Hired Ops
- April 13, 2021
- Absolut Soft LLC
- 24h median play time
Get on Steam"Hired Ops" is an online first-person shooter where players take on mercenary contracts and engage in combat operations around the world. Fight in various locations, using a wide range of weapons, equipment, and vehicles to complete objectives and build reputation. Dynamic firefights, class-based gameplay, and a vast arsenal create intense and ever-changing battles.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game maintains a nostalgic feel for fans of Contract Wars, with improved graphics and gameplay mechanics.
- Gunplay is enjoyable and the weapon customization options are extensive, allowing for a personalized experience.
- The developers are actively working on updates and improvements, showing commitment to enhancing the game.
- The game suffers from a low player base, leading to long matchmaking times and frequent encounters with AI bots instead of real players.
- There are significant issues with lag and hit detection, making gameplay frustrating and unbalanced, especially for new players.
- Many players report a lack of content and variety in game modes, which can lead to a repetitive experience.
- gameplay148 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its fast-paced, fluid mechanics and enjoyable gunplay, while others criticize it for being bland and suffering from balance issues, particularly at higher levels. Many users noted that the game feels unpolished, with bugs and server issues impacting the experience, and that the content is limited for a free-to-play title. Overall, while the core mechanics show potential, significant improvements and additional content are needed to elevate the gameplay experience.
“The gameplay is fluid, kills feel rewarding, weapons have good feedback, and the maps are fleshed out with competition in mind.”
“Great gameplay and graphics, a lot of weapons, skills and upgrades to personalize your play style, a fantastic sense of progression.”
“The mashup Counter-Strike/MOBA perk and currency system is a surprisingly unique and enjoyable mechanic to progress through matches, constantly tipping the balance in either team's favor while rewarding good gunplay for the individual.”
“Actually, the game is unplayable after level 20. After reaching level 20, there are too many campers, or everyone is playing with the sniper class only to use auto sniper rifles with one-shot kills. They are really ruining the gameplay, and using one-shot weapons only makes the game feel dead for me right now.”
“Overall, the gameplay feels very mediocre at best. I doubt that this game will ever get good; the problem is not small details, it's the core mechanics of the game that make it boring.”
“Last year, I was recommending this game because I thought there would be gameplay improvements, but there have only been changes to the game menus and nothing that improves the gameplay for people living outside Europe. So if you don't live in Europe, don't buy this game.”
- graphics103 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising their quality and aesthetic appeal, particularly in comparison to previous titles like Contract Wars. However, several users note issues with optimization, leading to performance problems even on lower settings, and some describe the graphics as dated or lacking fidelity for high-end systems. Overall, while the visuals are generally considered good, there is a consensus that further optimization and polish are needed to fully realize their potential.
“The graphics and the weapons for this game are really interesting.”
“Great gameplay and graphics, a lot of weapons, skills and upgrades to personalize your play style, a fantastic sense of progression.”
“The game is beautiful, probably even more so if I could crank the graphics up a bit more.”
“The biggest problem is that the game is poorly optimized and even with my NVIDIA GTX 1050 4GB (laptop), the GPU was running at 100% on lowest graphics and 1366x768 resolution, throwing in huge lag spikes when playing.”
“The graphics overall lack fidelity and look dated.”
“For a browser game designed for handheld devices, the game would look well, but for PC with HD monitors and high-end graphics cards, the graphics are lacking.”
- optimization58 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players noting improvements over previous titles like Escape from Tarkov, while others criticize it for being unoptimized and barely playable, especially on lower-end systems. Many users report occasional stuttering and performance issues, particularly with high ping and server stability, indicating that further optimization is necessary as the game is still in early access. Overall, while there are positive aspects regarding gunplay and sound design, the consensus is that the game requires significant work to enhance its optimization and performance.
“However, gunplay is smooth and the game is more optimized than many games out there that have been out for years.”
“There is not a lot of for drops; it seems the devs have optimized it more. This game runs way better than Escape from Tarkov on my PC but looks the same, just more of a realistic version of an FPS like COD and Contract Wars. The sounds in the game make it fantastic; if someone is running, you can hear their direction and you can tell if they're on concrete or metal. In my opinion, great sounds mixed with good headphones and good gunplay and optimization makes one hell of an FPS.”
“There were updates every week, with tons of bug fixes, optimizations, and even new content.”
“It's an unoptimized, barely playable happy meal version of Call of Duty where your ping is over 200 and you'll die by hackers as soon as you spawn.”
“It is in a very bad situation, unoptimized and seems like no more support.”
“I'd like to play it, but the optimization leaves much to be desired, and I would hope that the developers will fix it.”
- monetization28 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's monetization has evolved from being initially free to incorporating microtransactions, including lootboxes that affect gameplay, which has led to concerns about pay-to-win mechanics. While some players appreciate that supply crates can be earned without spending money, others criticize the developers for breaking promises regarding monetization and for their exploitative practices. Overall, the game's monetization strategy has contributed to a perception of greed and poor player retention, exacerbated by inadequate advertising.
“The game wasn't initially free, but it is now with microtransactions that aren't game-breaking.”
“Inventory - open/view supply crates and rewards from supply crates (supply crates are typically earned from contracts and do not require microtransactions as far as I've seen so far).”
“There are no microtransactions in this state of the game, and I don't know if they are planning any such thing in the future when the game gets released.”
“Update for 08-17-2020: they added lootboxes to the shop with gameplay affecting items, further increasing the pay-to-win aspects, despite originally promising the game would not have lootboxes or other microtransactions.”
“- exploitative monetization (lootboxes, pay-to-win, poor matchmaking, etc.)”
“- in addition to being greedy (they're the makers of Contract Wars, which had very pay-to-win microtransactions)”
- grinding24 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is widely described as very grindy, with players noting that while the grinding can be excessive, it often feels rewarding due to the variety of tasks and customization options available. Some players appreciate the challenge of acquiring different weapons and attachments, though others find the grind to be a drawback. Overall, the grinding aspect seems to cater to different player preferences, with some enjoying the depth it adds while others feel it detracts from the experience.
“Game is very grindy, but there's enough tasks and contracts to keep me entertained at least.”
“I have a few issues with the game, but most of them are minor, such as how grindy it is to get different weapons in each class.”
“I've noticed that the stat cards aren't accurate, so you do need to try out all the guns to see how they perform; though you'll run into the grinding issue because of this.”
- stability23 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with users reporting frequent bugs and server issues that can disrupt gameplay, particularly after extended sessions. While some glitches have been addressed by developers, many players recommend waiting for a full release due to ongoing performance problems, including high ping and freezing during play. Overall, the game is seen as a work in progress, with potential for improvement as it develops.
“Game is good although there are many glitches and bugs around it, and there's a huge problem that lies within... the goddamn server.”
“I suggest waiting for the full release rather than trying to deal with this buggy mess.”
“It's painful that with each shot I make it freezes and the ping is horribly high.”
- story20 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game lacks a traditional narrative, functioning primarily as a multiplayer shooter with no campaign or bots, though it is set in a storyline context following the escape from Tarkov. Players engage in quick missions with character leveling and skills, but after reaching a certain level, the lack of compelling content and advanced weapon customization diminishes long-term engagement. Overall, while there is a backdrop to the gameplay, the absence of a developed story limits its depth.
“To cut the long story short, they took a good game and made it excellent.”
“Hired Ops (originally Contract Wars 2.0 standalone) is an online first-person shooter game based on the free-to-play game, 'Contract Wars.' This is strictly a multiplayer game, meaning that there is no campaign and no bots (although there is a storyline behind the fighting). While most of the maps and weapons are just ports from the original game, Hired Ops did introduce some significant changes.”
“The story takes place after you have escaped from Tarkov and move onto a global mission.”
“It doesn't have as advanced weapon customization as Escape from Tarkov and no looting; there's also no story, it's like a COD set in Tarkov world.”
“Hired Ops (originally Contract Wars 2.0 standalone) is an online first-person shooter game based on the free-to-play game, 'Contract Wars.' This is strictly a multiplayer game, meaning that there is no campaign and no bots, although there is a storyline behind the fighting.”
“End of story.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a mix of emotional responses, highlighting a sense of relief from mental trauma when playing this game compared to others like Escape from Tarkov. However, there is also disappointment and heartbreak over the necessity to downgrade graphics for better performance, which detracts from the overall experience.
“It's not that CW looks bad and of course hired ops deserve a little better graphics, but being forced to downgrade graphics to the lowest possible, hitting the lowest resolution just to be able to play the game is heart-breaking.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The majority of users have opted to turn off the music, indicating that it may not be a significant or engaging aspect of the game.
