Australian Gamer Review :: Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2

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Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2

Reviewed on: Xbox 360
Available on: PC, Xbox 360

GRAW2 won�t wow anyone with leaps in graphical technology or advanced new gameplay. That�s not to say it�s not an awesome game, it�s just that it looks pretty much the same as last years and plays pretty much the same as well.

Players: 1-16 Players
Genre:
Release: 2007-03-08

Developer: Red Storm Entertainment
Distributor: Ubisoft

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Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (or GRAW2), is the sequel to the hit 360 launch title Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (or GRAW) which was the sequel to Ghost Recon 2 for the Xbox which didn�t come out on PC but which itself was the sequel to the PC only Ghost Recon, making GRAW2 actually Ghost Recon 4. This follows much the same naming sequence as games like Grand Theft Auto 4 which is actually about the 8th game in the series, and movies like Jackie Chan�s Police Story where Police Story 3 is called Supercop in the US and Police Story 4 was logically released as Supercop 2 in the US but as Supercop in the UK, but was really Police Story 3, Part 2, because it was followed 3 years later by Police Story 4, which for some reason was called First Strike in the US. So anyway� GRAW2 is not the first title to have a series of poorly numbered sequels, but in this case even if GRAW was called Ghost Recon 3, we�d only be calling this Ghost Recon 3.5. Not because it isn�t a great game, but because it is really more of an �expansion� than a totally new game, much like Island Thunder and Desert Siege were for the first title. This is still a full game, don�t be mislead, it�s just that it�s more of an incremental update on last year�s title. If you�re thinking Tiger Woods 07 vs Tiger Woods 06 (or any other sports game) then you�ll be on the right track. Assuming that we see another one next year, we could well expect it to be title GRAW�08 just to really screw up the number system.

So what�s all this got to do with anything? Well, the crux of it all is that GRAW2 won�t wow anyone with leaps in graphical technology or advanced new gameplay. That�s not to say it�s not an awesome game, it�s just that it looks pretty much the same as last years and plays pretty much the same as well. There have been a few tweaks in the past 12 months, most notably smoke and explosion effects and some updated animations, but the game otherwise looks pretty much the same. That�s not a bad thing if you�re a fan of the series, but those hoping for leaps and bounds will probably be disappointed. Just to add a little more flip-flopping, GRAW and this new sequel are still 2 of the best looking titles available today on any console. So now that we�ve got all that out of the way, let�s get on to what IS actually different this year.

The big differences for GRAW2 centre around multiplayer, but the single player campaign has also seen some attention. With updated effects like dynamic lighting, weather, smoke effects and semi-destructible environments are the main changes graphically to what was already a beautiful looking game. The changes aren�t just cosmetic either. Now when you blow up a car, if there is one next to it, it will cause a chain reaction of explosions which can be very handy for taking out large numbers of enemies. For those who were fans of the original Ghost Recon, you�ll be pleased that there is much more outdoor open spaces combat, and less of the inner city combat that featured heavily in GRAW. It�s a nice mix, and gives more variation to the tactics required. Of course if you are a fan of the original, you will by now be getting tired of what seems to be the constant �dumbing down� of the game. It seems that each successive iteration of Ghost Recon gets easier. GRAW, with it�s over the shoulder view and bright red outlines around enemies certainly made life easier. But with GRAW2�s addition of a more controllable �sky-cam�, a healing, ammo dealing �mule� and a squad with full cross-com video link and even a medic, GRAW2 is the first Ghost Recon that a Quake player would be happy to have a go at. On one hand this is pretty disappointing, but on the other hand it does reduce the frustration that Ghost Recon often induces. I guess it depends on which camp you�re from.

The first big change is that now anything you can issue orders to, you can get a cross-com video link to, and not just in the corner of your screen, but a full screen view. Whilst in the first GRAW the flying saucer you had at your command was all but useless, it now acts as a certified cheat key allowing you tight control over its flight path allowing you to effectively tag all visible enemies before heading into combat. Unfortunately, shooting fish in a barrel isn�t my idea of fun! Of course, not only can you control your techno-Frisbee this way, you can also control your squad in much the same way. This pretty much means you could actually play out a level as one of your squad. Whilst it is handy for more fine control of your team mates, it really takes away from the realism of the game and makes it feel a little too much like Battlefield 2�s �player swap� feature. I think the game was better without it.

Whilst it definitely makes the game more approachable for the less hardcore gamers out there, it makes GRAW2 take one step closer to being �just another shooter�. Personally, I�ve always found the best thing about Tom Clancy games in general is the realism. It is one of few games that pits you against AI with equal odds. They get as much chance to take you down as you do to take them down. With the addition of what amounts to �ammo and health packs�, GRAW2 is much easier to get through and is therefore less rewarding than previous versions. I can only imagine that GRAW3 will feature Power-Ups and Respawns as well. All up, the single player campaign should only take 7 or 8 hours on medium, and I�d imagine easy would be a cake walk for all but the most useless of players.

Of course, there is an upside, and that is that GRAW2 is a lot of fun, and being more accessible, the Co-op mode is now a lot more fun. For one you don�t have to try and find another hardcore Tom Clancy fan to play alongside, but also the increased likelihood of both players reaching the end of the game alive means less waiting around for the poor sap who bites a bullet in the first minute. The co-op mode is now a whole lot more fun, and as I said at the top is probably one of the main focuses for this revision of GRAW. With a lot more options and customizations, improved AI, and significantly more maps, the co-op modes have definitely seen a lot of attention. It just makes you wonder why the hell they decided to remove the ability to hide behind cover! I am sure there is a good reason for it, but I�ll be buggered if I can work it out! Aside from that though, the awesome co-op more than makes up for the rather short single-player�. That is assuming you have friends of course.

There really isn�t much else to talk about with GRAW2. As with a lot of sequels, if you loved the first one, you�ll love this one. Of course, if you weren�t a big fan of GRAW, then chances are that GRAW2 isn�t going to turn you into a Tom Clancy fan overnight. Of course, if the only reason you didn�t give GRAW two thumbs up was because you found it too difficult, then GRAW2 will certainly dry your tears. For the hardcore Tom Clancy fan, as with Rainbow Six, you will be disappointed with the efforts to make Ghost Recon more mainstream. It�s not that the changes are bad, as for the most part the changes are configurable. It�s more that with the new additions, the game has lost some of its intensity and some of that �permanently on the brink of death� feeling you got with the original Ghost Recon series. One of the biggest thrills of any Tom Clancy game is knowing if you can someone, he can see you, and you�re potentially seconds away from death. With a medic, controllable teammates and a magically healing Mule, a lot of the thrill is diluted. But that aside, Ubisoft have outdone themselves over the last 12 months. Not only have the managed to release GRAW, Rainbow Six Vegas and another Splinter Cell, they even managed to find the time to put together a short but still satisfying sequel to GRAW.

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Final Verdict

Whilst GRAW2 feels like it should really be called GRAW2007, this pseudo-expansion pack provides plenty of new multiplayer action and a short but entertaining single player campaign. Whilst it certainly has a lot more �newness� than your typical NBA rehash, the similarities to GRAW far outweigh the changes. Given how great GRAW was, that isn�t all that bad. I can�t wait for GRAW2008.

Pros
Bigger explosions, fluffier smoke, smarter bad guys. Many more multiplayer maps and modes. Still the best looking games on the 360.
Cons
New �features� like the MULE and medic feel like cheating. Single player campaign too short and easy. Pretty much the same as last year�s edition if you�re looking for something new.