Awesome Duck

Wow. Is this a video game review on Awesome Duck? Written by ALM? Oh, yeah. Like, the first one ever! Now, I’m not that much of a gamer. Hell, I still play my Super Nintendo. It looks great on a giant 46-in (that’s giant to me) flat-panel with the huge, fucking pixels and droning music. But, as a ex-Special Forces-Army Ranger-Navy SEAL-ultimate-badass-destroyer-of-worlds, I am more particular towards first-person shooters.

I like the Call of Duty series as much as the next person. But, that series spoiled other first-person shooters for me. Whether it’s not having a zoom-sight mode that is easily accessible with the left trigger on the 360 controller or having a dumb story, or horrible A.I. to unchallenge me, other titles just don’t measure up. Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is an exception.

I haven’t checked out any reviews on the game but from what I’ve heard before popping it in, it’s ultra-realistic. That is quite true. In an open field, every objective is at least a kilometer away. Humping with your rucksack is a constant scenario in military life. When you load your weapon, it’s about as fast or slow as most people with experience with a rifle would expect. In one scenario, switching to a Javelin anti-armor weapon takes almost a minute since you’re putting it together whereas in other shooter games–like MW2–switching to the heavy-ass Javelin is like “alright, let me just take this thing out my pocket and make your helicopter land on your own guys.” This game is so realistic, I’m surprised you can’t take out a MRE and manually control a spoon to eat out of it.

The action in the game is pretty intense, when you finally reach your objective. The combat action gets better as you progress through the game. After the first two missions, they dump you into a full-scale battle with the opposition. Rounds are flying, people’s heads are painting their surroundings with blood like a Wagner, and you’re behind some cover wondering if your elbow is sticking out to be blown away. Since you’re in control of your own fire squad, giving orders while calling for an airstrike can make you feel like you’re truly entrenched in the field. You’re not following a linear path, as you decide how to approach your objectives. That’s one advantage this game has over Call of Duty.

With an epic opening to the game and a believable story to propel it, coupled with the action in front of your sights, I would recommend this game to any fan of first-person shooters, just as long as they are patient enough to go on 2 km treks.

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