abstract | - The other Spiritual Successor series to the acclaimed Operation Flashpoint trilogy from 2001-2002. Developed and published by Codemasters, without any input or co-operation from the original developers of the franchise, Bohemia Interactive Studios. To clear up and explain the situation a bit for troping gamers: After finishing their work on Operation Flashpoint, the developer Bohemia Interactive Studios and publisher Codemasters had a major falling out and split ways. BIS took the rights to the engine, Codemasters got the rights to the name. BIS has since upgraded the engine for the sequel ARMA series, while Codemasters developed its own "official" sequel, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. Essentially, the BIS sequels closely resemble the original, except they have much better graphics and improved gameplay, while Dragon Rising feels, well, different from the original OFP, and a lot of old veterans seem to think that it suffers from New and Improved Syndrome. The plot of the game itself takes place in the near future, when the People's Republic of China adopts an expansionist policy and tries to capture several rich new mineral deposits in various neighbouring regions of Asia (many of the old reserves have been depleting, particularly those of fossile fuels). The latest target of the Chinese is the (fictional) resource-rich island of Skira in the icy waters of the North Pacific, formerly a Russian and Japanese disputed territory. The NATO forces are called in for help and the inevitable clash with army of the PRC starts from there. The sequel, Operation Flashpoint: Red River is the first game in the wider franchise (including the original BIS games) that takes place in a real country: Tajikistan.
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