Operation Flashpoint - Red River

Finally starting to play this game more as my friends who were supposed to be playing it are finally starting to play it and wanting to play it.  So going to a review on my experience so far.

First thing we played in the game wasn't the campaign.  It was the Fireteam option.  It's basically a horde mode where the guys keep coming for waves.  Since we were confused the first time, we killed some guys, got back in the helicopter and flew off.  Popped some achievements but failed in the game overall for what all we were supposed to do.

Also keep in mind, we have never played and the controls in this game are not something you can just pick up and go.  Yes you can figure out how to fire and move around easily enough.  However, the options for the guns and knowing which one switches, being able to tell what you have in your hand (ex, grenade vs mine or claymore) and you think you're going to throw it, only to plant it and kill yourself you the designate it.  Some weapons have mods and you have to hold down Y to change to it and each part you can hold down X to change from 1 bullet a pull to hold it down and never stop spraying bullets.

So we finally did some campaign.  OMG!  The wait time from riding from one location to the next to do anything is driving me insane.  Nothing in this game is fast and I mean nothing.  You get to your spot, get out, move to the location you're supposed to be and then you wait for the guys to finally start showing up.  It feels like an eternity.  I'm not one to set still that long just waiting on something to show up.  I want in on the action and there isn't any action like that.  Needless to say, when you get to the mission where you have to wait on the guy to try to disarm a bomb in a car.  Yea, I walked up to the car and blew it up because I had nothing else to do.  So  if you don't have paitence, this game is not going to be for you.  At least in campaign.

Another aspect is the commands.  You have to tell your guys to constantly do what the game asks you to do and keep them moving.  They aren't always very smart.  Point to a wall, tell them to hold position and they run to the other side of the wall to hide.  Only problem is you pointed to the other side as the enemy is firing at you from the other side.  Needless to say they will die without some cover.

On top of that, the game will ask you to call in a ballastic shot or something of that nature.  I literally had to pull out the manual (which I've done quite a few times to figure out how to do something in the game) to figure out how to bring up what it is it wants me to do.  So your RB bring up your command and you have to hit LB to bring up all the other commands for strikes on locations.  Ok, well the first time it shows up in the game for you to do this, it asks you to hit and hold RB and LB at the same time.  Umm, doesn't work.  Needless to say, failed that part of the campaign mission.

You have to earn gold medals on everything for acheivements.  So of course that means bronze and silver are in the game.  Time is your biggest enemy for this as that's what takes so much of your time now.  The game takes everything so slow that getting fast times is near impossible.  It does help to have friends playing with you (4 players for everything) as the computer AI will die and not help you at all.  We definitly got faster times with 2 players and 2 computers.  So hopefully with 4 players, we can learn the map and knock out a fast time.  Will see how that goes tonight when I get on to play.

Now we did the Clean Sweep option a couple nights ago.  That is actually fun.  You drive up to your location, get out and arrows pop up on what to shoot, what to destroy or area to clean out.  You go destroy and clear out the area.  No waiting, you just go go go.  That I like.  Sucks you only have 4 maps for it though.

The best part of that night, which I was dieing laughing because of it, was when me and my partner were trying to find a guy in a building to kill him.  He was on one side, I was on the other.  We were walking in the same direction on opposite sides of the building.  Needless to say I just unlocked the shotgun in the game, so I was walking around with it.  I saw a shadow in a window so I turned and blasted not 1 but through 2 windows and took out the shadow.  All I heard was "What the hell just hit me!"  "Umm, that was you?" I said.  "Yep"  Was on the floor laughing so hard.  I had some mad skills for the shot, just too bad it was my partner in the game.  -4000 points for that kill.  Needless to say, we weren't going to get any high ranking medal this match.

So in the same match, you get to drive a humvee.  First time I got to drive in the game.  So I've been driving all over the map in it.  So missions over, I'm driving us to the helicopter for pickup.  I just keep getting stuck because it's so tight a road in this little city.  Plus I can't even run over a bush in the game without it stopping me dead in my tracks.  So my partner gets out while I'm trying to manuver round where I'm stuck and runs to the helicopter.  I get free and drive on.  Well, he's almost at the helicopter and I'm driving up as fast as I can, so I just jump out the  humvee and watch it keep going.  It goes and drives right over my partner cutting his legs clean off.  Needless to say I get on the helicopter laughing as he's waiting to get back in the game from dieing.  That was probably the most fun I've had in this game so far since I've started playing it.

So far, the game is ok but I'll be happy to 1K this game and get rid of it.  I bought the DLC already so going to be knocking that out as well.

Batman Arkham City

Well Best Buy had the game for $30 and my wife said don't pass up on the deal.  So I got an Easter present for myself.

The game is just as good as the last one.  Definitely seems like the world is a lot bigger.  The side quests are going to eat up some time along with upgrading everything.

Already noticed the one thing I can't do, just like the last game.  Combo punches.  I suck at it in this game.  Got lucky to finish the last one to 1K.  I might not ever finish this one as I'm just going to care enough to do it.

One good thing about buying it as a new game, I got the catwoman dlc for free as it's with the game.  Yea for saving some money on that.

The characters look good and enjoying the new ones showing up.

The game is going to be long and I'll be wrapped up playing it for a while along with all the other games I have that I'm playing right now as well.  At least to beat it and finish all the achievements I can to get it close to 100%.