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Check out Bohemia Interactive's watery FADE anti-piracy
We're so inspired by Bohemia Interactive's new implementation of its FADE anti-piracy software, we've decided to adopt it ourselves. See, FADE is designed to cause illegally downloaded versions of Bohemia's titles (starting with Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis back in 2001) to experience a rapid decline in performance. The latest game to feature the safeguard is Take On Helicopters, which gets all wiggly and wobbly as the game progresses, as seen in the screenshot above. We're still figuring out how to get that safety protocol on our website, but we're pretty sure it's going to have to involve getting the pirates to spread Vaseline on their monitor. We'll have no way of enforcing that, of course: It'll be on the honor system, which should go pretty well.
Operation Flashpoint: Red River takes the fight to Tajikistan
Codemasters has officially unveiled Operation Flashpoint: Red River, the followup to 2009's Dragon Rising, for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. While "Red River" doesn't sound nearly as exciting as "Dragon Rising," perhaps the very fact that there's more Flashpoint on the way is exciting to those disappointed by the end of Dragon Rising DLC. There's also the promise of new cooperative modes and new classes. The press release also details the setting for the new shooter: "a deadly new battlefield set in the remote yet beautiful country of Tajikistan along the Vakhsh River." Guess we're going to have to make that military shooter about the escalation of the OU/Texas football rivalry ourselves. To see more Red River, check out GameSpot's interview and impressions, and see concept art in our gallery.%Gallery-98981%
Operation Flashpoint: Red River revealed in upcoming OXM
It appears that we'll see another addition to the Operation Flashpoint series in the coming year, with Operation Flashpoint: Red River being outed recently by OXM UK (via CVG). Other than revealing the title, OXM UK editor John Hicks also noted that the game is a sequel to last year's Dragon Rising and feels "tighter, more focused" than the last game. Presumably, Red River is being developed by Codemasters' Southam studio, as revealed by Codies VP Gavin Cheshire just last week. Unfortunately, no other details are known on the title -- other than a wide open "2011" intended release window -- so we'll have to assume the "Red River" name is in reference to a secret war fought on the shores of Lake Winnipeg, near the Red River of the North. No? Perhaps a shadow insurgency on the Red River Cereal plant? Fine -- we give up then! If you want to know more about the game for real real, the upcoming issue of OXM UK will have all the details.
Codemasters dishes on acquisition, expansion and forthcoming games
Codemasters employees worried about having to pack up their stuff and head for Bangalore should probably relax, as VP of studios Gavin Cheshire denied such plans in a Develop interview. After a recent 50 percent acquisition by Indian company Reliance Big Entertainment, worry apparently spread about the possibility of Codemasters relocating development to its new parent company's home country. "I can safely say that this is absolutely not the case," Cheshire said. "There are obviously some 'strategic' moves for both partners, but in terms of development at the level we're at, it's very much about Reliance investing in our skills and abilities over here in the UK." Let's hope Reliance is investing lots, as Cheshire spells out a whole mess of titles currently in development at the UK-based publisher's trio of development studios. "Our Guildford studio is working hard on Bodycount, and we will be looking to take that franchise further and further with the addition of more IP. In Southam it's full steam ahead with the next iteration in our Flashpoint series, as well as the next Dirt and Grid." Thankfully, with all those games in development, the publisher has a plan -- and an upcoming game engine, EGO 2.0 -- for helping to manage it all. "We are focused on EGO 2.0 at the moment, which will be coming in with a massive title that we can't talk about just yet. That will really keep us cutting-edge." Cutting-edge, you say? Figure skating sim confirmed?! We think so!
Steam weekend deal: Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is 75% off
Codies may have grounded the DLC chopper for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, but that hasn't stopped Valve from dropping a nuke on its price tag and featuring it as the Steam weekend deal. Up until Monday, you can grab the military shooter for a meager $7.50 -- 75 percent off the usual asking price of $30. As for what to do with the cash you save should you choose to download, you could tuck it in the piggy bank or even use it towards financing your own real war in a fictitious country. We really wouldn't suggest that, though -- real life is woefully lacking in respawns. Also, $12.50 only gets you like 1/300,000th of a tank.
Report: Codemasters to secure new investor amid financial woes
According to a recent report from the Times Online, UK-based publisher Codemasters is "close to securing" a new investor and will announce the mysterious source "shortly." The news is said to be paired with an upcoming balance sheet restructuring -- a necessity, we imagine, after less than huge releases last year like Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, Fuel, and Damnation. The report also indicates that current investors Balderton Capital and Goldman Sachs will "inject new funds" into the publisher, seemingly holding steadfast in their efforts to build up Codemasters as a major publisher in the global market. The two investment firms have already sunk £100 million ($163.3 million) into the company, so, um, well, maybe they know something we don't? We sure hope that's the case -- we certainly wouldn't want any of our golf buddies at Goldman Sachs to lose their bonuses.
Operation Flashpoint 'Overwatch' DLC on Xbox 360 today, PS3 & PC 'soon'
The second wave of DLC has finally deployed for Codies' Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising on Xbox Live Marketplace, and where the first pack focused on more team-based content, this new DLC addition, dubbed "Overwatch," is -- uh, actually, it's more multiplayer stuff. It's kinda this game's thing, you know? Overwatch adds two new multiplayer modes: Blindside and Supremacy. In the former, PLA players are tasked with accomplishing goals as quickly as possible, while the USMC players are charged with preventing the PLA team from achieving said goals. Supremacy pits players in a race to capture strategic checkpoints featuring "multipliers," including gun emplacements and air strikes. And, just like the Skirmish DLC before it, Overwatch also packs two new Fire Team Engagement missions to play though: Friendly Skies and Hostile Takeover. You can get the new DLC on Xbox 360 today for 400 ($5) -- PS3 players ($4.99) and PC gamers (free download) will have access "soon."
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising DLC to add more multiplayer modes
It's Monday, and you know what that means -- it's ... Monday. Er, we mean it's time for news from the world of Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising! In this case, it's word that a second helping of DLC for Codemasters' hardcore military FPS is on the way. While the developer "can't give out too many specific details at the moment," Ian Webster, the game's community manager, has confirmed that "the pack will include amongst other things additional MP modes" on Xbox 360 and PS3. More info on the content is promised soon. We hope you'll join our internet petition in the event the DLC doesn't introduce the ability to ride actual dragons into battle. (Ohhh ... never mind, it's Dragon "Rising.") [Via VideoGamer.com]
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising getting DLC tomorrow
Tomorrow's one of those days when it'll be nice to be a PC gamer. Not only will you be able to get a title update for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (the full details of which are available here) you'll also be the first to get your hands on the "Skirmish" DLC, which includes four new multiplayer maps and two new Fire Team Engagement missions. The console title update (which you can read about about here) is due on the 360 tomorrow and on the PS3 "shortly after." Moreover, when Skirmish is eventually released on consoles, it'll come with a price tag of 400 points ($5) on 360 and $3.99 on PS3. Sure, the price discrepancy will cause a flare up in the console war, but what do you care? You're a PC gamer. You rise above.
Operation Flashpoint patch coming alongside first DLC
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is set to receive a network optimization patch alongside the game's first DLC at the end of October, according to executive producer Sion Lenton. In an interview with Eurogamer, Lenton said the team at Codemasters has planned for more downloadable content, but has yet to decide what the new content will be. "It's not a lot of fuss for us to make new content - it's actually quite easy for us to get it out there, with regards to things like levels, game modes, etc," Lenton said. What is being fussed about are the bevy of balance issues players of the military shooter have vocalized on the game's official forum. According to Lenton, the upcoming patch is set to make the game "flow a bit better." The patch comes at a good time, hoping to catch players before they "flow" directly into that other military shooter launching in November. %Gallery-67532%
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising DLC only 'weeks' away
Ten-hut, soldier -- Codemasters' Sion Lenton reveals in an interview with Telegraph that the company is currently working on DLC for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising and the first round will be available in "a matter of weeks." Lenton also says the company has "ambitious plans" for the game's DLC, though he only mentions the requisite weapon and map add-ons most shooters receive post-release.The rest of the interview isn't a bad read; Lenton discusses how the idea to bring back the Operation Flashpoint series came about, why Codies went for consoles, the balancing act between keeping it a hardcore, realistic experience without making it too frustrating for gamers and planned Title Updates to keep the game balanced. We're glad he mentioned that last item, because we've heard some folks in the game's forums aren't all too happy with the experience right now.[Via CVG]
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising trailer is all about running, gunning
Here at Joystiq, we take our duty to cover teh vidya gamez seriously, but one of our lesser jobs goes unnoticed. While we do our best to bring you the scoops and news you want, we also kind of see ourselves as paternal figures for these budding new titles. We coach games along through previews and hands-on sessions and we do our best to be honest about a game's flaws and the things that we like. Now, with this final trailer to go along with the release of Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising today, we kind of feel like a parent sending off its kid to college, where it will undoubtedly learn the secrets of the world and not drink itself into a stupor. Fly free, Operation Flashpoint -- fly free!%Gallery-74850%
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising multiplayer video ups the carnage
Guys, if you haven't been keeping up with Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, then brace your butt for the first glimpse at its massive multiplayer action. The latest trailer comes from the game's official site, and impresses us not only through the sheer scale of the maps shown, but also -- oh man, did you see that helicopter blow up everything? Sorry, what were we talking about?[Via Big Download]
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising deploys October 6
Codemasters has announced an October 6 release date for the latest installment in its hyper-realistic modern infantry shooter, Operation Flashpoint. As you can see in the newly released footage of Dragon Rising, the weapons at players' disposals are formidable and the action intense, although we take some issue with Codemasters' assertion that the game is "as close to war [as players] will want to get." As a matter of fact, some gamers do want to get closer to war, which is why they enlist in the various branches of the US military. Well, except for the Coast Guard. (Just kidding, guys.)
New Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising trailer teases the teasing tease out of us
If you're looking for a tease, look no further -- the trailer above for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is the very definition of tease. A full minute and a half of quiet preparation as a squad of soldiers sneak up on their enemies, picking off two guards with silenced weapons, before bedlam sets in. In fact, we never get to see any of the insanity, as the trailer leaves us with just the phrase "Think you're ready?" Boo! Looks like we're stuck waiting for the game's fall release to see just how crazy OFDR will be.%Gallery-67532%
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising trailer shows off finer points of battle
For those of you waiting patiently for the "Fall 2009" release of Codemasters shooter Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, we've got a special treat in video form just above. Focusing on the importance of every action in combat, the trailer leaves us expecting more of what fans have come to expect from the series: gritty, unapologetic realism. Though we're unfortunately not seeing the retail release 'til later this year, hopefully we'll get out hands on the game sometime this week during E3.
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising later than expected
Codemasters' Operation Flashpoint not-a-sequel, Dragon Rising, was originally slated for Summer 2009. Judging by the newest trailer, released today, that dragon is proving harder to rouse than Codies previously estimated. At the end of the new "Skira Island" video -- which, by the way, is unusually mellow until the blowin'-up-tanks part, a "Fall 2009" date is given. For a (guess at a) more specific date, we looked to retailers. GameStop lists the game's release date as September 1, while Amazon lists September 30. We've inquired about an official date with Codemasters, but until then, we can guess that it's somewhere in the "September" area.
Codies' new Operation Flashpoint 'not a sequel,' original dev insists
We've all heard this story before: Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl produce child, boy decides to create next child by himself, girl sues boy for infringing on legal rights of girl ... alright, so maybe this is a little different. Bohemia Interactive, creator of Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, this week posted a press release on its company forums, stating that Codemasters' upcoming OFP sequel (Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising) isn't a true "sequel." Leora Hermann, a lawyer representing Bohemia Interactive, states in the release, "In the license agreement, Bohemia Interactive expressly reserved the exclusive right to develop sequels to the original OFP game." Hermann expands upon the agreement between Codemaster and Bohemia Interactive, claiming, "Codemasters also acknowledged that Bohemia owns all the intellectual property in the game -- except the words 'Operation Flashpoint.' Since Codemasters has no right to use the Bohemia Interactive game engine or any other component of the Bohemia-developed game, how can it rightfully claim to produce a 'sequel'?" Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, a Cold War-era FPS, was developed by Bohemia Interactive and published by Codemasters for PC in 2001. Codemasters has since developed a sequel (in name only, according to Bohemia Interactive) internally as Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising; while Bohemia Interactive has continued using updated versions of the original Operation Flashpoint game engine in its ArmA series. We've seen this kind of franchise catfight before (see: Call of Duty and F.E.A.R.), though this one seems likely to bare some deeper scars. We've put in word to Bohemia Interactive and Codemasters for comment and will update as necessary.
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising coming to 360, PS3, PC this summer
Today, Codemasters revealed that the sequel to Operation Flashpoint, known as Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, will release to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC this summer.To help build excitement for the title, Codemasters put out a tech demo video that takes a look at what's under the hood of Dragon Rising's EGO Engine. Even though the developers express an understandable bias towards EGO, treating it as if it were the Holy Grail of gaming engines, it's actually quite an impressive piece of tech. Watch for yourself.
Codemasters' goal: a new MMO every year
Codemasters is the UK-based company that runs The Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online in the European market and produces many single player games including Clive Barker's Jericho, Operation Flashpoint, and Overlord. Codemasters' Ron Cousens said in a recent interview that the company wants to "position itself to do maybe one MMO launch per year."When discussing that and other gaming-related bits, Cousens also suggested that the MMO genre will grow stronger on consoles.Given the success of The Lord of the Rings Online in Europe (it's #2 behind World of Warcraft), Codemasters is one of the big kahunas for online gaming in the region. Still, one MMO launch per year is extraordinarily ambitious. And with regards to consoles, we think Cousens hit the nail on the head. Age of Conan and The Agency are hitting the XBox 360 and the PlayStation 3, respectively, and despite vague denials from bigwigs, the evidence says Blizzard has its eye on consoles as well.
