Conflict: Denied Ops

Saving the world from nuclear terrorists is a daunting task that no hero should bear alone. In Conflict: Denied Ops, you’re given control of a pair of CIA commandos — each with unique weapons and abilities — to get the job done. Spraying the bullets of freedom plays out as a strictly average, familiar-feeling affair in this shooter, with rampant destruction taking priority over character development.

Agent Graves sports a high-powered sniper rifle, while the loud-mouthed Lang wields an impressive light machinegun that’s perfect for close-quarters combat and enemy suppression. Each of the game’s 10 levels offers a good blend of tight indoor corridors and spacious outdoor battlefields for combat, which forces you to frequently switch between the characters to survive explosive firefights. It’s too bad that enemies are mostly stationary, making them easy targets for headshots.

 Cooperative play alleviates the occasional problem of your A.I.-controlled squadmate falling off ledges to his death, so Denied Ops is at its best when two players tango. But still, the unexceptional, shooter-by-numbers gameplay isn’t compelling enough to demand your attention — either solo or in tandem.