The Ghosts Are Back
I spent all weekend recovering from some very minor (but discomforting) surgery that severely limited my mobility. I’ll spare you the details. Lucky for me, I was pampered by my loving wife and whittled the time away by eating Tillamook ice cream, drinking Fat Tire and playing the utter shit out of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2). In that time I conquered the solo campaign, beat the online co-op campaign, and got my feet wet in some Solo and Team Elimination matches.
Picking up immediately after the events in GRAW, GRAW 2’s offline campaign finds Captain Mitchell being deployed in a high stakes operation that leaves the fate of the free world hanging in the balance as the intrepid Ghosts and their bold leader face an imminent nuclear threat poised to strike American soil. Unfolding over the course of three acts, GRAW 2’s storyline doesn’t bring anything new to the franchise. Despite this, it maintains a decent level of intensity and entertainment value, though it lacks emotional punch.
“HIT THAT CHOPPER!”
There’s a very “Hollywood” sense of story-telling on display here that really distances the audience from the main characters. The gung-ho bravado that defines Captain Mitchell and the men (and woman) that serve under him is unnaturally rehearsed and, dare I say, cheesy. I understand that Ubisoft is striving for enhanced dramatic presentation, but the approach they’ve taken with the series severely undercuts the sense of realism that the gameplay delivers. In the end, the realistic gameplay and the campy action-movie dialogue just felt out of sync with one another, and that dischord really took away from the experience by pulling me out of it to remind me that I was just playing a game.
Your Warzone
Fortunately, GRAW 2 maintains the series’ reputation for delivering well-paced, brutally realistic gameplay. Occassionally, you’ll find yourself inserted solo, tasked with clearing out an enemy encampment so that your team can get choppered in. Objectives range from pacifiying hostile strongholds to taking out enemy ordinance. Each mission presents its own unique challenges, demanding different approaches, be they subtle or otherwise. In addition to your Ghosts, you’ll find a number of support units at your disposal. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) returns to help you scout out territory, while a newly introduced drone dubbed the MULE will ferry gear and mobile cover to you at a moment’s notice.
You’ll reprise your role as a door-gunner
In addition to the many support elements at your disposal, GRAW 2 also offers a much more robust arsenal of weapons. As you progress through the campaign new weapons become available, so you won’t be limited to choosing between the MRC-50 and the SCAR. You’ll also find enhanced versions of certain weapons, particularly the ZEUS-T2 rocket launcher that now allows you to track moving targets. Once more, you’ll find yourself on the razor’s edge of technology, but with the odds stacked heavily against you, you’ll need all the help you can get.
Much like GRAW the enemy’s superior numbers are really what make the fight interesting. Enemy resistance in GRAW 2 is so fierce and overwhelming that, for the first time in my experience with the franchise, I’ve actually run out of ammo during a mission and had to pick up an enemy weapon. But it’s not all about being outnumbered. GRAW 2 offers some notable improvements in the AI department. Enemy infantry will dive for cover when under fire and lay down suppression fire as they attempt to flank your position. I know these were features in the last installment, but they just seem more visible in GRAW 2.
Friendly AI is a lot more intuitive this time out as well. There’s a great deal of chatter between your men as they call out enemy positions or count remaining opponents. They’ll even critique your choice of cover positions. They’re good at picking out their own targets, but you are able to assign priority targets fairly easily. You’ll still need to do your fair share of hand-holding though. For instance, you’ll physically need to tell your team’s medic to tend to a fallen comrade, or tell your marksman to target distant enemy units.
Juarez, Mexico Has Seen Better Days
Honestly, though, I think the hand-holding works in GRAW 2’s favor by conveying the chaos of the battlefield and the strains of command. In fact, the franchise has really evolved quite a bit in this respect, taking a queue from Pandemic’s Full Spectrum Warrior. It’s easy to pull a trigger and cover your own ass, but GRAW 2 demands a bit more on a cerebral level by forcing you to multitask. GRAW offered a taste of command, but this time around you’ll find yourself overwhelmed by it. Just to give you an idea, there’s a mission where you will be charged with maneuvering your Ghosts, an M1A1 Abrams, and an AH-6 Little Bird through entirely hostile territory, all of it in real-time. Now, in theory that might not sound all that difficult, but I can assure you that in practice it represents GRAW 2 at its most challenging.
To facilitate your command, CrossCom is back, but with some new bells and whistles. Referred to as CrossCom 2.0, you’ll now be able to actually enter a full-frame view of what your units see via mounted cameras. In the cases of the UAV and the MULE, you’ll not only be able to see what they see, but you’ll actually be able to control them directly via the CrossCom. In terms of your more autonomous units, you can use the enhanced features to swivel the camera and assign targets with surgical precision.
In terms of gameplay, GRAW 2 is more of an incremental step in the evolution of the franchise. There are a lot of little changes that have been made across the boards. In the end, while no real leaps or bounds are made in this iteration , the various tweaks to the gameplay result in a more solid and refined product . Unfortunately, the improved experience is short-lived, particularly when compared to GRAW’s campaign.
Ghost Recon has never looked better
Changes in the graphical department are also fairly minimal. However, they are nonetheless obvious. While it didn’t quite floor me the way that GRAW did back in ‘06, GRAW 2 did leave me slack-jawed more than a few times; okay, all the time. The different environs in GRAW 2 allow for a lot more variety in the models and textures. There are a lot more organic elements than were found in the last installment, and textures seem to be a lot more high-resolution this time around. It’s also got some of the best explosions you’re like to find anywhere. But not everything is purely cosmetic. There have been some noticeable advances made in the lighting and environmental departments that can and do affect gameplay. Ultimately, though, GRAW 2 is more of an improved version of its predecessor than anything.
Track your Achievements
While the solo campaign hasn’t really seen any major changes, it’s still a great experience, but GRAW 2’s multiplayer package is truly where it’s at. While the gameplay is relatively untouched, improvements to the user interface along with increased customization options, new game modes, tons of maps (Embassy is back, folks), and clan support make GRAW 2 worth every penny of its $59.99 (plus applicable taxes) price tag. As is the case with the campaign, there aren’t any major changes that have been made in the multiplayer suite, but the tweaks and refinements make for a much more complete package. Little things like being able to track your Achievement progress take the headache out of squeezing all 1000 points out of GRAW 2, while the ability to assign default weapons to each of your classes from the “Edit Identity” menu makes character customization a cinch.
Another Day In Paradise
The area where improvements are most visible (no pun intended) is on the graphical front. Visually speaking, the developers have done a fantastic job in closing the gap between the multiplayer and the campaign with GRAW 2. Models and textures exhibit a lot more detail and polish. Lighting and environmental effects are not only beautiful, but you’ll actually feel their impact as you play the game. Take, for instance, the Monument Hill map. When played during the day, visibility is hindered only by buildings, cars and other physical obstructions. However, if you load up Monument Hill Overcast you’ll find visibility cut down significantly by the hazy soup that is a humid, tropical afternoon.
In the end, GRAW 2’s multiplayer package feels like a much more complete version of GRAW. It’s apparent that Ubisoft has its ear to the ground when it comes to player feedback, and they’ve addressed many of the gnawing issues that have plagued the series in the past. If you don’t believe me, just look at the respawn system they’ve implemented; it’s quite literally made spawn-campers a thing of the past.
There is no “I” in Teamwork
Now I know that there’s been a recurring theme throughout this review that GRAW 2 is merely a refined version of GRAW, and it’s true. We aren’t looking at a huge evolutionary leap. I’ve heard a lot of mutterings from friends that the Ghost Recon series is becoming the Madden of shooters, what with its annual releases. However, we’re not looking at mere roster changes and superficial changes here. GRAW 2 actually builds on the franchise, rather than simply capitalizing on its popularity. The changes that it has undergone, while incremental, are significant enough to make the experience feel fresh and new; and in my opinion, it’s worth every penny.
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Sounds pretty sweet. Give me your Xbox 360 so I can play.
Holy crap! I dunno why you’re not writing reviews for someone, man.
Anyhow, it sounds freakin awesome. Give dean your Xbox 360 so I can steal it from him.