14 DAY TRIAL // 
It's not a pretty game. It's not about a hero and it's not about glory. The concept of Dragon Rising is a breath of fresh air, as it steps away from the cinematic depiction of war that games have started to portray exclusively and throws you in the middle of combat as a soldier should be, on a need to know basis. The game is one of the closest things out there not to a first-person shooter's depiction of war but to an actual war simulation. The whole super-soldier factor of unlimited health regeneration doesn't exist and surviving getting shot is a miracle as long as you don't dress your wounds and receive medical attention. You'll soon learn to fear incoming fire and think a hundred times before you decide to open fire.
In the attempt to depict reality, the game stepped away from the classic difficulty level. Enemy's health and combat abilities don't change as you scroll through the possible difficulties, and neither do your guns or the world itself. Another thing about the game that makes it stand out is that things don't seem artificial. Nothing seems out of place, nothings is in a place that it shouldn't be in. Weapon crates and resupply points are inside military positions, be they friendly or hostile, and there are no abandoned vehicles on the battlefield for you to jack either.
Story The reason behind the fighting going on in Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is beautifully depicted in the game's cinematic intro. The clip is not some visually stunning pre-rendered gem, but a simple slide that depicts the history of the war-plagued Skira Island. It may sound boring, or some wannabe artistic facade, but it's just a very simple and efficient way of giving a very clear view of the picture and the premise of the game. Starting in 1409, the island's history has seen enough conflict to last it a lifetime. Originally claimed by China, the island became a Japanese and then Russian victim of a bloody tug of war.
In 2004 China sees a huge economical boom that leads to depleting its local oil reserves and the 2008 global economic crisis greatly reduces the demand for its products. As a desperate solution to avoid a downfall, in March 2011, China mobilizes its military forces in the northern provinces, in hope of obtaining Skira's vast oil reserves. On May 9, the People's Liberation Army takes control of Skira and its oil. Negations are held to resolve the conflict, but as China claims original ownership of the island a peaceful solution is nowhere in sight. Fearing an all-out attack, Russia requests aid from its American allies. On May 12, United States military forces are deployed in the Sea of Japan. From here on out, war breaks out and it's, as always, obviously, America's duty to save the world.
I understand the whole concept of “With great power comes great responsibility” but Spiderman never stuck his nose in the circus just because he was better at the trapeze than the local freaks. However, since it depicts reality so well, we'll just roll with it. The story of the game is believable, very much so, as it borrows a lot from current global events. It does its job perfectly in supplying a reason and explanations for what goes on in the game. The only thing that seems a stretch is the very thought of Russia asking for military help from America.
Gameplay
Keeping in mind that the game is pegged as a military simulation, not a simple first-person shooter, the gameplay is nothing short of brilliant. Almost everything it does comes to depict the gritty, brutal and unforgiving atmosphere of war. The single player campaign offers two parallel stories, as you'll be able to play either as a spec-ops team tasked with surgical strikes or as a simple foot soldier in the USMC. This way, you'll get the chance to sneak at night and infiltrate enemy position or perform assassinations of high-value targets but you'll also take part in the brutal frontline fighting.
You'll lead a four-man fire team, in both instances, and you’ll be able to tackle the mission objective in any way you see fit. The game offers great flexibility in this department, as pretty much anything you can think of you can do. You can circle around and approach your designated target, who or whatever that may be, from any direction and you can use your squad and the terrain in any way that you see fit. Orders are given through a radial menu that is indeed a bit too complex for a quick access one. Still, the sheer number of orders you can give in a very limited amount of time (once you've memorized how each order category branches out) is incredibly useful and versatile. Orders can also be given via the satellite map, for accurate long-range tactical decisions.
And we've finally reached the crowning gem in the gameplay's arsenal: the fire fights. These are so real and visceral that they can cause you to cower in fear and suffer from shell-shock. Neither you nor your team members or enemy infantry can take more than one or two rounds from small arm fire before being incapacitated or even killed. This instant nature in which confrontations can end will quickly teach the player to be very weary of combat. Bullets have a realistic, ballistic trajectory that needs to be compensated when engaging targets at greater distances or when firing uphill. The actual combat of the game is superbly designed. Dirt is sprayed in your face by near misses and nearby explosions... well, actually, nearby explosions kill you.
Graphics and Audio
The graphics are truly amazing. Everything looks real, genuine. The game doesn't abuse the technology it has available to smother us with eye candy. Shaders and bloom are properly used, and you won't see the dry, grassy terrain shine in the middle of the night. Visually, the game's greatest asset is the draw distance. Everything within 35 kilometers in perfectly rendered, not that you'll ever see that far. And even if you could, even with the most advanced sniper available, shooting at something at over 1 Km is a godly feat. One thing that truly startled me was the shadows projected by the clouds. All of a sudden, even if I was on top of a hill, in a perfectly lit area, the lighting conditions suddenly dropped as a large cloud covered the sun. My first reaction was to throw my disappointed self back into the chair, believing that what I saw was the world going dark, as once again, I got shot from God knows where.
Multiplayer
Unfortunately, what could have been the best part of the game is the biggest disappointment. The single player campaign is available in a four-man co-op, but what you get in improved team play you lose in versatility. You can no longer stretch your team across the map, and players must stay within 275 meters of each other. The online multiplayer is composed of the Annihilation and Infiltration modes, which enable up to 32 players to join a match while the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are limited to eight human players, and 24 bots. Here, the available area for combat is restricted to four square kilometers.
Conclusion Overall, the game's strong points are also its weakness. The realistic depiction of war can sometimes prove to be too realistic and incredibly frustrating. The game is, without a doubt difficult, simply because it demands the player to be constantly alert, weary of his environment and constantly on the edge. “Think before you act” can be the game's motto as long as you take it to the next step and make it “Think before you act or suffer the deadly and instant consequences.”
