Operation Flashpoint: Elite set for November

Many moons ago I was present at a Codemasters event showing off its forthcoming PC game Operation Flashpoint. Amidst all the free beer and high-profile games such as Colin McRae, a new rough-looking FPS was rather overlooked.

It was only when we started looking at the videos on the press disk and then playing subsequent beta-builds of the game that it became apparent that Operation Flashpoint was a real class piece of work. It remains one of my all-time favourite games to this day. So I was rather delighted when it was announced for Xbox, the possibility of Xbox Live play was thrilling.

And then it all went rather quiet about the game, Codemasters said little, and many people imagined, especially with the forthcoming release of Xbox 360, that Flashpoint on Xbox might never happen.

Front and Centre

However Codemasters today has announced the new name for Operation Flashpoint on Xbox and given us a firm release of November for the game. The game will be known as Operation Flashpoint: Elite and the publisher promises it will retain the depth and content of the original game.

If you've never played Flashpoint before let me fill you in on some of the details. The original PC game was set in the mid-eighties, the height of the cold war between the USA and the Soviet Union. An invasion of a fictional eastern European island chain led to a direct conflict between US and Soviet forces on the islands.

Flashpoint was one of the first FPS titles to make great use of vehicles, something perhaps we take for granted today with games such as Battlefield. Operation Flashpoint players could explore huge maps, with dense forests and very detailed towns. As well as playing as a grunt, you could drive tanks, APCs, fly choppers and A10 tank-busters and pilot boats. It had depth, atmosphere and great gameplay in spades.

Onto Xbox

And so as you can see, for myself at least, Operation Flashpoint: Elite is a very welcome forthcoming Xbox release. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Flashpoint was the way in which you could complete a mission in a variety of ways. For example, if tasked with destroying a Soviet tank platoon in a base at night, you could sneak in and lay charges on them, climb in one tank and shoot the others or even steal a MI-24 anti-armour helicopter and destroy the tanks that way.

Codemasters promises these kind of choices will remain in the Xbox game.

"This is not another run-and-gun shooter; Operation Flashpoint: Elite simulates modern warfare on a level never seen before on any console, providing a totally new playing experience," said Marek Spanel, Bohemia Interactive Studio's Director. "You'll need brain power as much as quick reflexes; act before you die, think before you act, and find cover before you think.

"We have adapted and improved the game for Xbox while keeping the sheer scope and complexity of the gameplay. The visuals have been recreated specifically for the format with map sizes and draw distances ultimately more impressive than anything seen on a console."

The Song Remains the Same

"It is 1985, in the midst of the Cold War, and Gorbachev has been elected to power bringing with him policies of glasnost and perestroika," explains the Codemasters press release. "However, resistance Soviet groups are opposed to the new wave and are refusing to serve the new regime in Moscow."

"One group has taken control of an island community, and is using it as an armed stronghold for the old order. Operation Flashpoint: Elite opens with the player joining the neighbouring US force against the Soviets. Once past the mission briefing stage, it's your decision how the overall mission or campaign is tackled."

All well and good, but in gameplay terms that means you will be able to control and command soldiers and squads and over 40 authentic land, sea and air vehicles, both civilian and military. Like the PC game you'll take part as a soldier in a squad, but also be able to control platoons yourself and give commands to AI soldiers.

The maps remain rather large, with four 100+ square kilometre battle zones. There's no mission-specific walled areas, you can go anywhere at any time.

Xbox Live

The real treat as we see it is going to be playing Operation Flashpoint: Elite on Xbox Live. The game will ship with over 50 multiplayer missions. One of the treats of the PC game was that it came with a mission editor. Thankfully a mission editor is included in the Xbox version and the user friendly editor will allow players to select and area and add any of the units from the game.

Some of the add-on content of the PC game is included to. An additional 15-mission campaign called Resistance can be unlocked where the player takes on the role of resistance leader Viktor Troska in the run-up to the events in the main campaign.

As you can see from the screenshots, the game's graphics hold up remarkably well. Flashpoint was never the prettiest game in screenshots, you had to see it moving, with many units and vast draw distances to fully appreciate the engine. But the game does feature real time lighting and weather and also accurate star constellations to help you navigate at night.

Without getting our sticky paws on the game it's too early to tell if the Xbox version will live up to the glorious PC original, but we have high hopes. And the game is set for a budget release in November, Operation Flashpoint: Elite for £19.99? That'll do nicely sir.