@dead_red_eyes: Yeah I used to be one of the hardcore followers of the game back in the days.

Nothing beats downing friends who were flying in an apache with a well placed burst through the canopy.

Good times that was, but jesus at times in sim games if you didnt pay attention to where you were going and used the map you really could get lost from the field of operation quite easily.

Ah good times that was though.

Witzbold

Personally i would rather battlefield 3 come out. Im desperate for it.

snakepliskin

@unangbangkay: "Iron sights are now old hat for everything, so Opflash has its work cut out for it if it wants to properly distinguish itself from Battlefield or CoD."

Pretty much what I was gonna say.
Battlefield has the battlefield gameplay down pat, and while it's a bit tilted towards arcadey, it works. I would imagine these guys are going to go for a more realistic approach.

But, Battleield 2 has a mod that makes the game painstakingly realistic (Project Reality), and while it's fun to play, a lot of the time it's very frustrating.

Perhaps it will be distinguished by the giant maps (like the first OPF), but whenever I played the 1st one, it felt like the maps were way too big for their own good.

I dunno, it's gonna be interesting.
OPF was good for it's time, but it's features are now common, so it's gonna take something special now to get itself distinguished from the crowd.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna write this one off because of whatever reason (I always wait until I try a game, I rarely write games off before they're released), but I cant help but wonder how it's gonna separate itself now (a much, much harder task now than it was with the 1st one).

Still, I'm looking forward to this one!

Coquiton

A wonderful game, Operation Flashpoint was. Looking forward to this one.

pylon_trooper

@Witzbold:

Agreed my friend. Did you ever play the original? I tried a couple years back, but it was way too dated for me. I heard the controls were absolute shit.

dead_red_eyes

OpFlash 1 was pretty fucking merciless. Some of the most harrowing moments of my gaming life were in that title. That mission as the sole survivor of a Russian ambush? Almost torture trying to avoid the patrols, heart pounding in your ears.

The solo sneaking mission against the reds' helicopter base was nearly as amazing.

ArmA was pretty much OpFlash 1.5.

That said, it was pretty much the most unwieldy action title I've ever played. I'd be thankful for a streamlined control system. Radial menu for commands, better targeting, etc.

Iron sights are now old hat for everything, so Opflash has its work cut out for it if it wants to properly distinguish itself from Battlefield or CoD.

unangbangkay

I don't think it's ever a good idea for a developer to describe their game with superlatives before anyone else even has an idea of what the game is like. Sure hype your game up to drive sales if you think that's a good idea, but saying its the best ever at something is a recipe for disaster, especially when no one else has seen what you are describing as the best.

sarcasmOD

Ill buy the hype when I get a hands on demo and see just how merciless the game really is.

Witzbold

I really tried to like op-flash, i didnt realize people actually enjoyed it though

SmokeFemur

@wild homes has adopted...: The console conversion of Operation Flashpoint on the Xbox1 had one big flaw and that was that it came out way to late, i.e. four years after the PC version while providing nothing new other then some small graphical improvements.

However, other then those four years the conversion was pretty much perfect, everything the PC version had was still in there and the controls via gamepad also worked much better then I had expected. And to this day its still the only thing of its kind in the console world.

grumbel

The thrill of being stranded in purgatory piloting sluggish vehicles, surrounded by an army of mindless immortal infantry? Yeah, no game has since captured it that

SmokeFemur

@Scazza: meant ArmA1

Scazza

I strongly doubt it WONT be dumbed down.

Bohemia is not making it, and honestly if you want a pure OFP experience go play the original, ARMA or wait for ARMA2

muscrat_01

Not to sound like an ass, but ArmA2 was more sim then game, and was definitely a chore to play... Hopefully (doubtful) they can make OpFlash2 a sim game for the less hardcore army nut!

Scazza

Will be fun seeing ArmA 2 vs. OFP 2. Original developer vs. new.

My money is on ArmA 2..

Gjerven

@NKato: Additionally, international military organizations such as the Australian Defense Forces, Canadian Air Force, Royal Netherlands Army, the UK Ministry of Defence, and the US Army use VBS2 (developed by Bohemia Interactive) to train their troops.

NKato

Yeah sounds like this is gonna be for hardcore operation flashpoint players like my brother. Game was a bit too "real" for me.

snakepliskin

The um...screenshots don't give this title a lot of weight. The developers of the original Flashpoint, Bohemia Interactive, are developing ArmA 2, which is the spiritual successor to the Flashpoint series.

If anything, you folks shouldn't be buying into Codemaster's crap. Bohemia Interactive has sold hundreds of copies of Virtual Battlespace 2, which is a high-end military version of ArmA that is used by the United States Marine Corps for scenario training.

NKato

Glad to see it's not being dumbed down. The original was pretty rough, but thats the way I like it :)

Asfad

@Jelster: What's wrong with the controls of Resistance and BF:BC on consoles? Bad "feel"?

DigiMish

The first is not very accessible at all, and is flawed, but I enjoyed it a lot. I won't get excited about this though, becase pre-release info about tactical shooters is usually inaccurate to the point of complete silliness.

frostcircus

oh how I loved this game, used to spent hours flying with the helicopter the whole map, even made a custom map with all the vehicles lined up to drive :)

IroKuMata

There was me feeling all down and pissed at shitty console controls on FPS (was playing the resistance and BF:BC demos last night) and up pops this baby to restore my faith in PC FPS development. Although I will admit that the first one was tough as arseholes, this'll probably bitch me too.

BTW - thinking of busts much?

Jelster

All I remember of the original is that I couldn't get into it at all. Remember it as being extremely slow, confusing and frustrating.

Nutchos

I know this series is shit hot on the PC, but didn't the last-gen console version blow serious ass? Either way, this looks wonderful. I'd really enjoy a hardcore war title with next-gen immersion. Sign me up.

wild homes has adopted evidentialism

Cool, I enjoyed the other games.

Ravioli_Sumo

Excellent. The first game was hardcore as hell. Loved it.

InsidiousTuna

Sweet. I actually got lost in the original.

Gouki4u

Actual full name is Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising.

+ Watch video

godot

@DigiMish:

Having just really started tasting FPS on consoles I just can't get comfortable with using the controller to aim, seems very cumbersome. I've also noticed that the game seems to encourage a more spam the general area approach to compensate for less minute accuracy.

Not saying those games are bad but for me it just isn't working right now.

Jelster

Even the controller from "Steel Battalion" is not enough to pilot the helicopter from the original Operation Flashpoint.

This game will proceed to laugh and spit in your face.

PsycheE

It's actually the first FPS I ever played.
I loved it, really epic.

tehFluffz

I love Operation Flashpoint. And, really, no other game has managed to be as good as it since. I've played ArmA, and I still always go back to Flashpoint, there's just something there that no other game has managed to capture. And, yes, I'm sure OFP2 is gonna get dumbed down to hell... but I sure hope it doesn't...

BoboDaHobo

I remember charging over this hill towards a town which house enemy forces. There were tanks in there firing at us as well as other tanks hiding in the forest.

as I was running down the hill, tanks from my side followed me in firing as they went. I made it to this small hedge row and went prone to lay down some covering fire while my forces advanced.....

It was an epic and confusing game.

It felt real (although thank god I don't actually know what "real" feels like).

Lets hope this one brings that all back :-)

71mb0

Every time I see a PC game preview or article, I press Ctrl and F and type in the word "console." I am always disappointed by the results, and this thread is no exception.

I've wanted to play Arma, but I lacked the graphics power to run it up until recently. Is it worth it to go back and play, or should I wait for the sequel? I really dug Operation Flashpoint when I played it a few years ago. I'll also be following this one, but those screenshots do not exactly look gameplay, so there's no sense in getting excited just yet. If they really are actual screens (which I doubt because let's face it, 'bullshots' have and will probably continue to appear) then I will be happy to be wrong.

Drake Lake: Formed from Arsenic and Old Lace

If you are willing to hunt for online games then Arma is pretty decent.

The last time I played it the single player was astonishingly poor, simply due to your reliance on squad mates who quite literally cant be relied upon to drive through a town without crashing, who decide that going prone in the middle of a road rather than the perfectly good cover 3 feet away is a key survival tactic, and who will happily try and target enemies through walls ignoring the ones right next to them.

Its entirely possible they fixed the AI, but it really needed a full overhaul.

ShineDog

@Drake Lake: Formed from Arsenic and Old Lace:
I didn't like ArmA as much as Operation Flashpoint. But I've gotten used to arcade battlefield mechanics. And whats worst is there isn't much of a community. Sort of like buying Chromehounds and finding a squad (any takers?).

It really depends on when you buy the game and if you find a community that really likes it. But then like OP F you will be spending alot of time becoming skilled at one thing.

Really what they need to do is stop fucking around with these limited sized maps and remake Planetside, as Modern Combat.

I would totally love to be a f-22 pilot providing JDAM support to guys in the field. Limited flight time, actually having to land and to re arm etc. Instead of the fly near the airport auto reload, infinite fly time of the Battlefield series.

sovietspartan

Oh yeah also the first game where the sound of an explosion would reach you after the visual. That's right, they modeled the sound of speed in the game.

otakuhouse

That first game felt like it was held together with balsa wood and cardboard but it was one of the greatest gaming experiences of my life...

It's the only warfare game I've ever played that actually made me afraid, had me yelling out loud that war is hell, that made me consider that being in a war is an incredibly terrifying experience.

It was the first game I remember playing with iron sights, squad commands in an FPS, radio comms, realistic ammo levels, one shot kills... And it was so vast.

I think one thing it did that no game ever has since is create the "hours of boredom followed by minutes of sheer panic" that soldiers remark upon. You'd be hanging out at the base shooting the shit with fellow soldiers doing nothing, going on a boring patrol, and the next thing you know you're all barely alive.

Truly an underrated game that deserves a proper sequel.

otakuhouse

I get the feeling that so much time has passed since the first one, fans of the original may not be the same type of gamer that would enjoy the second one. Then again, I'm a sucker for a sequel, so my fingers are crossed!

Unrulybrute

Crawling through the pixelated mud on the edge of a forest.
Your target area dead ahead, then you hear it:

The Hind buzzing overhead!

I swear I pressed my "prone" button so hard, trying to get closer to the ground :D

One of the best tactical, hell one of the best games ever!

Shikome

Substitute "best" for "bust" and you've gotten a SP proofread Article, Kotaku : )

element7

Dont count on this being like operation flashpoint. As people have said bohemia interactive lost the name operration flashpoint to codemasters, so the real flashpoint 2 was armed assault.

kenjara

@Nutchos: Yep it was confusing, war tends to be like that.

kretinite

I really respected and liked OFP more than i enjoyed playing it. I still fondly look back at it as the world's first man-driving simulator.

Sunjammer

Wait, people could actually understand what to do in the first one? The expansion made more sense than the actual first game (I played both on GameTap), but still, I couldn't get into either.

DukeOfPwn

@DukeOfPwn:
Then I don't know, maybe your a fucking idiot who didn't read all the detailed mission reports before the mission started? Yes, yes you had to READ and THINK and PLAN and IMPROVISE what you were going to do on the battlefield, shocking isn't it?

Volrath

I too, will stick with ArmA.

Blazingluke

@Jelster:

I am able to play console FPS and PC FPS without bitching....says alot about you.

Vecha

@NKato: "you folks shouldn't be buying into Codemaster's crap"
As a huge fan of op flash and arma i have to say i dont know what your talking about.Why could no one else make a good game in this genre?
I will judge this game when its finished and not feel that i have to ignore it just because of some fake feeling of allegiance i have to one dev team or another.If its good then i will buy it, its as simple as that.The same goes for far cry 2.
There`s too much of this bullshit floating around where you have to be a fan of only one thing or another,wether it`s a console, a dev team or whatever.It`s just plain fucking wierd imo.

@Scazza: I know what you mean about it being a chore and i kinda thought that at first too as i know some other new players i talked in game with did.But its not an arcade game and after a while when you realise that one shot could kill you and that tank your hiding from behind a wall can`t be taken out with 2 or 3 grenades and a clip of pistol ammo it really makes you keep your head down and think as if you were on the battlefield.The hightened feelings you get when you do get your tactics right and are really kicking ass makes the game unbelievable fun.It`s all to do with experience really but the reward is in the feeling that you ARE doing well and working as a team.I suppose it would be classed as hardcore being that skill in the game is highly rewarded, mainly because your not being killed all the time.
This isn`t aimed at you but is just a general thought.. If your someone who quits anything in life easily then you probably shouldn`t play these types of games,they`re tough but they do reward stubborn determined people.

+ Watch video

UFO

Ill wait for ArmA 2.

Mecharine

Seeing as War games all of a sudden went arcadey and shit (like cod4, rainbow vegas, battlefield, etc) this is what war games should be about, stealth, huge maps, realism.

EA, UBI THQ can take their FPS's and shove em, Op flash point 2 will separate the men from the boys.

jigglypoofs

could be an interesting game actually, a war sim from what im gathering could be awesome. will keep a watch out for this.

gnudna

I loved the original Operation Frustrationpoint (har har) even though I was never able to beat it. Hell, that game was grueling. I remember being unable to defeat the mission where you assault this town or something. After you fail the assault, you run into the forest, which was filled with enemies. After that, you have to evacuate the island. At the start of the mission, I just did a 180 and ran like hell, never looking back. Only way I could finish the stupid thing.

I recently bought ArmA: Gold since the 1.14 patch finally made it work on 64-bit operating systems with 4GB+ of RAM. It is a lot of fun too; however, my AI squad gets me killed. A lot. I just did a mission that I just BARELY survived. I had to kill a couple tanks. I didn't have the weapons to kill a couple tanks. I was seriously scrounging around enemy bodies for RPG rounds. I died so many times just getting up close to the tanks. Anyways, pretty soon after that I was alone with one other surviving squad member in a dead town with an enemy tank and a couple enemy soldiers. If I didn't shoot into a bush to see if anybody was there, I probably wouldn't have survived that one.

If you want to see what these games are like, this person on YouTube has some neat gameplay videos: [www.youtube.com]

Nalin

is Bohemia Interactive even doing this version?

warxsnake

I remember playing the demo way back when and being blown away by the technical aspect of the game.

I went back years later and tried to play it on gametap and couldn't. It's tough to get into old games, especially games that are semi-complicated.

Plus I got railed every time I met an enemy.

sir_carrot

OFP Cold War Crisis and the Resistance expansion made me a loyal BIStudio fan. I also enjoyed the Red Hammer expansion developed separately by Codemaster's. These are much more like combat sims than games. OFP shouldn't be compared with BF and CoD, which make you feel like your in a war movie rather than an actual war.

For instance, in OFP the player actually sees distant explosions occur a short time before hearing them. Such a delay caused by the speed of sound is not even presented in CNN's battlefield coverage where it's always removed by resynchronising the audio/video tracks. Attention to countless fine details like that is what set OFP and BIStudio apart.

Unfortunately, everything that BIStudio got so right in OFP seemed broken in ARMA: Combat Operations. All those intensely interesting situations in OFP became mere situations in ARMA. In OFP, if the player found himself fighting steep odds it was probably because things went fubar. ARMA actually directed the player into such scenarios and for no apparent reason. One ridiculous early mission in ARMA required single-handedly sniping an entire enemy plattoon from a water tower in broad daylight. Sir, yes sir!

I couldn't play beyond ARMA's apache chopper support mission (~70% into game) because of aircraft control conflicts that never occurred in OFP, but I don't feel I've missed much if the final third of the story simply followed the enemy into surrender.

ARMA left me feeling that perhaps Codemasters had more to do with the quality of OFP than they got credit for. Therefore, I'll probably give Codemasters a chance with OFP2: Dragon Rising whereas I won't be giving BIStudio a second chance to disappoint me with ARMA2.

godot

@Vecha:

Yet you bitch about other people with such great ease, says a lot about you I guess.

The FPS genre on consoles is an exercise in control and gameplay compromises. I wasn't intending to point out that quite obvious reality (if you think this is untrue you're clearly ignorant, arrogant or plain stupid). What I intended to do was point out that the scale to which I feel it affects the game is much larger than I expected.

Jelster

Wait for Arma 2 codemasters dont even deserve to be using the operation flashpoint name. A modified version of arma virtual battlespace 2 is used by a multiple armies around the world for training. I think that says it all.

kenjara

Was there ever a Beta for this game.... I see to remember playing it a year or so ago

majormauser

Im still "putting pennies" away so I can get a licensed copy of VBS2.

Been very interested in the software ever since I saw a tech demo / a trusted friend of mine pointed it out.

Witzbold

I put thousands upon thousands of hours into the original Operation Flashpoint. I'm just hoping this one delivers more of the epic experiences I had in OFP.

SilverFireshot

@UFO: Of course i meant vbs has the tactics training where as arma does not.
: /

UFO

@Witzbold: I think you may find that vbs 2 is basically arma with the tactics training part cut out.The ability to pause and point out to the training soldiers the positions etc they should be in.At least thats what it looks like to me.All the ballistics etc are the same.
You may be disapointed after paying out a heap of money and find you have the game already or could have bought arma instead.Then again i could be wrong and you might love playing aroung with it.Wouldn`t say no to having a go myself but i wouldn`t spend all that money with it looking nearly the exact same as the game i own.

UFO

@UFO: I have ARMA and its a watered down version of VBS2.

If you watched the 30 minute tech video you would have seen that.

[video.google.com]

Sides if they were the same I seriously doubt the the US Military and others would be paying 2k a pop.

Witzbold

I spent very little time actually playing OFP, but far more time with the editor. I put together a base and created patrols, then placed opposing force nearby with waypoint in the middle of the base, then I just placed myself upon some hilltop and run the game. I just sit up there with binoculars and watched how the attackers fared against the base. It was more tactical simulator than FPS for me. -_-

ara

@Witzbold: I've played/used the original VBS, and if that is any indication, you'll need active community to get anything out of it. There is little game in there, just some very basic stuff, like setting up a roadblock in middle of nowhere, etc. I don't think I saw any actual combat missions, so you'd need a community to create and play those. Even for education it's poor tool if you don't have professional evaluation and debriefing. I can see it having some benefits in actual military training, but as a standalone application it seemed rather useless. My experience is most likely badly outdated, but a little warning anyways.

ara

@ara: Im not buying it to "game" with.

Its the technology that Im interested in.

Witzbold

You must not know the US military. We pay $2000 bucks for a 15 inch CRT monitor. My unit paid $10,000 for a modified paintball gun that could fire rubber balls........and then we never got the balls.

SWATJester

I used to work for a large private consulting firm that had several dozen vice presidents. Nearly each one of them was a retired high-ranking officer from within the procurement divisions of the US armed forces. Need I say more?

godot

@Witzbold: I saw the video last year and its true arma is a watered down version, which is what i was basically saying.I think it`s missing stuff out that your average gamer doesnt want or need, but yeah i understand why you would want it to play around with it.Like i say, i wouldn`t mind myself.
Didn`t realise it was 2 grand though, ouch.

UFO

I have very fond memories of the original Op:Flashpoint. It created this"you are there" atmosphere that I still haven't found in any other games, clunky control be damn or not. I still remembering hiding in an open field with only my rifle when I heard some metallic clanking and squeaking noise getting louder. I knew immediately it was damn tank and it's hunting for me! Never felt fear and panic like that from a game before or since then.
Coupled with the large user created maps and missions by the community, it was a game that kept giving.

As for Arma. I heard that it had too many bugs in it and at that time my PC wasn't up to the task of the game so I never got it.

VBS I have heard from time to time that illict copies of the game have been floating round the web. I've never managed to find out if that rumor is true or not though.

Kyokai