Red River’s story starts off with an easy task as you are simply sent to do kind of a clean up mission, taking out insurgents that have fled from the war on Afghanistan.  Things heat up quickly as you learn that insurgents have been attacking the Chinese boarder, so you quickly go to simply wiping out some insurgents to bringing the battle against the Chinese Liberation Army who were sent to take out the insurgents.  With that being the general background story, there is not much to it.  You are sent into each level or mission which there are ten of and in each level you have almost your own mini objectives to complete that kind of divert from the story in a way where each level seems like a stand alone mission.  This is much like the Fireteam Engagement mode while the story is still in place during the campaign.  Overall the game will take around 8-10 hours or so to complete and is a lot of fun.

Waiting…

Even though there is no competitive versus mode in the game, there is most definitely still a level system as well as a class system.  Unlike Dragon Rising you can setup your class for every mission which was one major flaw in the last game without that feature.  What’s really cool is that you can level up whether you are playing the campaign or any of the Fireteam Engagements missions.  They both go hand in hand, while anything you can do as far as class setup you can do in any mode of the game.  There are four classes that can each be leveled up to 20, with them being the Rifleman Class, Grenadier Class, Scout Class and the Auto Rifleman Class.  As you level up you will gain new weapon attachments for your primary and secondary weapons (which there is no limitations on your secondary weapon choice), equipment, mods as well as special abilities.  You also have your core skills which are Sprint, Endurance, Battle Readiness, Assault Rifle Handling, Assault Rifle Training and Tactical Awareness.  You will gain points to put into these core skills depending on how well you do in the campaign missions and the FTE misions.  Each mission you attain a Gold Medal in, you’ll get three points, while silver nets you two and bronze gets you only one point.

This overall system that Codemasters has went on is quite impressive in my opinion, while the co-op plays a huge role in the game.  The AI in the game is not all that great, in fact, I am pretty convinced one of them is borderline retarded as he will run back and forth between your line of fire.  If you get downed and are on the brink of death playing by yourself you might at well just press start and load your last checkpoint, because you are not going to get help no matter what you previously commanded your team to do.  Playing in co-op you can actually be revived by a team mate while bleeding out.  Playing alone can be very frustrating as the command system is in place perfectly, but your squad does not always follow it, in fact they rarely do.  When the enemies are using similar tactics such as flanking or rushing it can be very difficult to try to keep your team following commands.  Operation Flashpoint: Red River is an amazing game, but if you are not going to take advantage of the co-op in the game, you are simply not going to enjoy it anywhere close to someone who is.

Damn!

You don’t have to have a packed friends list to play this game cooperatively as you can simply open up a public lobby or join someones game.  I was juggling between what to rate this game because of what a different experience it is to play the game with three other people as oppose to by yourself.  Unless you are allergic to human beings over a headset, I deeply suggest playing the entire game co-op at all times in all scenarios.  I played with people who didn’t know what they were doing to people that were hardcore fans and were not looking to mess around.  Not only is the game easier with more people but you can really come up with your own strategies together, whether it’s a simple flank maneuver to a laid out plan for the entire mission.  This is where the game reigns and is where you have the most fun if you follow my advice.

As far as the Fireteam Engagement modes, they only add to the fun of co-op with there being different types of missions, some even at night requiring night vision.  There are three difficulty setting being Normal, Hardcore and Experienced whether it’s campaign or FTE.  Four types of Fireteam Engagement settings are available with two missions in each.  Last Stand literally will bring wave after wave of enemies in, progressing in difficulty and once you become too overwhelmed you’ll need to call in for Extraction in this never ending mode.  You will also have access to mortar strikes, airstrikes and other back up depending on the mission, but with never ending enemies in Last Stand it can certainly give you the opportunity to compete with friends on the leaderboards.  The Search and Rescue Missions (CSAR) require you to go in and find two downed pilots in enemy territory and then extract them in a safe area.  Durung the Rolling Thunder Missions you will need to protect the convoy (HUMVEE), while you have two Humvees of your own, each with mounted turret guns on them.  You will have to protect the convoy as you drive through enemy territory as enemies will shoot you and you will even have to worry about IED’s, so make sure you pick the guys off will cell phones.  Combat Sweep is very straight forward while there will be side tasks of destroying downed choppers, you main object is to clear out the entire area of enemies, most of which are hiding in building.  This can be a lot of fun with 3 other people and the right communication.

Ready to roll.

Operation Flashpoint: Red River is a terrific game with changes made from the series that make the game so much better, including huge detailed landscapes.  The previous title had an awkward versus mode which I think Codemasters made the right decision for doing away with for the time being at least.  The classic Operation Flashpoint style is still there with its realism of getting hit in the leg preventing you from sprinting and enemies spawning many meters away.  It is close to one shot kills for both you can the enemy which is pretty damn real if you ask me along with bullet drop and other things that would make any Marine proud.  The bottom line with this game though is that you might as well not even play it if you are not willing to play it co-op.  It is fun alone but there is no comparison to playing the game with three other people coordinating with each other.  With DLC already on the way, I would say buy this game and make some online friends, for one fun, realistic shooter.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

Codemaster’s revealed the minimum system requirements for their upcoming FPS, Operation Flashpoint: Red River.

The requirements are very budget-gamer friendly and anyone owning a PC within the last three years should be able to run it without breaking a sweat.

Here they are:

• OS: XP 32bit/Vista/Windows 7
• Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Core 2 duo 2.4 Ghz
• Memory: 1GB RAM (2GB Vista/Windows 7), 6GB free hard drive space
• Video card: ATI Radeon X1800, NVIDIA GeForce 7800
• Internet connection required for game activation
• To play online, activate an online account using a product key. Limit one account per key.

The game releases on April 21 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Operation Flashpoint: Red River will release on April 21 in the UK and April 26 in the US for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. Here Achievements/Trophies (Sorry no Trophy ratings):

The Alamo, Vahdat – 20G
-You completed Line In The Sand
Keeping It Simple – 20G
-You completed 1st & 10, Let’s Do It Again
Freeing The Eagles – 20G
-You completed Vantage Point
Doing It The Hard Way – 20G
-You completed Almost Too Easy
Work Your Bolt – 20G
-You completed The Wrong Way
Devils At The Crossroad – 20G
-You completed Careful What You Wish For…
Rescuer – 10G
-You completed one of the CSAR FTE maps
Protector – 10G
-You completed one of the Rolling Thunder FTE maps
Peacekeeper – 20G
-You completed and survived a Combat Sweep mission having killed all enemies and destroyed all caches
Shock And Ore – 20G
-You completed End Of The Beginning
Sweeper – 10G
-You completed one of the Combat Sweep FTE maps
Defender – 10G
-You completed one of the Last Stand FTE maps
Venomous Bite – 20G
-You completed The Human Terrain
Welcome To Gissar – 20G
-You completed Welcome To Tajikistan
Protection Detail – 20G
-You completed Meet The Neighbors
Danger Close – 5G
-You called in Combat Support within 300m of your location
Pride Of Balletto – 10G
-You completed a mission as the Auto Rifleman
Pride Of Kirby – 10G
-You completed a mission as the Rifleman
Catch This! – 5G
-You destroyed an enemy vehicle with the FGM-148 Anti Tank Weapon
Buzz Kill – 5G
-You destroyed an enemy aircraft with an anti aircraft weapon
Driver’s Ed – 5G
-You drove a Humvee
Florence Nightingale Award 2.0 – 20G
-You healed a development team member or someone who already has this achievement
Of The People, For The People – 5G
-You picked up an enemy AK
Old Enemies Die Hard – 5G
-You killed your first PLA soldier in Red River campaign
Pride Of Soto – 10G
-You completed a mission as the Scout
Pride Of Taylor – 10G
-You completed a mission as the Grenadier
Weaponsmith – 5G
-You customized a weapon
With A Little Help – 10G
-You played Red River with three other friends
Operation Enduring Shield – 50G
-You completed Act 1 of the campaign
Operation Unbroken Resistance – 75G
-You completed Act 2 of the campaign
Operation Dragon Slayer – 100G
-You completed Act 3 of the campaign
Get To The Chopper! – 20G
-You completed a Last Stand mission to stage 4, wave 4 and escaped alive
Package Delivered – 20G
-You completed and survived a CSAR mission, rescuing both pilots
Thunder Run – 20G
-You completed and survived a Rolling Thunder mission with the entire convoy surviving
Outlaw 2’s Brave – 10G
-You obtained the highest level for one character class
Outlaw 2’s Finest – 30G
-You obtained the highest level for two character classes
Outlaw 2’s Hero – 50G
-You obtained the highest level for all character classes
Hardened – 10G
-You maxed out one core soldier skill
Veteran – 20G
-You maxed out three core soldier skills
Lifer – 30G
-You maxed out all core soldier skills

Secret Achievements

Secret Achievement 20G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
Secret Achievement 20G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
Secret Achievement 20G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
Secret Achievement 20G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
Secret Achievement 20G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
Secret Achievement 20G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
Secret Achievement 20G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
Secret Achievement 20G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
Secret Achievement 20G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
Secret Achievement 20G
Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.

– Additional Platinum Trophy for achieving all Trophies.

Latest trailer for the game can be viewed here and pictures of the Achievements can be viewed here.

Here is the latest trailer for Operation Flashpoint: Red River entitled ‘Taking the Hit’.  The trailer talks about what it is to be a Marine in the game and what these soldiers do.  It’s about taking the hit, getting back up and going on with the mission at hand.  Operation Flashpoint: Red River will be out on April 26th, 2011 for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.  The UK gets it a little earlier on April 21st, trailer is below.  View the Achievements/Trophies for the game here.

This Video Developer Diary for ‘Operation Flashpoint: Red River’ shows all the explosive footage and explains what is different from Dragon Rising, their last game.  Once again the next game takes place in a real place.  They said a lot of changes have been made and they have listened to the community as well as being able to take on the largest military in the world, the PLA.  The game will be out later this year for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and, PC.

Adam Parsons is joined by Creative Director Sion Lenton, Lead Artist Mike Smith and Principal Game Designer Tim Browne as they discuss the wide-ranging ways in which the game engine and gameplay has evolved and improved on 2009’s million-plus seller Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising™. Topics covered include the huge game world of Tajikistan, new insurgent enemies, improved gun play mechanics, immersive narrative, the new class-based Fireteam and player loadouts and customisations.

The developer diary features explosive footage of the game in action, including the devastating effects of JDAM airstrikes. Marines are shown engaging insurgent enemies at close quarters, clearing them out of towns and villages and hunting them down in mountains. The overwhelming conventional might of the Chinese PLA is also shown with state of the art equipment, including the tanks and helicopters that make them such a formidable foe. The footage shows off the new setting of Tajikistan with its epic vistas and huge open landscapes which present unique and evolving tactical challenges as players are tasked with achieving objectives on their own initiative.

Remember that game Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, I do and it was pretty fun, but now another game is on its way in the series entitled Operation Flashpoint: Red River for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.  The game will be released in 2011 sometime between April and June according to VG247.   Red River will have drop-in, drop-out online play during co-op campaign with up to four players as well as other co-op game modes. The game is set in the year 2013 in Tajikistan along the Vakhsh River. You will once again take the role of the U.S. Marines taking on the threat of the Chinese PLA bringing us the Operation Flashpoint classic realistic plots that could occur. That is one of the reason I like the franchise so much, because of the plot and story being so plausible, it’s almost kind of scary.  Check out the live action trailer above with the music being the one and only Johnny Cash with “The Man Comes Around”.