy is DUMB- They will pretty much stand and shoot no matter what you do. Your own guys are DUMB so it is kind of like you have taken a bunch of retarded soldiers into a war zone. I've been on a truck and one AI won't board so we had to walk out and cap him. NO JUMP. Sorry I will say that again. NO JUMP. This means you can be wandering through a town and someone will open up on you and you cant get over some 4ft wall next to you- You have to thread your way all around while you are being shot at. This last one is the saddest. Seriously. Who thought of this one. To be honest, I saw a lot of negative reviews of this game when it first came out and I was all with that- Then I come here months later and I see all these high user reviews? Im suspicious.… Expand
  17. Seamus100
    Dec 27, 2012
    3
    Playing this game play was frustrating, so much so that I returned it after a few days of attempting to figure out how to play it.
    You wouldn
  18. VirulentFury
    Mar 11, 2014
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Operation Flashpoint: Red River, is an all in all, interesting game. It depicts the kind of war fare similar to that of the early 2000's after we invaded Afghanistan. Desert Warfare, Village to Village, ambushes, IED's, etc. The plot line it follows is a fictional depiction based on international political conflict with Tajikistan(pardon spelling) and eventually China.

    The character movement and weapon handling is changeable based on an upgradeable set of skills. But in general character movement is lazy and doesn't feel lively, until you vault an object, or go prone. While running the heartbeat of your character vibrates your controller, just a neat feature. Weapons unlike most games however, are more realistic. They have a REAL bullet spread, much like they do in real life, and they follow the one in the chamber rule. In general I give the weapons and shooting aspect a 9/10. that was well done. Character movement, a 7/10, there needed to be more sway or vibrations. Just more feel in it.

    The in-game noises and voice were half assed and sloppy. the worst of the games shortcomings. In game dialogue was cheesy, repetitive, and nonsensical. Knox will just rant and repeat words like **** or "ricky tick" or continuously restate his rules. The In-game voice performed by your character and other squads was duplicated base commands. Whereas all the squad leaders will say "Team, haul ass, 200 meters, northwest" in a slightly different tone. Your own squad commands were all the same, and tone never changes. If you target an enemy for your squad to engage, you say "Team(pause) Light up that(long pause) rifleman." And if your target is a sniper it will simply change "rifleman" to "sniper".
    The speech portion of this game was terribly performed and executed. Honestly if they revamped this, it would be a very "engaging" game. Also, all the vehicles make the same engine drone.

    The final portion of my unprofessional review is the graphics(quality) review. The graphics were lacking for that of a 2011 time period game. They weren't terrible, but some areas could of used some detail. The edges should have been sharper. Also, it had old Call of Duty troubles where AI guns and limbs would fade into walls or themselves when prone/crouched etc.
    If this game was to be re-done and re-vamped, Id say it could turn around. It is a GREAT game, but it has crucial flaws that really affect how a game is seen in consumers eyes.    … Expand
  19. Broyax
    Apr 16, 2017
    1
    La VF est de bonne qualité et plutôt marrante, on est dans la caricature Full Metal Jacket / Aliens / Halo : quelles que soient les époques, ces gros débiles de Marines font toujours rigoler. Là où on rigole moins, c'est lorsqu'il s'agit de "jouer".. "jouer" entre guillemets, car tout est fait pour une injouabilité totale : interface à la rue, maniabilité à la masse, système d'ordres à laLa VF est de bonne qualité et plutôt marrante, on est dans la caricature Full Metal Jacket / Aliens / Halo : quelles que soient les époques, ces gros débiles de Marines font toujours rigoler. Là où on rigole moins, c'est lorsqu'il s'agit de "jouer".. "jouer" entre guillemets, car tout est fait pour une injouabilité totale : interface à la rue, maniabilité à la masse, système d'ordres à la ramasse. Comme on dirait à l'armée : "vous êtes nuls à chier, les couilles de loup !!".

    Graphiquement c'est certes présentable malgré l'utilisation de filtres pourris. Développé par Codemasters, on aurait pu s'attendre à quelque chose de plus arcade et jouable, au moins comme ces antiquités de Delta Force (repose en paix, Novalogic) mais non, on se coltine la même merde que les Flashpoint sortis sur PC. Inacceptable.    … Expand
  20. VitiatedGaming
    Jul 22, 2020
    0
    Operation Flashpoint: Red River answers the question "How bad can it be?" with a strong and resounding "Absolutely awful!". Red River was released by Codemasters, the company that brought us such classics as Turning Point, You're In the Movies, etc and is certainly a shining example of how low a company can sink when releasing a game.

    Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising was the first    Operation Flashpoint: Red River answers the question "How bad can it be?" with a strong and resounding "Absolutely awful!". Red River was released by Codemasters, the company that brought us such classics as Turning Point, You're In the Movies, etc and is certainly a shining example of how low a company can sink when releasing a game.

    Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising was the first installment in the series on the 360, and was marketed as an ultra-realistic tactical shooter. In Dragon Rising, you need to be healed by medics. Bullets to your arms or legs cripple you, and can hinder your ability to run or aim. Firefights are over large distances, with little to no close quarter combat. Red River took this design, toned it down, and released it without fixing anything that needed to be fixed. For example, close combat is the name of the game now. Enemies will frequently be in buildings close by, popping out of windows or from behind corners and spraying at you, killing or downing you instantly. In the event that you are face to face with an enemy, you absolutely MUST spray at them until they drop or drop you. Why? Because this game has no melee function. Despite the close quarter fights, the developers neglected to add in a melee feature that was present in Dragon Rising. If you do not fire first and hit your enemy, you are going to die. This is due to the simple fact that a shot from an opposing soldier will cause you to flinch and recoil, a motion you can't shoot while stuck in. Basically, you're stuck in this position until you die or if a team mate is close enough to neutralize the enemy. If you do escape this situation, you will likely be injured and bleeding. You must then stop and hold A to patch yourself twice, once for the blood and once for the actual injury, meaning healing simply takes an incredibly long time. Overall, the combat is an awful experience.

    As far as the campaign goes, it is linear and simple. You will be fighting against Tajik soldiers with AK-47s early on, this eventually gives way to PLA soldiers with AK-47s. Every character is awful and unlikable, screaming obscenities at every given opportunity which sounds more like a group of 14 year olds having their first beer instead of a group of trained military men. The mixing and editing of the dialogue is absolutely atrocious, with certain characters blaring out of the TV and others being masked by background noise. It is painfully obvious that every phrase was recorded separately, and simply pieced together like a sort of speech impediment Frankenstein. "riflemen...75 METERS!!!!...north" is a common example of how poorly the speech was pieced together, and it comes off as sounding stilted and awkward. The command menu is clunky, forcing you to scroll through many combinations of LB/RB/Left/Right to give the most basic commands or orders. It's unwieldy and leaves you exposed whenever you try to use it.

    The characters are written terribly, the plot is boring, and every environment is the same blotch of brown. The trees, grass, buildings, enemies, vehicles, and squadmates are all the same shade of medium-light brown. That makes seeing enemies in cover nearly impossible, and you'll find yourself shooting at the direction bullets are flying past you much more than the actual shape of an enemy. The buildings have no furniture, windows, and are lucky if they have walls honestly. The power pylons don't even have power cables attached to them! The environments and levels are barely designed, and seem more like beta sketches than a completed game. On top of that, the blinding sun makes everything miserable. Even with the brightness turned down, the sun takes everything in the level and makes it a blindingly bright shade of brown that makes it impossible to see enemies, bullets, or even tanks. My final complaint is dealing more with wasted time. Every mission has a 2-6 minute intro AND outro, meaning at least 5-10 minutes per level of you just sitting in a helicopter or jeep. No dialogue, plot progression, or anything. Just awkwardly sitting there in silence, giving you time to reflect on your life while playing this trash.

    Now for the real treat of this review, the list of bugs and glitches my squad and I encountered while playing this game. Not spawning in with guns, helicopters and jeeps spinning in midair rapidly, extraction helicopter getting stuck on a pylon, AI keeling over dead without enemies around, missions being "complete" before they even start, spawning stuck inside a helicopter and dying when the helicopter takes off, air strikes being called directly on top of a target and "missing", enemy vehicles being invincible (we saw an APC take 5 Queen Bee shots and 18 noob tubes before killing us all), javelins being aimed 400 meters ahead of us but killing the entire team, helicopters landing inside other helicopters, and the list goes on and on and on. This game is buggier than a pile of cow excrement.

    0/10    … Expand
  21. IActuallyPlayd
    Sep 18, 2022
    8
    If you like Generation Kill, you'll like this game.

    More accessable than Dragon Rising, and better game feel overall. The sense of scale is impressive, with at times dozens of friendly AI to fight alongside and against in enormous environments. Any review, like the one immediately before mine, that says this game looks bad can be safely discarded. This game looks great when you realize    If you like Generation Kill, you'll like this game.

    More accessable than Dragon Rising, and better game feel overall. The sense of scale is impressive, with at times dozens of friendly AI to fight alongside and against in enormous environments. Any review, like the one immediately before mine, that says this game looks bad can be safely discarded. This game looks great when you realize the scale of the map and the many AIs that run at once. A negative would be the main platoon leader you fight with on every mission, the guy never shuts up. He never develops as a character and is definitely a low point. That said, his dialogue is authentic if you know any actual Marines. For that matter, this game does pull off dialogue and voice acting generally well.

    I think this game has a great progression of conflict, starting with fighting insurgents like what Afghanistan was before morphing into a modern war between the US and China.

    Not a game a game for everyone, but if anyone rates this game 0, you can bin every other review they've ever done because they are incredibly stupid.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

79
#79 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 64 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 64
  2. Mixed: 42 out of 64
  3. Negative: 0 out of 64
  1. Armchair Empire
    Nov 21, 2011
    50
    However well done the game is from a technical standpoint, its actual content makes a mockery of the men and the operations it tries so very hard to flatter.
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  2. GameCritics
    Aug 25, 2011
    65
    I've played this game for tens of hours, thought about it another few, and now written a review, and I still don't know exactly what the developers intended.
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  3. GamingExcellence
    Jul 7, 2011
    50
    If you are into shooters, then there are definitely better titles than this one. Operation Flashpoint: Red River suffers from slow pacing and too much time not even taking part in firefights. It deals more with having you playing Nurse Nightingale healing yourself and your team than a death-dealing marine. If that sounds like your idea of a good time, then go nuts.
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