Plentiful checkpoints, tons of cover, and regenerating health? What happened to you, first-person shooters?

Things have gotten to the point where now if we want to play at a higher difficulty, we have to put up with extremely cheap tactics from the enemy AI. Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m referring to, either. Since when is every soldier in your two-bit army as capable and determined as a T-800?

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Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Risingis here to take on these concerns with its Hardcore mode. There’s a video after the break that does a tremendous job of explaining what it’s all about, but here’s the short of it.

You are placed in a sandbox-style environment with no HUD or cross hair, only a map — from there, you’ll need more than luck to survive. Tension, according to the people who worked onDragon Rising, is what it’s all about. That’s the way I like my shooters. How about you?

The opening area of the Whisper mission, in a small grove.

The Divide in the Cosmodrome, where the Guardian was resurrected.

A holofoil Ribbontail, as seen in collections.

The Phoneutria Fera hand cannon, inspired by the Season of the Haunted armor set. It has a unique, galactic glow.

Three Fuses appear in a match of Apex Legends' Wild Card mode.

Mad Maggie opens a supply bin and an item with a symbol indicating infinite ammo appears.

Legends slide through a zipline in King’s Canyon in Apex Legends.

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The Yeartide Apex tex Mechanica SMG with a Holofoil glow.