Introduction

What? A freeware FPS that isn't good? Surely, you jest!



X-Operations is a freeware first-person shooter, released in 2007, that aims for "007 style graphics and Incredible Gameplay." It was created by two Japanese guys with a basic understanding of game development, and no sense of aesthetics. Somehow or other, this game has gathered a sort of cult following in both it's country of origin and here in the states. People are apparently willing to overlook the fact that the weapons are completely unbalanced, that the graphics and sound design are awful, and that the level design is comprable to a toddler's rendering of a house. Oh, and the AI switches from brain-dead to dead-aim in a split second, so we're sure to have some fun with that.

The game reuses around a dozen and a half maps for 59 missions, in which the objectives range from killing one guy in a map to killing every guy in a map. There are maybe four or five maps where you have to escort or protect some guy by killing every other guy in the map, and two or three where your goal is simply to make it from point A to point B... While killing every other guy in the map. So, who will we be killing? How do generic urban terrorists, generic desert terrorists, and generic assorted other terrorists sound to you? Toss in a few zombies for the horror fans out there, "Terminator" enemies with 25 times the health of a standard enemy, and guest appearances by Bill Gates and Osama Bin Laden, and you have a cast of poorly modelled characters with face textures only a mother could love. If I had to sum up the game's visuals in three words, they would be "Quake Meets Runescape".

If you want to follow along and experience the hell of bad game design for yourself, you can download the game [along with some assorted mods and map packs] at the "XOPS Unofficial Homepage", which is run by a bunch of guys who take this game way too seriously. There's an online mode, which we might play around with eventually. For the time being, we're going to play through the single player missions [in order], seeing how many missions I can play through in each episode before I give up or get tired of playing: I try to have fun in every game I play, but I can only take so much of this game in one sitting.

Videos

Editor's note: These video hosting mirrors are down at the moment. We're working hard on a permanent streaming solution for these, but in the meantime they are available at the archive.org mirror of this LP! Check the banner just below the LP's vital statistics!

Episode 1: Training Yard, Underground_EXT, Building_EXT, Snow Base_EXT
Episode 2: MBase_EXT, Warehouse_EXT, Duel_EXT
Episode 3: Station_EXT, Maze_EXT, Urban_EXT, Underground_EXT2
Episode 4: Tunnel_EXT, Urban_DEF, DTown_EXT, Urban_DEF, Warehouse_KT
Episode 5: Ruins_RE
Episode 6: Dtown_EXT, Tunnel_EXT2, Urban_KT
Episode 7: Ruins_EXT, Relic_CAP, MBase_DE, Snow Base_RE, Underground_DEF
Episode 8: Alley_KT, Station_KT, Warehouse_DEF, Urban_KT2, Office_DEF, Alley_EXT



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