May 22nd
2002: Owners of the Xbox™ video game system from Microsoft are to get a dedicated
edition of the million-selling military simulator Operation Flashpoint: Cold War
Crisis.
Codemasters will
publish a customised Xbox version of
the multi-award winning game this winter. The Xbox edition is being developed by
Bohemia Interactive Studio, creators
of the original PC title, and will contain the entire original game along with
an additional prequel campaign called Resistance.
Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis takes action gaming to a brand new level, as Jonathan Smith, External Development Studio Head at Codemasters explains:
“Operation Flashpoint is a groundbreaking title, giving players the chance to participate in a Cold War conflict just the way they want to. It’s a game that has set new standards of immersive realism, and we’re delighted to bring it to Xbox.
“On
Xbox, it offers twice as much action as in the original PC game, with the
inclusion of the enhanced Resistance missions.
We are refining the controls and interface for maximum playability, and beefing
up the graphical effects to take full advantage of the hardware.”
Operation
Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis is
the ultimate realistic war experience, which
draws the player into a deeply believable military environment. For the
first time in such a game, the player controls and commands not just soldiers and squads of all levels but also land, sea and air vehicles – both military and civilian –
from cars, to APCs, to tanks and even military helicopters.
The
scenario is modern warfare: 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. 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 opens with the player joining the neighboring
US force against the Soviets.
It
is a game of complete freedom with military crisis situations to handle on your
own initiative. Once past the mission briefing stage, it’s the player’s
decision how the overall mission or campaign is tackled. This variety also
allows players to dip in and out of all kinds of action gameplay from commanding
a squad, to driving tanks, troop carriers, piloting
a helicopter to taking on the role of a sniper.
Again,
incredible detail unfolds in each role: A NATO sniper makes use of the
US-standard M21 sniper rifle with its correct optical markings. However, if they
relieve an immobilized Soviet sniper of his rifle, they will be faced with
Soviet-standard optical markings through the sights – and they do work
differently…
The
open environment of the game is massive and you can go anywhere at anytime;
you’re not limited to playing in mission-specific ‘walled’ areas.
On
Xbox, the game comes complete with an additional campaign titled Operation
Flashpoint: Resistance, set years before Operation
Flashpoint’s Cold War hit crisis point.
Resistance
creates an additional 100km2 island and casts
the player as Victor Troska, an experienced ex-Special Forces soldier. Having
turned his back on his military past, Troska has settled into a respectable
civilian life on the island of Nogova, a short distance from the main game’s
three islands. However, his situation changes when the Soviet force invades the
island group and destroys Troska's idyllic dreams.
Reluctant
at first to return to a conflict situation, he is forced to participate in, and
then lead, the ramshackle Resistance effort, which grows up in response to the
Soviet occupation of the island.
As
Operation
Flashpoint: Resistance begins before
the US Army and its resources came to the
islands, players have to scavenge equipment from whatever sources they can
manage, which provides for a different play experience.
Throughout
the closely linked missions, the overriding objectives include growing your
resistance force by gaining new recruits and gathering equipment, preserving as
many of your comrades as possible to build an army strong enough to repel the
Soviets.
Combined,
the main game and the prequel campaign, makes Operation
Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis the best military simulator for any platform
and a true must-have title for the Xbox gamer.
Hotly tipped to repeat its Game of the Year success, Codemasters is set to release Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis on Xbox this winter.
UK
PRESS INFORMATION
Richard
Eddy
Rocket
Media
Tel:
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Notes
to Editors:
Codemasters
is a leading developer and publisher of best-selling
interactive entertainment products for a
global audience on current and future gaming platforms and channels. Established
in 1986, the company’s dominant brands
include Colin McRae Rally, TOCA Touring Cars, LMA Manager, and Operation
Flashpoint – a title that has recently featured as a number one best seller
across Europe and the USA. The company is the winner of the Queen’s
Award For Enterprise in the Innovation category. David Darling, Codemasters’
Chief Executive and co-founder, is the winner of the “Overall Entrepreneur of
the Year” award from the
UK’s Entrepreneur of The Year 2000. Richard
Darling, Design Director and co-founder,
is renowned as one of the most prolific game designers in the industry, having
been involved in the creation of the company’s staggering 61 number one best
sellers. The company is headquartered
in Southam, Warwickshire UK and maintains European operations in Germany,
France, Spain, and Benelux. The company has its US headquarters in New York and
maintains an online gaming facility in Oakhurst, CA. More information about the
company and its products is available online at http://www.codemasters.com
XBOX
Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/) is Microsoft’s future-generation video game system that delivers never before seen gameplay experiences. With more than three times the graphics performance of the latest generation of game consoles, Xbox empowers game designers with the technology to realise their vision of great games that are challenging, exhilarating and fun. Xbox is now available in Europe. Xbox is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.