OF2:DR Launch Center

OK. Nope. Not a launch center, not even a fansite. Not even really much of a fan. Just a kinda fan. A fan in the strangest way of Operation Flashpoint. I never played the PC version of the game in 2001. Only played the Xbox version... and, yes, somehow I'm a fan. I'm also a fan of the developers of the game: Codemasters. I think I like them because the are flawed. Flawed in a good way. If you take a list of their games I venture to say that most people may not have played any of them. I've played a few. Both, unfortunately and fortunately. The highlights on the list are Colin McRae Rally games, Overloard, and the aforementioned Operation Flashpoint. The also have a few stinkers on there. Turning Point: Fall of Liberty is a great alternative history game, but falls flat on its face. Out of the games I've played i realize, more then other developers, that Codemasters are more engineers. They try, desperately, to get the nuts and bolts of the game to work over the aesthetic side. They are also overreaching in their scope. What I like about them is their creative games. Creative ideas. I just feel like they get tangled in the coding of the game. If this, then this, then that equals this. You multiply that by a billion and you get Codemasters. You won't see press releases about the handful of neato features in this years version of any game. They just try and cram everything in at the get go.

In saying that, I know that is why Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising just keeps getting delayed. I remember around this time last year thinking; alright! a new one! this year! Turns out that isn't the case. Nor is it rarely the case with a lot of games. But, I'll be disappointed if it gets pushed back again.

The new game looks great. I adored the old one. I felt like if they spiffed up the graphics just a notch, it would have been better received. Underneath the surface though, is an incredible game. The new one looks like they did just that.

There are conflicting reports as to the release day, which is never a good sign. Most signs point to May/June release. I'm optimistically predicting they have something good and will release March. We'll see.

One of the best things about Flashpoint was the ability to map/mission create. Like everyone who played the game I have a story. I created one on the coast. Me and a couple other allies were to protect civilians as a bus came and picked them up and drove off to a destination. I had enemy tanks roll in, paratroopers dropping in, infantry advancing from the forest. Impossible situation. I never got it right, but I played it for hours on end. I also remember setting up a battle in a valley as i watched from a distant hill. Picking off the enemy the best I could before the AI would send troops up to get me then I would jump down into the mist of the battle and hunker down in an abandon building while the battle raged around me at night. It was like setting up you G.I. Joe's as a kid and having them come to life.

Looking forward to OF2:DR.