Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3984 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: UBI Soft
• Released on: 2006-05-05
• Platforms: Windows Me, Windows XP
• Number of items: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
In a nutshell:
Mexico City has been overrun by terrorists and only the Ghost Recon team can restore order - through the use of extreme violence. You command not just your three team mates but a high-tech array of weapons, armoured vehicles and aircraft.

The lowdown:
Although it still plays very similarly to the last Ghost Recon game, this is easily the most impressive of the series so far. The graphics, particularly on the Xbox 360, are extraordinary with a whole city sprawling out in front of you at a previously unimaginable level of detail. Unlike some squad based shooters the controls are simple and intuitive, allowing you to take part in the action and order about soldiers and vehicles at the same time with the minimum of fuss. The questionable artificial intelligence of your allies is the only serious flaw, but the ability to explore the city and plan your attack from any angle usually overcomes this problem.

Most exciting moment:
Calling in a helicopter gunship as you and your men are pinned down by a dozen terrorists, snipers and tanks.

Since you ask:
The game is set in 2013 and all of the high-tech weaponry is based on equipment the U.S. expects to have in operation by then - even the Metal Gear Solid style flying recon drones.

The bottom line:
Incredible graphics and one of the best squad based shooters ever.
Harrison Dent

Manufacturer's Description
The face of war has changed. Enemy lines blur, and there is no longer a clear opponent. New enemies and new threats require a new type of warfare - a new type of soldier.

Enter the Ghosts.

In 2013, the U.S. Army will implement the Integrated Warfighter System (IWS), evolving what we know as the modern soldier. IWS combines advanced weapon systems, satellite communication devices and enhanced survivability into one fully integrated combat system. The IWS program has been developed to meet these new threats head on. Now, it can be tested on the battlefield.

Following an insurgence in the heart of Mexico City, the U.S. Army's most elite Special Forces team is deployed to the center of the conflict to regain control of the city. Greatly outnumbered but fully equipped with the IWS, this elite team is the first and last line of defense on the battlefield. They are the Quiet professionals. They are the Ghosts.

Customer Reviews

This is an enjoyable game but shouldn't be confused with Ghost Recon!
Confused? Let me explain...

Ubisoft made massive error with Ghost Recon 2, transforming the tried, tested and popular stealth and strategy based format for a very arcade-like shooter patronising it's usual patrons by playing for a much larger target audience. If your are a hardcore fan of the Ubisofts previous titles I'm afraid with GRAW you'll be disappointed.

GRAW is fun. That should definitely be recognised but it falls far, far short of the original title. Let's define some of the features that make Ghost Recon, what set it apart and made it so popular with such a massive fan base and why GRAW should not be considered a 'Ghost Recon' game.

A huge strategy based element. In the original title and it's expansions you would choose your team carefully (up to 6 men in up to 3 fire squads) based upon their kit preferences and their skill level (which improved over time) and plan each mission carefully to cover all firing arcs and cover the ground in the most efficient way possible. But in GRAW you don't even see the map till you are actually there and even then only a section of it and it makes next to no difference who you bring with you or what weapons you load them with (btw there isn't much choice here either). In the originals you could even swap and change the playable character mid-mission, allowing you to storm a position as a rifleman then cover him as a sniper at the press of a button, but in GRAW you are stuck with Mitchell...

The original Ghost Recon had sexy graphics for its day, but GRAW's whilst astonishing at moments make you cringe alot more often. If you are lucky (or perhaps unlucky, depending on the way you look at this) enough to play the Xbox 360 version you'll feel rather hard done by. PC gamers used to be focus of Ubisoft's efforts, GRAW (like Ghost Recon 2) really makes you feel like it was a second consideration on the part of Ubisoft who sold the PC version out to Grin who really haven't done their job very well. The graphics engine should have enhanced the PC version but has actually left it lagging far behind its console counterparts and the maps feel blocky, repetitive, and incredibly uncredible especially compared to Xbox's accurate playable maps of Mexico city to the minutest detail. The engine can't even deal with many of the cool features that has set this game apart in the console games (such as guns with cameras to see around corners, heat-vision, etc.) so they don't even appear - but this is what makes Mitchell an 'Advanced Warfighter' isn't it?

Ghost Recon was realistic. You felt like a part of a recon division and the missions were relatively convincing, but GRAW, somehow fails in this respect...

OK, Ghost Recon's AI wasn't good. But that was a feature of it's time. But GRAW's AI is appalling and there is no excuse! Your team mates are stupid. Send them into the field to do a job and they'll probably die. So it's probably best to keep them with you to add fire support, as long as they don't attract fire to you and get you shot... Work it out for yourself if you're going to play the game, you'll find the best way that works for you. There are missions when you order tanks around too - you will learn to hate them and wonder why, if this is what tanks are really like, do they even exist!

In all this really represents a massive opportunity wasted on the part of Ubisoft who either should have kept with the original concept of Ghost Recon alive or should have carbon copied the brilliant Xbox version for the PC - but they did neither and the PC GRAW is simply a much watered down version. There isn't even an optional third person for firing from cover or the opportunity to use the Helicopters machine gun which are two of the best features of Xbox GRAW! And don't get me started on savepoints of which are very very few and far between on some of the hardest game maps you'll ever play!

Ok... I'm whining. What's good about GRAW?

Maintaining the GR2 theme of arcade style shooter becomes a touch more forgivable given GRAW's very enticing plot. There is an element of character development which makes you feel like you are playing through a Tom Clancy book. I could even forgive the dropping of any strategy element because GRAW takes place inside one 48 hour battle in and around Mexico city and feels far too fast for strategy. There is a sense of urgency and panic about the whole situation which brings back some of the realism otherwise lost.

Overall - 78%

Good game ruined by lack of QuickSave
I loved earlier Ghost Recon games but this edition definitely comes up short.

Pros:-
- good graphics and sound
- immersive environment
- interesting new features like calling in artillery etc

Cons:-
- no quicksave - the major problem with this game. The game is hard - even on Normal difficulty. I found myself playing for 20 or 30 minutes and then getting killed. And then doing this over and over again. Sometimes it takes 30 mins of play to get to the tough bit, then you die. After the tough bit there is always a checkpoint and the game is saved. This made the game a chore for me. I just wanted to get through it in the end.
- AI - its not great but its useable. The trouble is - without the quicksave, the poor AI can really mess up your day.
- Cannot switch between soldiers. The great aspect of earlier Ghost recon games was that you could (for instance) crawl your sniper into a great position by controlling him. Then switch to your assault guy and storm a position. Then quickly switch back the sniper if needed to cover the area. You could really put your squad right where you wanted them. Not so with this game. The AI means your squad don't quite get into the right place to cover you sometimes.

Having said all that - there were good moments in the game. Some levels were visually stunning.

Because of the lack of save points, you have to be very careful and tactical. This is a good thing and sometimes I felt I got a lot out of the game for this reason. However the game is just on the wrong side of playable with the repetitive dying and retrying.

I need more training!
Graphics- fantastic
sound- amazing
gameplay- absorbing

I have previously enjoyed playing the gr series on the pc and have played both versions of this game on console. I have to admit I much rather prefer the pc. The only problem I have with this game is that you are in control of only one character. This may however be a blessing in disguise. When comanding your team you really have to think, it can take a little while if you really want to be careful as I have found that the ai takes alot for granted, the team can follow orders rather too well and not have much common sense. I have ofen found myself executing 6-7 orders to each of the 3 team members at the same time. It can be frustrating when it is so easy to die. That realism is however what gives the game a dark beauty.
I really need more training to play this game at the level it deserves.
To anyone who hates keyboard controls, use a gamepad and software to emulate some of the basic keyboard comands. Aim and fire with the superior mouse, move and quick command with an easier system;- a gamepad. Keep the keyboard for more complex commands.