Screenshots? I Think Not

Computer and Video Games.com are promoting this image and several others as "screenshots" from the new Operation Flashpoint 2. Unfortunately, the idiots there cannot tell the difference between "concept art" and an actual "screenshot". The image pictured here and the others on their article to promte Operation Flashpoint 2 are either concept art or cut scene video but not screenshots. Check out the other screenshots at their website here.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of morons who are involved in "games journalism". These morons don't know the difference between concept art and a screenshot. These morons are the lap dogs of the marketing machines which push the gaming industry. This is something that goes on constantly within gaming media and unfortunately gamers don't say enough about it to stop it from happening. Concept Art is not a screenshot. Screenies taken from cut scenes (AKA so-called Duke Nukem Forever "screenshots") are not screenshots either. In fact, these things are misrepresentations of actual gameplay. This is a practice that those people who promote and market games do not want to stop happening in gaming because it creates a better image of a game in gamers minds.

I am looking forward to Operation Flashpoint 2 even though it has not been created by the original developer. Unfortunately, Armed Assault which was created by Bohemian Interactive (the original developer of Operation Flashpoint) was more like Operation Flashpoint 1.5. Such are the machinations of modern game publication. Armed Assault was not the greatest game and not worthy of being called the "spiritual successor" of Operation Flashpoint. If these early signs are anything to go by and they are promoting concept art as screenshots then maybe Op Flashpoint 2 isn't shaping up too well either.