GRAWesome!

Ubisoft has delivered a knockout sequel to last year’s 3rd-person shooter, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. Improvements all across the board take the solid mechanics from part one and kick it up a notch. For fans of the first game, this may be familiar territory, but the enhancements truly deliver a satisfying package for veterans and newbies alike.

STORY & DESIGN

The story in GRAW2 picks up soon after part one with Captain Scott Mitchell returning to thwart another international crisis. This time he must lead a team of Ghosts to prevent a nuclear strike on the USA from Mexican rebels. The plot is pretty straightforward but solid. While the plot starts slowly, once things hit US soil the action heats up in a major way. The additional information you receive throughout your missions (such as real-time video feeds patched into your HUD ) keep you informed on your mission without interrupting the game play for cutscenes. Since everything is done from the perspective of your character, you are constantly immersed in the action and are rarely taken out of the game environment. I can’t say that I’ve seen any game handle this aspect better.   

The single-player campaign is very enjoyable but it can be completed in a day, which left me wanting more single player action. The scope of the game felt too similar to the last one as well, so it is hard not to feel at times as if this is nothing more than an upgrade to GRAW. I think in order for Ubisoft to really up the ante, the next GRAW should offer twice the content and incorporate more locations around the world. While short, the single-player game is enjoyable enough to play through again at a harder difficulty. Few games are compelling enough when you finish them to leave you wishing for more content, so I am hoping that the next installment feeds my need for more single player action.

Most people will “come for the single-player and stay for the multiplayer”. This is definitely the reason most people pick up the game, and it keeps the action flowing as long as you want to stay in combat. The Co-op mode runs through scenarios that occur elsewhere during the single-player campaign and help to flesh out the game's story. And of course, XBOX Live matches give the game some serious replay value. The installed base of GRAW users is enormous and you will never find a shortage of people to play with online. I am used to more aggressive multiplayer games like Halo and Gears of War, so multiplayer GRAW really takes some getting used to since you won't survive long by running and gunning. Most times you will be dead by the time you spot your enemy. I really appreciate the way Ubisoft continues to provide updates and downloadable content for their players and I wish more publishers would take advantage of those XBOX Live services. They are true winners here.

VISUALS

I have heard criticisms that this game doesn’t deliver huge improvements in the visuals and I would have to disagree. All through out the single-player campaign I thought to myself how much better everything looked. While the improvements won’t knock you out of your socks, they are remarkably good. The character and vehicle models are superbly textured and animated. The buildings can sometimes feel pretty simplistic and boxy by comparison, but I believe the developers make up for this by making your surroundings seem HUGE and overwhelming.

The lighting and effects look very polished, the explosions and smoke in particular. I remember many instances of glitchy shadows in part one that are mostly gone in GRAW2. Everything looks dusty, sun-baked, and overexposed similarly to contemporary war movies (Three Kings comes to mind) and has a great effect on the game’s presentation. The night-vision goggles help in certain levels, but I hardly ever needed to use them. Most environments are either in direct sunlight or aren’t dark enough for them to be effective. I also noticed that the frame rate was higher when using Night Vision, which is annoying since there is a bit of a frame rate hitch when you switch between normal and night-vision. For some reason, this is one of the few glitches that was held over from the first GRAW installment. Aside from a few minor flaws like this, the graphics are another fine example of what the XBOX 360 is capable of.

GAMEPLAY

I'll skip all the basics and move straight to the new stuff. One of the biggest improvements over the last GRAW is the ability to switch to the perspective of your teammates or vehicle support at your disposal. This allows you to find hostiles and get a better tactical angle on your surroundings much more so than in the previous installment. In the last game if a position was out of your field of vision you would have to direct your squad or vehicle supports to that location via a map screen that took your focus away from the action. With the ability to see the environment from your team’s eyes, you can direct them more quickly and with a lot more confidence.

Perhaps the finest feature of GRAW2 is the way it empowers you to get the job done. After the events of the last game, your character has grown reputable and is given much more command authority over various supports. At one of the more climactic moments I was managing a tank, helicopter, and ground infantry along with my team of Ghosts. Switching between support units and giving commands is a snap and is all done using the D-pad. Also new to this installment is a vehicle called the Mule. It is basically an ammo locker on wheels; you can use it for cover and have it follow you around to refill your weapons and ammo until it is destroyed. Because of all of the additional support granted, though, the game felt a bit less challenging than I was anticipating. It does make for a nice addition for players who aren’t as familiar with the game to get a little extra advantage throughout the mission.

FINAL WORD

GRAW2 is great and fans of the first GRAW should definitely pick it up. Those who tried the first and felt the game play wasn't their bag may still want to play this one since the improvements really go a long way to streamlining the action. It is better than its predecessor, in my opinion, and it's the best of the Tom Clancy games for the XBOX 360. Plus, shooting helicopters out of the sky with a chain-gun is just plain bad-ass.