****Graphics 5 - Meh. Stiff animations, good character models, good vehicle models, low detail on terrain, low textures on terrain. So my biggest graphical gripe is poor/sad terrain........ ****Gameplay 8 - So far, really pretty good. Very engrossing due to simple things like having to actually travel to the action, or having the action spread out. Good controls and good recruit thru mercenary difficulty differences...... ****Sound 7 - I turn the music off. The voice acting is average to bad. It's obviously voiced by Europeans trying to do American accents. It isn't horrible, but you do wince alot. All other sound effects are well executed.... ****Multiplayer ? - I don't know. Haven't been on Live yet... Editor really isn't much more than a scenario editor... which it does well... but you won't be editing the terrain... ****Fun Factor 9 - Overall, this game is greater than the sum of its parts. It feels like an old PC game, but seems very well adapted for the Xbox. The graphics are pretty bland (in a bad way), but... the massiveness of the terrain cancels that out to some degree because the missions can be built more realistically. I liked Ghost Recon for the PC and was sad to see the series get dumbed down with each iteration. Operation Flashpoint is so obviously a game made by people that love all things military. The end result is a "military" game and not just a "game" that happens to have some military aspects to it. If you liked the original GR on the PC. If you like more tactical use of "big" terrain then get this (i.e. Ghost Recon/America's Army). If you love "shiny/pretty" FPS action shooters w/lots of effects don't get this game (i.e. Halo/RB6: Lockdown/GR:Summit Strike).… Expand

I loved this game when it originally came out on PC in 2001. It was way ahead of its time. I then remember hearing they were going to bring it out on the XBOX. Several years later it is finally here! Nothing was lost in the translation. Everything is here, all the vehicles, the missions etc. I was worried the controls would be horrible on a controller but they nailed that too. Flying the Helo's is great in this game. Aiming the guns is a little harder, but does not detract from the game whatsoever. I have a bad feeling that since this game was not really promoted/advertised, most people are going to miss out on this fantastic sim. I went several places looking for this game, one clerk said "it's a Codemasters game, no one really buys Codemaster games..." another said "We don't stock it, we only ordered it if you preordered it, Codemasters really isn't known for blockbusters...". Sad really sad.....… Expand

It really deserves the best criticism possible because it is the freshest, most realistic experience you may have on your console to date. Forget about the dated graphics, sometimes weird movements, it is all about being there, in the middle of the war, and Flashpoint Elite really does a great job. While playing, you don't think "I´ll go this way because the AI might get a glimpse of my hair and see me" like in most tactical shooters. You really think about preserving your life, about hiding in the forests and staying low... it's a game about feelings, not about graphically-fancy choppers blowing everything in sight.… Expand

An intelligent game for intelligent players. Just the right mix of simulation, strategy and action--The Xbox hasn't seen anything like this before. While there are a lot of "mature" games out there, there are few that generate the type of thoughtful immersion that this game does. One thing, though: like any good relationship, some patience and time commitment are required here. Overall, this game expands the definition of console gaming and tests the flexibility and open-mindedness of console players. 'Nuff said.… Expand

OFP:E is an excellent game for any willing to approach it openly. Many players may be turned off at first by the stark differences between this game and most FPS-style games. But after getting used to the gameplay, the nature of OFP:E makes it impossible to compare with other games. At first, you will probably be disoriented and confused, and spend most of your time just trying to follow your squad leader. If you are willing to just go with this (strange though it may seem to take orders from the AI), you will find yourself learning to evaluate the tactical situation on your own, and after a while, you will be able to command your own squad with ease. But you have to be willing to learn it, because the game is realistic. This is a double-edged sword: the enemy is excellent at spotting you and letting loose, and one bullet is usually all it takes. But by the same token, your squadmates are useful, and can pick out the enemy, and pick them off. And one bullet is enough to kill the enemy as well. So the key to combat becomes situational awareness. And because OFP:E is not linear, like many FPSs, it requires a radically different approach to movement and tactics. Simply put, what works in most games will get you killed in OFP:E. What works in OFP:E is pretty close to what works in real life. Add in the full integration of vehicles to combat, including tanks, trucks, APCs, helicopters, airplanes, boats, and more, and you can get a complete battle raging, where tactics and thinking are far more important to your fight than your ability to point a gun and shoot. And that may not be what every gamer looks for. But I sure like it.… Expand

Amazingly realistic and deep gameplay, the developers did and amazing work porting such a huge game on the XBOX with some minor graphic updates, both campaigns are included plus the single missions and the multiplayer. Yes the graphics are bland and they do feel dated but the terrain is huge (HUGE) and the AI is very solid, so you'll care not about graphics in this game, Best "simulation" war game ever.… Expand

**Operation Flashpoint has some of the worst graphics around. We are talking PS1 or Dreamcast. Now you can say graphics don't mean that much, but it is one of a few very important things. **The sound, voice over, cut scenes and environments are not on par with current generation games. This is the same game from 2001, with little to no additions. **This game is not a typical gamers cup of tea. The maps are large, making travel a large part of a mission. Very fustrating to learn technics to this game. Not a lot of action compared to typical console games. **If you have a PC, the game is much better on PC. Plus the game is REALLY CHEAP and runs on most PCs. The Xbox version doesn't have any the mod support that the PC does. **People are saying this game will have 24 players online and the box says 16+ players?! This is from the developers themselves, "On a standard Xbox with 256 kbps up connection speed we currently recommend hosting games for around 8 players, depending on the mission type." So those of you who hope to host 16 players like advertised will not likely be able to do so because you will not have enough bandwith. So the insanley large map with 8 players running around, thats what I call "hide and seek". It's also advertised that dedicated servers 'could' be used to host 32, but I have not seen any def. on that, it's only a possiblilty.… Expand

Finally a proper "war simulator" for the consoles. Feels more real than the IRL excercises I had in the military. I don't mind the dated graphics, the massive areas and free choise of approaches more than make up for them. The AI doesn't do anything stupid and the use of cover feels "right". My only real annoyance is that for some reason anyone can drive anything, a commando is right at home flying an enemy HIND and regular infantry medics are suddenly qualified tank jockeys. As an artilleryman I sure as **** can't drive a tank or fly a chopper.… Expand

Amazingly realistic game, it's the best war simulation on console EVER, so real and addictive, of course it's not perfect as graphics are a bit weak but it's so ahead in terms of gameplay and feeling that it deserve a top score for sure. Best combat SIM shooter ever!

This has been released in the EU already--North American gamers have to wit until early November.. This is an older PC game has been given new life by a dedicated development team! Blows BF2 out of the water with its dedication to realism and seemingly endless options: a huge number of single player missions, excellent multiplayer and great mission editor (for a console). Although the graphics might be a little outdated for those addicted to eye-candy, the substance and gameplay more than make up for it! This is a MUST-OWN title.… Expand

Simply the best console military game ever created. The realism is breathtaking, and as such creates an instense atmosphere where every move counts. Flashpoint: Elite draws you in like no other game -- you ARE the soldier, you ARE in the war. Battlefield 2 is a kiddie's game compared to this. Go hardcore! It's no coincidence that the same company (Bohemia Interactive) provides the military training software for the US Marine Corps, Australian Army, and many other armed forces around the world. A defining game in the life of the Xbox, and a must-own for everybody.… Expand

For those dedicated to realistic tactical shooters there isn't a whole lot more that needs to be said than that the United States Marine Corps, the U.S. Army and the Australian Defense Force use versions of Operation Flashpoint for scenario training. For large-scale warfare, no other tac-shooter can make that boast.

no words can describe the realistic and deep gameplay of this marvelous game, the size of the island is huge, the sense of freedom is amazing, not the best graphics on XBOX but without any doubt the most realistic war game (shooter) available today on any console. If you like realism in your games or simulations you will love Op Flashpoint Elite.

for those of you who are thinking either to buy this game or wanting to feel confident having allready bought it...this IS the best war game i have ever played. period. the graphics are not as bad as people say it is, the "look" of the game is very classic PC, which is more than initially meets the eye. when you first play the game, you think "my god...they were right, this game is crap...why did i ever buy it?" then...when you play it more you say "i cannot believe how awesome this is!". the thing that makes you love the game begins at the precise point when you walk towards a cobra helicopter, sit on the pilot seat, switch into the cocpit view, take off towards an enemy truck convoy, blow the hell out of them and land back at your base. having a gargantuan list of war games on the xbox with WOW factor graphics makes you forget what makes games actually FUN...and that is freedom and realism. the fact that you have to be subtle with controls...for example landing a chopper, makes you feel like you are actually responsible for your co-pilots life...you dont want to scratch your pretty chopper, that is great. where as in games like halo...you are constantly being bombarded with beauty and fast action that when you finish the game you realize that all you wanted was to finish the game...and not so much the art of playing it. flashpoint is a work of art...its a game for veteran games like me, the guys who are old enough to have played every game ever made on every possible system. its deep, involving,free form, kick ass war game. this is the war sim you were looking for...and its on xbox now, not PC. which is even hotter. it feels like a PC simulation, no arcade crap. i suggest not only you buy it but play this game alot. its one of the few games that get better as you play it. oh and...yes, you can fly jet planes and tanks and trucks and cars and bikes and tracktors and....well, walk around for hours and hours if you prefer. its absolutelly HUGE!… Expand

A worthy conversion of the original PC classic. Yes, the graphics look dated and theres all sorts of funky little mistakes everywhere but no console game (nor many PC games either) come close to the sheer scale of OFP:E and playing time (two long campaigns and a pile of single missions). ADHD sufferers might be turned off by the sometimes sluggish pace and autoaim could use some tuning, especially ironsights.… Expand

Realism is what it is about. I know most of those who do not like it do so because OFP elite is too real and hence too hard for them. They never get very far in it because they are used to being super soldiers in CS and the like being shot tens of times and still running, bouncing round like demented kangaroos while shooting non balistic laser rifles. OFP is just too hard for them. No Run and Gun you have to stop and take a real shot, run too hard you get tired and your hands shake. With real balistics, with a bullet that follows a balistic path, at real engagemnet ranges in the 200 to 300m plus range; run and gunners can not do it they get frustrated at their inability to cope in a realistic sim so they complain about graphics. Then there is the whole thing of having an editor that allows you to create your own misions and play them with your buddies. Anybody who has played OFP whether on PC or XBox knows it is the most moddable system in the world. OFP is used rounbd the world by real soldiers because it is so realistic. VBS the military version regularly gets emails from soldiers saying that training on it saved them and their buddies lives. Learning to take cover because just one bullet will kill you is something you will never understand if you play one of the fantasy run and gunners such as half life, CS and the rest. And they will never have vast tank battlion size battles with artillery and helicopters covering an open flank as you can in OFP. OFP is simply the most fun you can have on an XBox… Expand

If this is how bad real war can be...how disorganised and disobedient your troops can be...how lucky shots can end hours of travel & planning...how accurate people hiding in bushes "so thick they cant see the light of day" in can be...I hope im never drafted!

This game is the best war sim game ever created for Xbox, the gameplay is hugely changeable and the online capabilities far surpass anything else. the only thing that might let this game down, is the (very slightly) outdated graphics.

If ur looking for a war simulator buy this game. It is just great, if ur looking for a quake fps style game dont buy it. Graphics are great, just think xbox have poor hardware inside, and this game have the biggest maps i have ever saw in a game (that mean a lot of polygons and textures at the same time in the screen). U just need to play it some hours to be completely addicted to this game, there is no game like this at this moment. U have freedom to go everywhere and do what ever tactic u think is better to end the missions. Online game is great too, u can play with a lot of ppl with a good game host. Give it a try and u will not be disappointed.… Expand

Incredible game. No compromises to 'dumb down' this beauty. A must own title for any serious gamer who is looking for something beyond so-called realistic shooters like Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon. One advice for newbies ... invest time to get in this game. I'm talking multiple hours here not 15-30 minutes:)

The online portion lags and makes the communication between team mates very hard to do. If you want a good game that looks and controls better buy Battelfield 2: Modern Combat.

I know this is supposed to be a realistic military exercise and not so much a game. And that's cool on PC I guess. But we're talking Xbox here, a console made for playing "games" and having fun. After playing through about 15 missions and playing online for a few hours I was left awestruck at how completely boring and confusing my experience was with this "game". It feels like a game that would have been really cool on PS1 or even Dreamcast about 6 years ago, if you wanted to be bored out of your mind. But now, after playing so many other great military games on Xbox, this even more realistic game just feels too old and clunky. It looks like a PS1 game, a bad one at that, the controls are the clunkiest I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with making even the Conflict series seem to not have as bad of a bogged down control interface as they really do. You move like you have robotic legs and there are just not enough buttons on the controller to deal with this mess that is the controls for this game.The maps are in fact huge, but the battles are broken up into small skirmishes that use no more of the map than a normal online game on Xbox. SP comes down to driving a clunky vehicle to a fight, killing about 5 enemies, and then it's mission completed. Boring. Online comes down to co-op or missions, meaning you can't just duke it out against other people to see who can just take the map over so you're just doing the same boring missions online as you just trudged through offline. The vehicles control very clunky, that is, if you can get in the right spot beside them that lets you actually get in them. Yet another control issue. Online and offline there are too many commands being thrown at you by the CPU, making all the numbers and directions feel more confusing than if they'd just kept their mouthes shut and let you find the enemies. Also, online, you sometimes have to control a cpu unit, but there are also other real people on the maps controlling their own units making an already confusing experiece feel just too bogged down and too much to comprehend. You just never know who the Hell you're shooting at until you kill them and the game tells you it was a friendly, enemy or a cpu character. Speaking of online, the menus and interface are just as bogged down as the controls. Good luck figuring out what the Hell you're supposed to do to change weapons and just enter a server and start the damn game. Sound effects, animations and voice acting are simply atrocious, just like the rest of the "game". The map maker is a joke and won;t even let you change the terrain. So, what the Hell is it for except letting you change up the already boring missions into more boring missions? Basically, get this if you have played everything else EVER, and have nothing left to do. Otherwise, play something that's actually fun and can be figured out to the point where you can actually have a chance of controlling the action instead of fighting with the controls and old feeling this game has. This game, military exercise or sim, whatever you want to call it, is everything but a game and everything but any fun. The only thing it has going for it is the fact that it calls itself the most realistic military game ever. But in exectuion it is anything but that. I would hope our real troops could actually get in a vehicle and kill an enemy. Stay away unless you want to feel like you've never played a game before because that's how this peice of code makes you feel...like you've never picked up a controller before. Not even worth $20, but they're asking $40 for it. Total rip-off and not worth the 4 years they spent redesigning it for Xbox. It looks like it was designed to run on PS1 at most, and reminds me so much of the lame Spec Ops games on PS1when it comes to controls, graphics and total lameness.… Expand

i dont know what that idiot FPS master is going on about but this game really deserves your attention. its a jazzed up port of an old classic pc game (something FPS master has forgotten) and really does the job well, the graphics are dated yes but the amount of terrain and detail in there is just second to none, the more you play this game the better it gets the command system is awesome and the game simulates war brilliantly because it makes you feel rather small and insignificant, which is what war is!!! the multiplayer is also enjoyable witha few mates and the 'map editor' is actually a scenario editor, duh! leave arcadey rubbish like battlefront MC in the bin and fall love with a slighlty bad looking but awesome gameplay experiance-you want fun commanding your own tanks is very fun!… Expand