"Who doesn't love Tom
Clancy? And who couldn't love his book-based realistic
combat games? Combining an in-depth plot with some
real-time FPS assures gamers for a unique and successful
hit. With last years late release of Ghost Recon, this
is a game that should be on the top of everyone’s
list."
Rainbow 6.5 or 7?
When thinking of real-time FPS the first two games that
come to mind are: Rogue Spear and Rainbow Six.
Both were based off the written novels from the
brilliant mind of Tom Clancy. What made the games
unique, was evolution of gaming itself. Based on similar
engines as Quake and Unreal; there are
major differences in gameplay aspects. The most notable
difference is the one kill, yer dead syndrome.
Days of taking a rocket in the gut, yet still able to
move on is a thing of the past. Those expecting to jump
in, type Impulse 9 and blow away a thousand bad
guys, should definitely move on.
Since the games are based on brain food from Clancy,
each series has their own dramatic lay of events. In Ghost
Recon the same holds true. Based on 15 missions, you
are given a variety of complex goals to achieve. Your
mission briefing gives you the basis for the mission,
the area you are infiltrating and the objectives needed
to succeed. There are two mandatory objectives that must
be achieved in order to move on, and one secondary
objective that can be completed or not.
After the briefing you are sent to a platoon set-up
screen. You are in control of three squads. The Alpha
squad is primarily your point men (or women)
consisting of three soldiers. The Bravo squad is
by default your demolition crew, consisting of two
soldiers. Lastly, the Charlie squad is one
soldier and should always be your trusty sniper.
Choosing your platoon carefully, and strategically is
equally as important as taking out the first wave of
resistance. There are four groups of soldiers you can
dip in. The rifleman are your standard
infantrymen, who carry a variety of medium powered
weapons. The support team, carries some bigger
guns and good for laying down fire. Demolitions
can be equipped with tank killers, C4 or plastic
explosives (self explanatory). The snipers,
crucial to success, are your chess-like soldiers used to
pick off enemies from afar.
If you choose to play the mission mode (aside from
the multiplayer or single levels) you can build the
attributes of your soldiers up after each mission. If
a soldier survives, he/she is "graded" on
their hit percentage and kill ratio. Depending on their
success, they are awarded medals that are shown on the
profile of the character. After each mission, the
survivors are awarded and "combat point",
which can be used to increase traits for that soldier.
These attributes range from stealth to leadership.
Also dependent on your overall efficiency of the
mission; you are also rewarded with dipping into the
"Special" pool of soldiers. These
military types have increased attributes, and
specialized weapons. Try not to get them killed.
Abandoned!
Once the mission briefing and you choose your platoon,
you are dropped into the insertion point and you
begin your quest. As mentioned before, and now that you
are in the game, now isn't the time to go Rambo
and surge into battle. In fact, there are no
missions where that would be successful. Planning your
attack, knowing your directives and finding the
enemies is not only the best way to complete a mission,
but also the only way to stay alive.
Probably one of the best features on Ghost Recon
is the threat indicator. This indicator is at the
bottom middle of your screen and is the shape of a
circle. Within the circle it is broken up into four
sections (top, left, right and bottom). In the
center is a hollow circle. The indicator is always up
and running, and whatever side the yellow shape lights
up, shows which way the enemy is. The closer you get the
more it will highlight and eventually the inner circle
will light red. The best way to explain this is to give
you a walk-through. The left block is lit up, so you
turn left; thus lighting up the top block. After
continuing forward, the left and right blocks light up.
This means the enemy should be in eyeshot.
Creeping forward, the inner circle turns red, and all of
the lights are lit up. This means the enemy is so close
they can smell you, so watch out.
Controlling your platoon, takes a lot of trial and
error. Depending on your strategy, depends on which to
move forward first. Personally, I choose to scout ahead
with my sniper; taking out stray bad guys on the way to
objective points. I usually follow up with my Alpha team
that is lined with rifleman. Usually, taking up the rear
is my demolitions (Bravo) to cover my flank. The
in game map is very useful, and points out objective
locations and demographics on the same page. Remember
the game is not linear, so even though your
indicator is going bonkers doesn't mean they are right
in front of you. They cold be hiding atop of a cliff to
your right, waiting to peg you as you walk by.
Adding to the realism, there are three stances that your
soldier (and in return your active platoon) will
take. Standing allows you to run fairly quickly,
crouched will keep you a bit covered but slow you down,
and crawling will allow you to mesh into the ground but
slow you down to a... crawl. Rarely will you be
standing straight up, unless you are running away like
scared little monkeys. A good rule of thumb; if your
threat indicator is going ballistic, hit the ground and
scour the area. Enemy A.I. is something you don't want
to challenge. These guys aren't your standard headless
zombies that eat their own feces. The enemy is
super-smart and super-efficient. They are almost too
smart at times. If you are in the open; you are dead. If
you are too close to the enemy, move and they hear
you; you are dead. If you shoot and miss your
target... you are dead. Many times, I found myself
losing a man or two without a clue of where the enemy
gunfire was coming from (even though your threat
indicator will blink at enemy gunfire in that direction).
After many trial-and-errors; I found some lonely Russian
hidden within the grasses in a field above.
When you do enter a firefight with the baddies, their
intelligence is amazingly realistic. Let's say you have
your sniper hidden within the bushed 300 yards away.
Your crosshair is dead on with a soldier guarding a
camp. You shoot. You miss. The target drops to the
ground and looks frantically for the direction of the
gunfire. Soon, other baddies will enter the screen; all
creeping around trying to locate you. If you even
hesitate a second they will be on you in no time.
Let's say you fire again. Now your location is all but
highlighted with flares. A barrage of gunfire will come
blazing in your direction. Back up slowly, ok, and get
the frell out of there (subliminal Farscape line),
regroup and make a new plan.
Planning has everything to do with Ghost Recon,
and the immortals over at Red Storm and Ubi
Soft have earned my respect for years to come. The
weapons given are super-realistic. Depending (again)
on your gaming style, depends on which weapons to arm
your platoon with. I usually choose to go with the
stealthiest approach that I can. I eliminate the
"support" team, and opt to go for silenced
weapons armed on rifleman. However, you can build a
muscle platoon catering to the no-frill, quick-kill of
heavy artillery. Instead of picking off one enemy at a
time; simply mow them down like setting ducks.
Your missions are diverse and in-depth as any game you
can play today. You objectives can range from anything
from rescuing a captured pilot to blowing up a bridge.
Another unique perspective of the game is the prominence
of the night missions. Each soldier is given night
goggles and realistically portrays the night scenery.
This makes even a stealthier approach, and I
personally love the night missions the most. To be
honest, the game is not for the novice or easily
frustrated gamer. The difficulty level is excruciatingly
frustrating at times. If you can make it past the first
level, you can finish the game. While, the first mission
isn't crazy difficult, it is where you learn the ropes.
Investing into baby-stepping through each level is your
best strategy; even though some missions you have to
speed things up a bit in order to achieve an objective.
The missions aren't also limited to fields or mountains.
They can take place along a river, on an airbase and
even in the depths of a submarine.
Up close and personal
With some of the best graphics to date on any
system (console or PC); Ghost Recon is a
site to behold. Depending on your weapon, each has a
certain "zoom" amount. Of course those with
scopes allow you to be right on top of someone, and
others will maybe give you 2x or 3x zoom. This is also a
great test to give the graphics engine a serious
workout. Standing next to one of your compadres, zooming
in on their face will show you the detail that was
really involved. Faces react realistically to their
breathing, cheeks and skin tighten and loosen; and
breath can be seen as they exhale. The character
modeling is amazing. Eyes move, blink and react
according to their surroundings, and their bodies move
as fluid as you would expect in real life. Breathing
patterns, night and day and temperature all affect the
way your platoon looks and responds to their
environments.
Not only are the character models amazing, the
backgrounds are simply breathtaking. The horizon seems
to never end, and the use of colors is picture-perfect.
While there are no "inanimate" objects (because
trees and shrubs move according to the wind), you
will see no jaggies whatsoever. Even with your face
planted in the grass, there is little to no blurriness
and even fewer "magical windows". Artillery
and weaponry is equally as impressive, and you can
actually tell the difference between an M-16 and an
M-24.
Audio enthusiasts will have to take a back seat to the
amazing graphics, but don't let that stop you from
experiencing some amazing ambience. Sound effects are
identical to those in real life, and the environment is
surrounded with sound. You can hear a Georgian soldier
speak in their native tongue from around the corner (and
it actually sounds like they are around the corner)
and hear them wail in agony as you send a bullet in
their kneecap. The depth perception in regards to audio
is unmatched in any similar game, and plays as big a
part of the strategy as does your platoon placement.
For those who are worried about a plot driven and short
lived FPS such as Max Payne, put your fears at
ease because the replay value is incredible. During the
single player campaign there are 15 missions, which on
average, last about an hour or two a mission. You can
complete the single player campaign in anywhere from
30-40 hours, which is by far well worth the cost of
admission. To increase the single player experience even
more; there are dozens of mods and user-created missions
to add into the game. This is done easily, and through
the options menu. Just released is a new campaign that
you can purchase separately. There is also an expansion
named: Desert Siege. This takes place in
"warmer" environments, and also adds some new
bonuses to the original. While I love the expansion, it
is no where near as good as the original missions.
Multiplayer takes the replay to a new level. Including
in the game, you can connect with other players via Ubi
Soft. For those who use GameSpy you can also
find dozens of games available online. When playing
online, you can either play co-operatively or
battle it out as a team. Most play team vs. team; and
the user controlling the server can choose a variety of
options. Most people do away with the threat indicator,
because it takes away from the realism aspect when
playing against other human opponents. I found, for the
most part, the online play fairly lag-free when playing
on GameSpy. However, when using the included
software to connect to Ubi the game dropped
sporadically, and wasn't as solid.
66 says:
Games come and go in the gaming world. FPS are a dime a
dozen, and few capture the interest of hard-core gamers.
Games such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Medal
of Honor: Allied Assault simply can't hold a candle
to the fire that burns from Ghost Recon. Red
Storm has produced one of the best games ever.
I give my 100% approval of this game, and recommend this
to any hard core experienced gamer.
Many novice gamers will not have the patience to partake
in the strategy part of the game, and will be better
suited for a RtCW and MOA:AA. For those
who can appreciate the detail and complexity in games
with amazing storylines and in-depth gameplay; this is a
sure fire winner. While the game isn't perfect, of all
my reviews written; this is by far the greatest to date.
The only noticeable flaw within Ghost Recon was
the intelligence of your own platoon. Once taking
the lead in a group, other follow you and try their
hardest to do what is right. However, most of the time
they are wide open for attack and are clueless to their
surroundings. Many times, I opted to go for the single
player (a sniper) in order to save my platoon
from certain death because the others wont hide... or
shoot.
9.8
