Operation Flashpoint: Red River preview removed by Codemasters

Recently, Gamestar.de, wich is the biggest PC magazine in Germany, published a preview on their website about Operation Flashpoint: Red River. Codemasters recently removed the article.

The preview was fairly critical to the game even calling the AI ''Artificial Idiots'' and complaints were also written about the mission design. The article got farily much negative attention in a short period of time at Red Rivers official forums.

Codemasters have now demanded Gamestar.de to remove the preview since it previewed the campaign and not the multiplayer. This is very intresting due to the fact that Operation Flashpoint: Red River won't feature any competetive multiplayer - It will only feature the ability to play through the campaign with four players in COOP, and also playing through diffrent kinds of fire engagement modes.

That begs the question why the preview was removed - especially since Codemasters have published masses of their own ''previews'' on the game.

It sounds very likely that Codemasters decided the removal of the article because of marketing reasons - the article was basicly describing the games flaws, and even the most hardcore Red River fans gave a lot of negative response to the AI. The review basicly bashed the AI and the mission design - however - important to be said - from gameplay videos this sounds more than likely but rather true.

Therefore, those actions can simply affect the sales and the consumers vision on Operation Flashpoint: Red River.

However, It wasn't very hard to predict this to happen.

Therefore, I released the Operation Flashpoint: Red River - Artificial Intelligence sampler

I also saved the translation text written in the thread on the official Red River Forums in case it would be removed.

By posting this, I do take a slightly huge risk, but I can't stand not telling people the truth.


Originally Posted by translation

''The task in one of the first missions of the tactical shooter Flashpoint Operation: Red River is manageable. We, Team Bravo will, over the edge in a small mountain village to penetrate and eliminate the guerrillas holed up there, while Team Alpha and Charlie pass from the foot of the hill fire support.

Operation Flashpoint: Red River: Red River, in command of another fire team consisting of you and three other soldiers. In Red River, in command of another fire team consisting of you and three other soldiers. We run a small wooden bridge that leads strangely just right of the main bridge into the village. No one bothered us, we reach safely to the other side of the little river.

Up the hill we find occasional enemies, we will eliminate the problem. After only a few minutes we have reached the last houses, nor an enemy, nor a shot, another hit. Then we hear on the radio that the mission is successfully completed. We should arrive at the Humvees that are waiting now on the main street of the village for us. We swing back into the bed and drive to the U.S. base. The only few hundred meters ahead on the other side of the hill. Ah yes ...

We could not play even though Red River, but could not make their own screenshots. All images come from the developer Codemasters.

No excuse

As I said, this is an early mission in Red River. One that we should become familiar with such finesse the control of the game. Nevertheless, excuse the absence of such botched mission and level design. How likely is it that the guerrillas a few hundred meters from a U.S. base can make wide unmolested? And how likely is it that you prefer then a few Marines on the supposedly highly dangerous route up the mountain hunts to be the problem sir, instead of send off men from the base, the mere fact of starting position has had the tactical advantage? Rather unlikely.

This smacks of the executed unnatural boardwalk in order not to provide an alternative route. And the terribly modest opponents. Thanks to the latter failed to use even the tutorial entitled, for special team instructions were not required to handle the situation. The sad thing: the previously played by us five missions in Red River remain at this level, or at least close to it.''

- Gamestar preview on Operation Flashpoint: Red River

 last night, containing a screenshot from the preview, that also is saved on my computer.