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Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows)

common sense media says

Highly realistic military shooter is violent, bloody, gory.

parents & educators say
  • 33% say violence is an issue
  • 33% say there are positive role models
See all 7 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is a very violent first-person shooter that strives to recreate with extreme authenticity the experience of modern war. Players handle a variety of realistic weapons, characters grunt and bleed profusely when hit by bullets, and enemies can be torn apart when struck by heavy weaponry, such as mines and artillery. The intense realism, which goes all the way down to genuine military jargon spoken over the radio, leaves players with the notion that surviving a battle is far from easy. As for the war being fought, it’s a believable conflict between China and a U.S./Russian coalition for an oil-rich island. Morality isn’t a factor so much as industrial necessity. Note, too, that the game supports public online play. Common Sense Media does not recommend non-moderated online play for children 12 years and under.

Positive messages: The game strives to create an accurate depiction of war. As for the morality of the conflict, the game supposes a fictional near-future war between China and the U.S./Russia over an oil-wealthy island. Neither side is depicted as absolutely right or wrong; it’s simply a desperate situation for all concerned.
Positive role models: The game features a roster of intense, professional soldier characters who clearly enjoy being in battle. They are fiercely loyal to one another, routinely helping out fellow squads and fireteam members
Ease of play: The developers reached for realism, and they’ve nailed it -- especially in terms of how difficult it is to stay alive and unscathed in a war zone. There are three levels of difficulty, but it can be punishingly hard even on the easiest setting.
Violence: Players handle a wide variety of realistic weapons, including machine guns and rifles. In keeping with the game’s goal of realism, combatants spray blood and bleed when hit. Players can also call in air strikes, toss grenades, and lay mines, all of which are capable of tearing enemies to gory shreds.
Sex: Not an issue.
Language: It’s not common, but some of the soldiers use strong profanity -- including words like "f--k" and "sh-t" -- in the midst of battle.
Consumerism: Not an issue.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not an issue.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about war and its consequences. Can you think of examples of just wars? What sort of conditions ought to apply for one country to legitimately wage war on another? Do you think that games that focus on providing realistic combat experience might influence some players to join the military? Do you think the difficulty of games like this one might influence others people who were considering joining the army that war is not for them?
  • Was this game better online or as a solo experience?
  • Did the war and alliances between current countries bother you?

What's the story?

What's the story?
OPERATION FLASHPOINT: DRAGON RISING puts players in the shoes of U.S. Marines helping Russia repel a Chinese invasion of a fictional, oil-rich island in a near-future that sees the world consumed by an energy crisis. It’s not an arcade shooter in which players run and gun through each mission and can take extensive damage without dying, but rather a realistic military simulation that requires careful combat from long ranges, strategically positioned fireteams for assault and defensive missions, artillery strikes, and proper use of military vehicles and helicopters to provide support and covering fire. The action can be experienced solo, cooperatively in a two-player multiplayer game, or competitively online in either a team-based elimination mode or another format that pits a small special forces team against a larger group trying to defend an objective.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Operation Flashpoint is a standard but polished military simulation. It nails the details of the soldier experience, including the specific strategies of various mission types, the tension of long-range rifle firefights, and the jargon-laden chatter that comes over the radio. It also presents an interesting, believable narrative, even if it lacks the sort of memorable soldier personalities found in many other shooters.

Our only real beef has to do accessibility. This is a tough game. If your squad mate calls out that he’s found an enemy, best take cover immediately and send your buddies to flanking positions. Head-on run ‘n’ gun assaults have about as much chance of success as they would in real life. Also believable is that your team will stop obeying your commands if you waste their lives by using them as bait or sending them into no-win situations. Shooter fans with a penchant for authenticity will enjoy these touches of authenticity, but others will likely grow frustrated by the difficulty.

Online interaction: This game features public matches with open voice communication between participants, which puts players at risk of encountering people who have little regard for appropriate online behavior. Profanity may be heard.

Game themes & details

Game Details
Available on: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows
Available online
Genre: First Person Shooter
Developer: Codemasters
Released on: October 6, 2009
Price: 59.99
ESRB Rating: M for Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
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This review was written by Chad Sapieha
 
 

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What parents & educators say

14
Based on 3 parent & educator reviews:
  • 33% say violence is an issue
  • 33% say there are positive role models
  • 33% say there are positive messages
  • 33% say language is an issue
  • 33% say it's educational
Read the reviews

Most useful reviews by all members

tommy18
teen, 15 years old
12
 
Realistic, But there is barely any blood.
Common sense again overstate the violence of these games. War games, Yeah you expect violence. But barely any blood spurts unless you are in extreme close quarters. As in a couple of metres. Yeah. You can stab. But you are lucky to even live when you go to stab someone. Something they did not even put in it. Is Drug content. Injecting someone to get them back to their feet. It may be legal but its still a drug. This game brings out war in a realistic way. Not having thousands of people attacking you. It can get frustrating and is very hard. But its got great graphics and good gameplay
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FreedomFromCen ...
adult
13
 
Common Sense Media is Biased twoards Video Games (Read for details)
Tell me how a game with very little gore and nothing but some blood splatters can get a NO KIDS rating, when a movie like Zombieland, which is filled with gross-out gore and blood, GET A 16+??? Although I'm pretty sure most of you recognized this site's ratings as inaccurate after looking through their past ratings for games. Anyways, onto the game before the government police comes to my door to arrest me for playing games labeled as "no kids", since that's the kind of society they seem to be promoting. Operation Flashpoint 2 is overall enjoyable, however the AI does have some buggy issues. Its not the most accurate "military simulator" (I would recommend ARMA 2 for a military simulator) but it has a good mix of stealth and action, depending on your style of play. For the PC, you can edit missions and make your own, which I also found to be very enjoyable. I would recommend this game for +13 and up, and for those who enjoy games like ARMA or Operation Flashpoint (the original).
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helped me decide (3) | had useful details (3) | read my mind (7)
kidwithnolimits
teen, 16 years old
13
 
13 and up
i like it
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helped me decide (2) | had useful details (4) | read my mind (6)
bournefan
kid, 13 years old
11
 
WELL
I CAN'T REALLY RATE IT CUZ I CAN'T GET TOO FAR INTO THE 1ST LVL WITHOUT DIEING ONE EASY IT'S LIKE COD ON VETERAN
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shooter guru
teen, 16 years old
13
 
M rating is bogus!!
Ok the people who are reviewing this game are idiots!! There is almost no blood at all and it also teaches kids teamwork as u have to work together to survive and it is also one of the most realistic combat games I have yet to play. I would definetly recomend this game for anybody ages 13 and above:)
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Tom_Gamer_Tom
adult
14
 
Violent, Hard and Extremely Realistic
You can tell here they have tried to make this as realistic and tricky as possible. This is why its very violent. You can shoot, Stab and run over anyone on the battlefield. There is a lot of blood while you are shooting people. Especially in Close range combat. Its not easy to use because Its so hard. You die after 1 or 2 shots. There is a bit of gore. Just a bit. The language is not consistent but there is some serious language there. Overall its very hard and gory.
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callofduty5
adult
15
 
Operation Flashpoint 2
Pretty realistic FPS game however as iam a flashpoint veteran it was pretty easy and cool. There is some profanity but not so repeatful and violence uhmmm yea there is very tiny amount of gore, not really much. Blood mainly. Strongest words are f--k and s--t. game is perfect for 15+ not younger cause its difficulty and content.
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