Frag.Ops review

Frag.Ops .. top or flop?

Frag.Ops got released, together with many other modifications, right before the deadline of the second phase in the ‘Make Something Unreal Contest’. Frag.Ops features fast-paced action in real-life environments, with weapons you used to pretend to play with as a kid.

Frag.Ops has been in the works for quite some time and it has to be noted that over the months that have passed, the mod’s fan base has grown bigger and bigger, thereby becoming one of the most anticipated mods to participate in the MSU contest. Many people consider Frag.Ops to be Tactical Ops for the UT2003-engine, and it looks like they are quite right after all.

But the question remains: has the game really been worth the wait?

Same old story ...

Choose your side and do whatever it takes to achieve victory!

Frag.Ops features tactical team-based play, involving two opposing forces: mercenaries and special ops, who fight each other in real-life environments using the most advanced weapons out there. The first release (v1.1) came with two gameplay types: mission and round-based. Strangely enough though, the new patch (updating the game to the current version 1.2) that was released a week after the mod’s first appearance got rid of the round-based mode – probably due to the fact that most players ignored the objectives and just wanted to frag the other team.

Fireworks!

Sniping .. not easy, still deadly

At the start of each round, you have to choose your load-out in the Buy menu. Sadly, the menu isn’t that nicely worked out, which can be frustrating at times.
You get to choose from a wide range of weapons though, divided into following categories:
- Rifles: Giat Famas, Beretta AR70/90, Sako TRG42 Sniper, Kalashnikov AK103, Enfield SA80 and the AMP DSR1 Sniper
- SMGs: Heckler & Koch UMP45, Heckler & Koch MP5-SR and Ruger MP9
- Shotguns: Ruger Red Label and Benelli M4 Super90
- Handguns: Heckler & Koch USP45 Tactical and IMI Desert Eagle Magnum.

A very cool feature in Frag.Ops is the ability to upgrade your weapon with attachments, such as a taclight (very useful in the night time-based missions), a bayonet, a scope and an aiming dot. Like in any game, there are a number of guns you want to avoid, bubbleguns like the UMP45 & the MP9 for example. If you’re short on cash, it’s better to use the Desert Eagle, which is as powerful as it was in TacOps. Maybe a word about the sniping: not only are the sniper rifles the most expensive weapons, to many they will be the most frustrating ones too, as it’s impossible to walk around when zoomed in (since 1.2 it’s possible to crouch and move while zoomed in, but at times this can still get annoying).

The weapons are well balanced and do require some skill: the recoil when firing the weapons forces you to shoot in bursts, which isn’t very newbie-friendly but only adds to the quality of the game. Other than that, Frag.Ops also features three types of armour and two grenades: a smoke grenade and a HE.

Overall, the weapons and the categories they are in are very similar to the ones in Tactical Ops – again the comparison. But there is a difference though: whilst in TacOps you get to carry both a shotgun/SMG and an assault rifle, next to your handgun & grenade, in Frag.Ops you only get to carry one weapon other than your handgun & grenades (in Frag.Oop you are allowed to take two grenades with you instead of just one in TacOps).

Move, think and shoot

An overview of the round's best (and worst) players

Once the fight is going, you’ll find Frag.Ops much like TacOps with fast movement and jumping, making you think and react at the same time. The maps you fight on are good, but there are no real standouts. The most fun map of the moment is actually a custom map: RapidAlpha, a nice remake of TacOps’ most popular mod.

After every round, you get a limited overview of the round’s best players: most accurate, most damage, most useless... It would be a nice feature to see how much damage you’ve done yourself though, because it’s really hard to see whether or not you’ve hit your opponent. Players also get rewarded with medals and money bonuses, which is of course a nice feature.

Looks can kill

One of the desert-themed maps

The game uses the UT2003 engine, which allows some very nice graphics, but although the team has done a nice job making Frag.Ops, it feels too Unreal Tournament-y. The animations and ragdoll effects are nice, but need tuning. The UT2003 engine came with some very nice ragdoll effects, but Frag.Ops tends to use the same ones as the original game, making some deaths look rather over the top. Animations look OK, but are far from perfect: more custom animations are really needed to get rid of the UT2003 look & feel.

The levels are nice - not really outstanding though - and there are only three player skins, which makes the game look rather monotonous. However, I am confident that this lack of skins and original textures will be compensated for in future releases.

The future of Frag.Ops

No doubt Frag.Ops will become one very cool mod

Even though the game still has its flaws, it is very fun to play! Killing three opponents within five seconds with a weaponswitch is just cool and the waiting time when you’re dead is just short enough to keep you from falling asleep and thus from leaving the game.

This first release of Frag.Ops is without any doubt a great achievement. The team has shown they’re willing to keep updating the game on a regular base and thereby making Frag.Ops into the game many people have been waiting for. The mod is far from finished – remember that TacOps took over two years to become as good as it is now – but Frag.Ops looks very promising. So, download Frag.Ops 1.2 and get playing!

Editor's note: Since Frag.Ops is still in its alpha-stage, we have decided not to give any scores. The mod is without doubt going to improve a lot in the coming months, and thus scoring it now would be unfair. Instead we suggest you download it and find out for yourself :-)