OF: DR doesn’t play like your typical run and gun shooter. The pace is a bit slower and the focus points of battle are a bit wider. The gameplay can be compared to games like Arma 2 and Battlefield rather than Call of Duty, but the game is a decent shooter once you learn how it operates.
OF: DR simulates battle conditions on a realistic level. You can be killed by a single shot or you might be able to take a couple depending on where you’re hit. You can be wounded and if you go untreated you will bleed out and die. Various parts of your body can be injured and affect you in different ways. For example, taking a hit to the leg can prevent you from sprinting. Luckily, with a little first aid treatment, you can eventually regain the use of your injured limbs over time. Think you’re safe in that armored vehicle? Think again, one shot from an AT Soldier and they’ll be roasting marshmallows over your corpse and the smoldering Humvee.

Combat is probably more realistic than some might like. Camouflage is certainly an easily usable benefit as the landscape blends with a player or NPC pretty effectively. Add to the fact that unlike in games such as Call of Duty, where an enemy is clearly displayed by the red name tag over their head, you will not find that here. In fact, it’s very hard to tell a bush from an enemy and often times you won’t realize the tree you just walked by is armed until after it has unloaded a round into your left butt cheek. This makes finding enemies rather difficult and at times very frustrating because the computer controlled enemies can always spot you, even through dense forest and brush. You might think there is nothing out there, but then a big, bright green tracer round will fly through the trees and provide you with an instant third eye socket.

The campaign mode will send you on a series of mission objectives around Skira Island to help advance your troops deeper into PLA held territory. When you’re ready to make your way through the campaign you can complete the primary and secondary objectives. You don’t always have to complete all secondary objectives, but at times they can benefit you during a mission and punish you if you don't. In some cases, eliminating anti-air defenses as a secondary can open up air support for the mission.
In the second mission, remaining undetected by the PLA is a secondary objective and one you would be wise to follow as they will hunt you down without mercy if you get spotted. I should know, I made the mistake of getting spotted and before I knew it I had five soldiers coming up one side of the hill, three coming up the other, and an assault gunship helicopter raining all types of unholy hell down on me and the 3 unfortunate NPC saps that got stuck with following my lead. As you can tell, this can make finishing the mission’s primary objectives a lot harder than it needs to be.

Between each mission you will get a short briefing detailing your objectives and you can choose to receive a more detailed briefing for storyline if you want it. There are no entertaining cut-scenes, so you move pretty quickly from briefing to mission. Unlike many other shooter games, you can’t choose your weapon class or specialty with each mission. You pretty much have a predetermined build. Luckily, there are plenty of weapons to be collected elsewhere, so you’re not restricted to simply carrying what you’ve been given.
Once you’ve headed out into the world you can find a variety of vehicles that can be used. If the vehicle is damaged you can even repair it to get it mobile again. Unless of course the vehicle has exploded, then it’s pretty much toast. You also have to be mindful of vehicles that have not exploded, but have been heavily damaged. If a vehicle badly damaged sits too long there is a good chance it’s going to explode, so don’t be standing there turning a wrench when it happens.

There are some decent scripted battles in the game and while some of the battles can be fun, combat isn’t really all that exciting. However, the game does have its own fun moments where it can engage the player with a few surprises. The scripted events can be pretty fun and the open world really allows the game to shine. When you finally meet the enemy in one of those fun little battles, your squad is there to back you up…Well, some of the time.
The AI squad members are where I really found my heaviest frustration points. These guys don't always do what you tell them. Codemasters added a nice series of commands to the game with a radial wheel function to allow you the power to issue commands to your squad. Unfortunately, the AI isn't always in step with your commands.

A lot of shooter games have started to use squad-based AI to give the player more options and control over their fellow members. While the squad AI for OF:DR offers many options for the player to choose from when assigning their members tasks, the AI sometimes provides more of a headache than a benefit. Squad members at times have a hard time following commands. There will be times when your loving band of misfits will stroll off into the night leaving you trying to figure out which way they went. And may whatever god you believe in help you if they get shot while out of range. Believe me when I say it’s hard enough to find a downed squad member in the dense brush that’s near you as it is. If there’s some distance between you they are pretty much screwed.
During my run through the campaign mode, to be more specific the third mission, you and your squad must hold a village, I got shot about five minutes into the battle and I was incapacitated. On the radial wheel there is an option to call for a medic if you go down, so I did and my happy little helper ran up, squatted down, and just sat there with a first aid kit in his hands until I bled out completely. Other times the medic simply ignored my cries for help. How helpful. Unfortunately, this type of thing wasn't the only AI issue. Ordering your crew to defend a certain spot could still send them scurrying around the map until you lose track of one of them only to find out later they had gotten themselves shot a good distance away. This went on for a while as I made my way through the campaign mode and sometimes the guys would do as you tell them and work fine, but at other times you will have some kind of issue. Is it possible to yell so loudly that the NPCs in the game can hear you; because I tried really hard last night.

The squad radial commands are a great idea, but squad AI could use a little work. The radial option itself could use some adjustments as to issue some commands you usually have to navigate through at least 2 tiers of radial options. This can take a bit too long if you’re engaged in heavy fighting and can most likely result in you getting shot while fumbling around the radial wheel.
The medic in your squad is another problem. Yes, more about the medic. You pretty much have to instruct him to do anything as he is incapable of acting for himself. When you or a squad member goes down, you would think the medic would consider doing his job and jump into action, but no, you have to cycle through the radial menu or just go do it yourself. If you do assign your medic to heal he will often times have to chase down the target if they aren't incapacitated as they tend to spread out when close to each other. If you do this during a firefight they can both easily get shot. I believe this is likely a conflict with the formation commands, but it's something that could use a quick fix to avoid the issue.
The squad's AI can lead to some serious frustrations while playing as the game uses a checkpoint system which can sometimes be placed at long intervals and you can very easily lose a lot of time due to a minor slip of the AI. As I was playing through the third mission, my squad AI was causing me grief while trying to defend the beachhead village point from the incoming waves of enemy troops. This little event lasts somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-15 minutes to complete and it took me about 20 tries mainly due to my squad getting themselves killed and not properly following my commands. This can be compounded by playing the game on hardcore where there are fewer checkpoints. Talk about fun.

Squad AI is certainly one of the game’s more frustrating issues, but it’s not the only one. The game lacks a basic overview of weapons and doesn’t provide a lot of tutorial introduction to things and this is a major blow to new players. You’re pretty much left to figure a lot of this stuff out on your own. Luckily, you can pick up on most things with a little practice. If not, there's always the Internet.