Flashpoint offers a level of realism that can be compared to other third person perspective games like Delta Force 2 and Rainbow Six/ Rogue Spear. However, the game has some of the arcade-like elements seen in Hidden & Dangerous where a player can jump into any vehicle on the field and command it. Being able to drive and fly vehicles also gives Flashpoint the feeling of the long-awaited title, Halo. Though very different in characteristics, the work that has gone into the game and some of the diverse characteristics should certainly be appreciated, and may be just the game to pick up while waiting for Halo to come out.

What will really make Flashpoint stand out from some of the other tactical shooter titles out there is that the developers themselves have actually fought in the desperate wars in their region and actually did motion capture real military movements during training. Though the storyline is fictional, the uniforms, gear and vehicles are accurate for each soldier depending on his skill and equipment used. Bohemia Interactive has kept everything in this time, and has not gone so far as to invent any super-weapons that will unrealistically turn the balance of the game. Nor do they bring the action into another time like the alternate historical title Mortyr (another I-Magic title that was quietly published by Interplay) or even the upcoming Return to Castle Wolfenstein that counts zombies among their population. The action is fought in a real-time environment that cycles through day and nighttime periods, and is contained in the vast landscape of the region of alternate Eastern Europe.

With compelling enough missions making up the game, it would be entirely possible for Bohemia to take a cue from games like SWAT 3 that did not initially offer a multiplayer option. But Flashpoint is expected to include a strong multiplayer component over a LAN or Internet. The developers have promised that players will be able to play as a team and board vehicles and allow one player to drive while the others are free to shoot at any passing threat, another highly anticipated feature that players will get to play before trying it out in the upcoming Halo.

After a long wait, gamers will finally have the opportunity to play Operation Flashpoint and should have reason to be pleased. There are many elements in the game that will make for gripping hours of play. Hopefully Bohemia Interactive will live up to what they have promised, and Flashpoint will be noticed as more than a sleeper hit.

Enid Burns
Contributing Editor