Fat Ninja

There was a lot of speculation circulating with respect to Ubi Soft and Red Storm’s downloadable content for their blockbuster next-gen shooter, GRAW. Many longtime veterans hoped to see their favorite maps of Ghost Recons past reimagined in high-def, next-gen glory. Many hoped to see new weapons added to the arsenal. Ever attentive to the desires of their fanbase, Ubi Soft have put together a package that has something for just about everyone out there (well, aside from those without an Xbox Live account).

The Co-Op Campaign Continues

GRAW Chapter 2 released rather quietly in late June. Without ever pinning down a specific release date, the content just one day showed up on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Despite this, and its rather hefty cost of 1200 Microsoft points (Roughly $15), Xbox Livers gobbled up every last bit of multiplayer goodness hungrily. And while thinking of it as “points” rather than actual money may assuage some of the sting that accompanies Chapter 2’s pricepoint, here’s what you get with the price of admission:

• Continuing the bold Xbox LIVE Multiplayer Co-Op Campaign, Chapter 2 allows you and up to 15 friends to take on 4 new missions over 4 new maps.

• 8 revisited, relit multiplayer Adversarial/Co-Op maps

• New game types with 1 new game mode – ‘Team Battle’

• 5 new weapons: the M468, the M468 320, the AK47, the SR-25-SD, & the SCAR-H-SU

• 4 new character customization faces

• 2 new sets of fatigues (Canadian and British DPM)

Looking first at the continuation of GRAW’s groundbreaking Co-Op campaign, this portion obviously marks the bulk of the content’s value quotient. Not only does it bring four new maps to the multiplayer table, it also serves to build upon GRAW’s most innovative addition to the Ghost Recon repretoire: the Co-Op campaign. Each map is constructed with a great deal of care and thought, offering an array of unique terrain and backdrops. The Coffee Plantation, with its rising hills and dense forests, delivers a nerve-racking, fast-paced experience that will keep your head on a swivel as you navigate between objectives. The Shipping Port, on the other hand, is a different beast, forcing you to methodically work your way between narrow corridors and shipping containers as you work to take down the opposition. The River Depot map is a tangled network of dirtroads hedged in by areas of dense and sparse coverage alike, allowing enemies to catch you unawares if you’re not alert. Finally, the Jungle Mines map offers frenetic action in which death can come at you from, literally, every single possible angle.

GRAW’s Co-Op Campaign

Mission objectives are fairly standard, most often involving the demolition of weapon caches and the gathering of intel. Despite this limited variety, Chapter 2’s Co-Op Campaign proves a worthy addition to the already stellar multiplayer component offered by GRAW. The only real gripe here is that more Achievements weren’t integrated into this new portion of the online campaign.

Luckily, the brilliant level design found in the four new maps translates splendidly to all other multiplayer modes. Ever vigilant with respect to delivering near peerless online play, Red Storm has constructed a great set of maps that fit snugly amidst the already extensive catalog of locales offered by GRAW. In addition to these four newcomers, most of the original maps have been relit to offer some new twists on what are quickly becoming classics. Old Town Morning, for instance, revisits the original Old Town map, but this time its in a misty, predawn that cuts down visibility substantially. Though you might wish to feel cheated by the laziness of simply relighting the old maps, one can’t deny that there is a new dynamic that accompanies tackling the Wharf map in broad daylight.

Teaming up with these new maps are new game types and a game mode. Many of these new additions are new takes on the classic game modes, for example the Blind Siege mode. However, the real update comes in the form of the new game mode, Team Battle in which two teams vie for control of the map via control points. The distinguishing characteristic, however, is that each team is supported by eight AI-governed units that will help keep up the attack. The result can often be a chaotic and brutal multiplayer experience.

Additionally, Chapter 2 looks to expand the Ghosts’ arsenal by bringing along five new weapons, four new character customization options, and two new sets of fatigues. While all will welcome these new recruits, they don’t really add exponentially to the gameplay experience. Nontheless, new toys are always appreciated.

One of Chapter 2’s new toys

As what is perhaps the most substantial offering of downloadable content to hit the Marketplace, GRAW Chapter 2 certainly adds to the longevity of a game that has already proven to go the distance with respect to replay value. The continuation of the Co-Op Campaign has added hours of game time in and of itself, to say nothing of the additional variations it and the redesigned maps have brought to the rest of the online component. Tou may balk at the $15 pricetag, in the end you’ll pay it because you know it’s worth it.

OVERALL VALUE: High

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