Operation Flashpoint: Resistance (Windows)

Operation Flashpoint was firmly encamped in the 'love it or hate it' camp of first person shooters. Twitch gaming it was not by any stretch of the imagination, requiring patience, strategy, and an abominable dollop of tactics to succeed. But for those that stuck with it, it provided massive long-term dividends thanks to some excellently constructed campaigns, and an extremely rewarding multiplayer co-operative mode.

In fact, the only points at which the game fell down somewhat were graphically, its implementation of speech, and the occasional buggy level design. Operation Flashpoint: Resistance is an attempt to redress some of the balance, but thankfully doesn't hold itself to that alone. Instead, it takes the concept of the game just a little bit further, introducing even more strategy to what was already essentially a strategical wünderkid, drawing together even individual missions within the campaign with a scrimp-and-save methodology needed to progress successfully to the culmination of the main event.

The game is set before the events of Operation Flashpoint, telling the story of Victor Troska, an ex-special forces soldier seeking to retire quietly to the island of Nogova. Ha! You don't get away that easily, young fella-me-lad, as is shown when the island's government collapses, leading to a Soviet invasion of his backwater hideout. Naturally, the only person qualified to lead a grass-roots resistance is none other than Mr Troska himself, and so begins the campaign. What makes it interesting is that it really is a peasants revolt - the large proportion of the troops Troska must make do with are nothing more than enthusiastic farmers, with weapons scavenged from the fallen enemy. Lose a man, and he's gone for good, run out of bullets and don't expect a sudden influx should you complete the next mission.

It's this kind of resource management that makes it a slightly more tough exercise than its predecessor. Along with the perils of the one-shot, one-kill mentality and brutal realism of Operation Flashpoint, you must also be twice as careful with both your men and your equipment, which adds a novel twist. Spare time can be spent hurriedly hoarding gear for future missions, in the vague hope you may need it for your subsequent endeavours.

The game also draws you in to the story in an incisive way with a set of well-executed (if somewhat lengthy) cutscenes and choices that spring from them. In many cases, this springs from the game's scavenging crux - should you stop to horde weapons for future missions, or take time to save your people, who after all are no longer simple cannon fodder, but indispensable assets? It's with many a scream in the GD office that we've progressed through the game, often restarting whole segments of the campaign to come up with a set of tactics that'll save manpower from the slaughter. This, unfortunately, isn't helped by an AI that displays particular stupidity in certain cases, which is an unfortunate hangover from the original title that further increases the challenge.

Part of the update that Resistance promises is a fresh lick of paint to the earlier game's somewhat lacklustre graphics. This includes model updates, and higher resolutions, as well as an increased variety of landscapes, as an alternative to the original's somewhat mono-colour presentation. The update is noticeable, but sadly not as much as you'd hope - compared to the vast majority of upcoming war simulations, Resistance is even now looking a little dated, particularly in the case of character models, which although better than their blocky antecedents, still don't manage to hit the spot. The landscapes do look good, however, particularly the towns, which is a refreshing change. Just don't try to whack out the visual detail to maximum, it grinds even our most powerful system to a halt, for not much of an improvement.

With this type of game in particular, extra spangly tinkly visuals aren't as big a part as you might expect - after all, Operation Flashpoint enjoyed considerable success and still does amongst its fanbase with what are pretty dated graphics. In particular, attention has been paid to the little details that bring scenes to life, like the exhaust fumes from cars and the clouds overhead.

Also improved are the frankly god-awful voices that the original suffered from, which further increases the power of the game's story. It's a more atmospheric experience, which might welcome in more punters that own the original game. Multiplayer has likewise been improved, so that games of more than three people no longer judder to a screaming halt. Sadly, some weird clipping issues can ruin enjoyment of the game, with both vehicles and figures sinking into terrain and getting stuck in buildings at various points.

When it comes down to it, Operation Flashpoint wasn't a game for everyone, and unsurprisingly, neither is the expansion. What it is, is a more atmospheric experience all round, with a healthy dose of mission to mission strategy thanks to the excellently constructed campaign. It's not the graphical marvel we were promised, but it's enough of an upgrade to keep Flashpoint fans happy for quite some time. Only let down by AI deficiencies and some clipping issues, it's a healthy upgrade for the strategic shooter.

Review By GamesDomain