When Ubisoft brought the
Tom Clancy inspired Ghost Recon games to the Xbox I was seriously worried
that the game wouldn’t translate well on the console. After all, this is a PC
classic that brought us realistic scenarios and one of the most addictive
first-person shooters to come along in a long time. Yet seeing as how great
Ghost Recon and Ghost Recon: Island Thunder turned out on the Xbox,
fans like myself found ourselves anticipating the arrival of the official
sequel. Ghost Recon 2 is here with an obvious change in the game’s
format but will a change spell disaster for our favorite ghosts?
Taking place in the future
yet keeping the situations plausible enough that these events might actually
happen, Ghost Recon 2 places the highly elite squad of “ghosts” in the
year 2011 during a violent revolt in North Korea. It seems that some top
military officials in the volatile north have started a conflict that the United
Nations feels could be devastating if the violence were to spread outside of
Korea so necessary action is to be taken to stop this from happening. Campaign
mode, the game’s main story mode, is told through a historical television
program complete with interviews of the soldiers that participated in each of
the fifteen missions as well as the set up. You basically relive the missions
while assume the role of Scott Mitchell, the squad leader of three other ghosts.
Like Ghost Recon
and Island Thunder, you’ll be in command of three squad members that
respond to your commands but instead of playing the game in its normal
first-person perspective; you’ll get an over-the-shoulder view of the action.
That’s right, this one is a third-person shooter with the classic Ghost Recon
elements still pretty much intact. You can have the option of playing the
game in the tradition first-person view through the Options menu but, for the
most part, the third-person perspective actually works perfectly enough. You’ll
still be able to crouch and move and lay flat on your belly for precise shooting
and better cover and you’ll still be able to order commands like Hold Position
and Suppress Fire but there are a number of changes that actually improve a few
of the series weaknesses. For instance, you’ll be able to order your team to
flank left or right and (thanks to the Xbox Communicator headset) order your
team to Demo Target with your voice.
New to the series is
medical treatment for fallen squad members. It’s handled, in a small way, kind
of like they do in Full Spectrum Warrior, which is better than losing a
team member completely like in the first two games. You can also mark targets
to call in an air strike and protect or escort friendly soldiers you’ll meet out
in the field. There are also instances when you’ll go up against enemy
transports, all of which you can order your team to help you destroy. At one
point in the game you’ll be attacked by a heavily armed helicopter that circles
around the perimeter. You can order your team to shoot at it or bring it down
with a bazooka or jump behind a gun emplacement and shoot it down yourself.
Like the first two games
in the series, you’ll start each mission by selecting your arsenal–usually
selecting a primary and secondary weapon, plus explosives and armor-piercing
projectile weapons. Seeing as this is the future, your team is equip with
advanced military weaponry including the SPR-468, a machine gun with a mounted
camera so you can check to see what’s around the corner and fire the weapon
without sticking your body out in the line of fire. You’ll also use night
vision specs during night missions. The best new feature, aside from the fact
that you can now restock on ammo in mid-game is the fact that you can also swap
your weapons with those left behind by fallen enemies. These are definitely
some great new changes.
As far as the controls are
concerned, the third-person perspective isn’t a hindrance nor is it a tad
awkward like the PS2’s SOCOM II. We’re talking smooth movements with the
ability to crouch and drop on your belly easily enough. Third person also
allows you to perform rolls when you’re flat on your stomach, something that
couldn’t be done well as a first-person shooter. You’ll also find it a bit
easier to check out your surrounds a lot more quickly, giving you a better view
of where to place your squad members without exposing them. You’re ghosts,
after all, so you won’t be running out into the open shooting wildly. Well you
can, but it’s a sure way to get killed quickly.
Making its return is the
Quick Missions like Firefight, Recon, Defend and Mission. New to the series is
Lone Wolf, a mode that simply allows you to play any of the Campaign modes
missions solo. What’s great about Lone Wolf is that your character will be
decked out in futuristic armor and get to wield some new high-tech weapons. The
Ghost Recon games were also always big on the multiplayer modes, allowing
you to play with up to four players using a single Xbox or up to sixteen other
players using System Link or through the Xbox Live service. Xbox Live offers
some great multiplayer options (tons of them, actually) and offers a smooth
framerate to boot. Really, the Xbox Live game comes close to rivaling the
superb online multiplayer action of Rainbow Six 3: Black Shield. My only
real complaint with the game is that you’ll find many instances when the enemy
seems to spawn out of nowhere when you reach a certain area in the game. This
is not that great considering the fact that the game is already way too hard
even in its Normal setting.
Graphically, Ghost
Recon 2 is a wonderful-looking third-person shooter. The level of detail
surrounding the environments is magnificent, especially the mission that takes
place in a ghost village. Aside from some really gorgeous looking locales, the
character models are even more detailed offering far more natural looking
faces. Due to its Teen rating (past Ghost Recon games were Mature rated
games), you won’t find any blood here but at least there’s a slightly modified
version of the rag doll physics making each death look more natural. Deliver a
headshot or an instant kill and you’ll watch the enemy crumple to the ground
with limbs askew. Explosions are even more beautiful in this game.
The Tom Clancy games on
the Xbox (from Rainbow Six 3 to Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow)
have always excelled in the sound department and this game is no different. The
direction sound allows you to pinpoint where you’re being shot at and the number
of sound effects and voices going on at once just gives you the feeling that
you’re right there in the thick of the action. The voice work is great (the
enemy will shout at you in Korean), particularly in the televised interview
segments and the music is nicely dramatic with a light touch of an Asian feel to
the soundtrack.
Destined to be a new fan
favorite, Ghost Recon 2 might look a little different but it still
remains to be one outstanding shooter worthy of the genre. The third-person
view of the action is handled just right and many of the game’s already classic
elements remains intact throughout the experience. Really, if you love the
realism and intense action the Tom Clancy brand delivers, you can’t go wrong
with this one.
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Gameplay: 8.5
The third-person perspective works
really well in Ghost Recon 2 and it’s one of the changes that make
strategizing and team management actually pretty fun. The mission scenarios
themselves are intense and challenging but enemies that seen to spawn out of
nowhere really ruin the realism. Lone Wolf mode really rocks.
Graphics: 8.9
This is certainly one great-looking
Xbox game thanks to the new perspective. Environments look far more detailed
than the series first two games and the character models are simply
spectacular. The game is free of blood but the rag doll physics featured in
this game looks so natural. As for the visual effects, explosions and fires
look amazing.
Sound: 9.0
Somebody give these guys over at
Ubisoft and Red Storm Entertainment an award for consistently providing the Tom
Clancy franchise some of the best sound heard in a game. There’s directional
gunfire and a massive amount of effects ranging from distant explosions and
gunfire and very detailed environmental sounds. The music and voice acting is
also top notch.
Difficulty: Hard
Who said attempting to take an
airfield littered with highly trained enemy soldiers or stop a revolt from
becoming a horrific international incident was going to be a walk in the park?
Even in the game’s Normal difficulty level the game is pretty hard but it’s not
hard enough that you’ll be yanking out your hair. The enemies you’ll face are
great at surprise attacks and toss grenades in your general direction.
Concept: 9.0
The missions are plentiful and
lengthy and there’s much to return to after you’ve finished the main campaign
mode. The classic Ghost Recon Quick Missions are back but it’s Lone Wolf
mode that steals the show. There are some neat things to unlock via points you
earn during Campaign mode and, of course, you cannot go wrong with the game’s
various multiplayer options including a great Xbox Live online mode.
Multiplayer: 9.2
I must have died and gone to Xbox
Heaven because not only does this game support up to four players using a single
Xbox but it also supports System Link play and Xbox Live multiplayer support for
up to sixteen players. If that wasn’t enough there are literally dozens of
options to change your multiplayer game anyway you see fit. I’m going to need a
bib . . . I can’t stop drooling.
Overall: 9.0
Despite its change in perspective,
Ghost Recon 2 remains to be a solid action-packed shooter that will make
you proud you own a Xbox. It’s clear that UbiSoft does not want to stray from
the series beginnings, something that will surely relieve those fans who stuck
by the games, but also give us something new as well. It’s a good effort that
certainly pays off here. Buy this one if you like your tactical military
shooters challenging but addictive.
