14 DAY TRIAL // All the information regarding the plot of Dragon Rising is given in the cinematic at the beginning of the campaign, without any sort of in-game cut-scenes. In the very near future claims over the oil-rich Skira Island escalate to an all-out conflict between Russia and China. Both countries claim ownership, both need the natural resources that it offers and none are willing to back down from a fight. Even if the clash is waged by the Russian and the Chinese soldiers, you will be neither. You are part of the USMC and will impersonate more that just one soldier. If you don't understand how America is involved in the conflict or what the American troops are doing on the battlefront you're not up to date with modern history. If there's a war going on somewhere, America will be there. And if there's oil involved, they'll even win.
Codemasters's Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising drops you straight into the action. The first seconds of the game show your steady hand gripping the Mk.16 Mod 0 Assault as you've just been dropped on to Skira Island. And let the dogs of war be set loose. The entire Skira Island is available to you but the game is divided into missions. How you decide to complete them is up to you, as the orders received from HQ are very permissive. How you get there and how exactly you decide to handle the situation depends entirely on you. Use the map to direct your fire team, go together as a solid unit, divide your men across the mission area or “lone wolf” the whole thing are just some of the possibilities available.
The gameplay itself is nothing short of brilliant. Small fire arms will cause bleeding and you'll require medical attention and bullets have real speed and trajectories, so don't expect to hit anything at over 300 meters with your rifle unless you properly adjust your aim. Your team is a four-man cell that needs to move across the island and complete different objectives. What matters here is the size of your team. You can't just march across open field and engage an armed patrol of 20 men. Never mind 20 men, a force of equal size can prove lethal if not approached with some advantage. Be it tactical, numeric or equipment-wise, you need something to tip the scales in you favor in any fight. Basic combat rules apply: the tree line is your friend and be Oscar Mike. A stationary target makes you a game-over scenario.
One of the realistic aspects of the game is the difficulty setting. Your enemies don't have a variable IQ, weapons don't do more or less damage and you're not more resistant to incoming fire. The world is what it is, and nothing changes, whether you play on easy or on hardcore level. What does change is the amount of information available. As you decide to go for a more difficult approach to the game, HUD information will drop as well as intel provided by the map regarding enemy positions and movement. Hit indicators disappear and you'll have to let your instinct and skill tell you if you killed an enemy or if you missed and he went prone.