Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon has been around for the Xbox for a few years. It is one of those series that you either really like or really dislike. I have never heard anyone say “It’s okay.” The Ghost Recon series on the Xbox had some nice features but the overall game play really did not appeal to me at all. The online mode seemed like a sniper fest and most of the time you where laying and waiting to snipe someone.

So why is it with the release of G.R.A.W. I can say it is the best game on the Xbox 360 right now? For starters the game looks fantastic and the offline and online play is interesting and certainly a challenge. It is not perfect but has been receiving praise from fans and first time players alike. Now as you may know, Jason is a huge fan of games like this, however, he also has commented he was not a huge fan of the Xbox series but that the Xbox 360 version of G.R.A.W. has regained his faith. Look for his comments near the end of the review.

Read our full review of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and find out why this title has Xbox Solution naming it the best tactical shooter on the Xbox 360.

Gameplay

G.R.A.W. starts off on the single-player mode by placing you in the shoes of a young Captain named Scott Mitchell who happens to be a part of an elite Special Forces Unit known simply as Ghosts. Based on a real Special Forces Group, you are the crème of the crop with skills in shooting, anti-terrorist elimination and other things that are only known within the group. When the government or in certain cases governments have a problem and need help, this group who is not known or even acknowledged are sent in to take care of the situation. It is not a one man army and there are no Rambos. It is just a group who must rely on every member to do their job and work as one.

Here is where the game play takes a twist and for the good I may add. You must carry out the mission but also give orders to members of your squad. The other members are A.I. but react and respond perfectly to your orders. So you will need to keep yourself safe but also watch their back as they watch yours. You get the call to go deep into Mexico and rescue someone with vital information. During each mission you will receive intel and instructions through your headset and new orders can be given on the fly. So not to ruin the details of the missions most are to go in and clean out the enemy, get important intel, and get out as fast as possible. Basically, get in, get out and don’t attract attention which at times is easier said then done. Helicopters, armored cars and snipers will flank you, smoke you and almost be one step ahead of you on every mission.

Even though in the single-player you really are the only human player, teamwork is a must. The action heats up quickly and the clock is ticking, literally. While the Xbox 360 version is unlike the Xbox series and to compare the two is like comparing apples to oranges, there is one thing that remains in both games. No civilians are ever seen in the missions. I can understand when in the thick of the jungle but at times you are in a city and not one civilian is to be seen. Maybe the game play and the intense missions are enough to worry about but that did seem odd.  You will soon get over this little oversight as I did once the enemy fire starts and you need to get the job done.

You have a small group and supply areas to help you along the way. You also have the use of a high tech drone that helps you look ahead on each map via satellite and is a huge help. Learning and getting the drone to cooperate and knowing how to get it in the right spot takes some time to get used to. As hard as it is to get a feel for the drone, some of the missions have a very large area to cover and without this help the missions would be almost impossible. You will also notice that the areas look realistic and graphically most of the areas really help players get a realistic feeling of where they are at. Now throw in the fact you can choose what class you are and the weapons change, this too offers plenty of challenge in both the offline and online play.

At times a rifleman sniper guns is the key other times it needs someone who is good at shooting grenades from a launcher. You really need to learn how to use each weapon in the game. This adds a new challenge and something not seen in this genre before.  You also need to know when to crawl or leap over an obstacle and get to the best vantage point to take out the enemy. The A.I. is very advanced – no pun intended. Another challenge in the single-player mode is that the group helping you is also A.I. and while the orders are easy to give, the A.I. may not respond right away. Next time you look you may be in the sites of the enemy only to see one of your team members save your butt.

G.R.A.W. is without a doubt the most advanced game of its kind and has plenty to offer fans of the FPS genre. Missions range from easy to extremely difficult and the A.I. has a way of changing their movement and positions. You can play a mission several times both on and offline and not see the same enemies in the same places. A great change from what fans were used to. Although at times it can be frustrating.

Control / Playability

While the controls are set-up very well for this type of game, the learning curve is a bit longer. The basic controls are almost standard for FPS titles. Right trigger to shoot B button to select weapons and the A button is the action and reload button. More advanced controls require you to select a team member and give an individual order or a group order most of these are done from the D-Pad. The hardest controls is controlling and moving the Drone, but even directing the drone is simple either from the tactical map or in game via the D-Pad. I will say that while there are a ton of controls they made full use of the Xbox 360 controller to make it pretty easy to use once you learn them.

Perhaps one of the best moves they made while designing the control layout for Advanced Warfighter was the movement to reload by pressing the A button. In fact, switching weapons and reloading is a breeze with the current set-up. A good example of how the controls work are your grenades. If you are holding a rifle and want to switch to a grenade launcher mounted on that rifle you would simply press the B button, holding the B button will bring up a small sub-selection, allowing you to switch to hand grenades. At that point if you press and hold the A button you can select either smoke or standard grenades. At any point pressing the B button quickly will switch to the previous weapon. Pressing and holding the A button while using a rifle will also bring up rate of fire options for the gun. Depending on the weapon you might be able to select single shots, three shot bursts, or fully automatic.

Xbox Live

Advanced Recon also offers a wide verity of modes for online play. You can play the Co-Op missions, set up team elimination or a team against team match. Of course you can also go into a snipe fest mode. The lobby is easy to navigate and the host can change modes and maps without having to remake the room. I never could get into Ghost Recon on Xbox Live. It just was not interesting. This one is interesting since you can play the same map and have new things pop up or situations change, something that is very impressive and makes this the war game that has set the new standard for the Xbox 360. You need to act as a team in the team mode since friendly fire is on communication is a key part of the live experience. Pop your head up or move without telling your teammates and you will be watching the action until the end of it. The graphics and details are amazing and I will get back to that but even in the live modes it all looks great. At times the deep dark look adds a challenge and again will require team work to clear each objective.

Playing first person shooters on Xbox Live even the last Splinter Cell (a third person shooter) was fun but after you complete the missions a few times, you know where everything is. In Warfighter you never know how it will play out – while the objectives stay the same the A.I. changes and somehow makes this an easy game to spend hours with friends or in a public room without getting bored. I am extremely impressed with the fact the game has a lot of high end graphics, enemies and action yet there really is not an issue with lag. If you get booted which does happen in any game, it just looks like you have been hit. Ubisoft really did a top-notch job on the online modes and the lobbies making it fun to play.

Graphics / Presentation

Some of you may know the project was pushed back and there were a lot of promises on how the game would look. Now normally I read these comments and say that sounds great but take the attitude of wait and see. I have not seen any thing look this good on the Xbox 360 yet! Each city or area looks very realistic. The enemies even look different and the way they use the camera to zoom in on whom shot you makes it stand out as an achievement of what we can expect in future titles. Speaking of the camera, it stays at a great view even online. Normally the camera will be great offline and stink online. It really is the first title to make bold promises and deliver. While not perfect it is simply outstanding in even the smallest details.

Audio

The voice acting is well done and the sound effects are remarkable. When you can hear footsteps behind you and know that an enemy is trying to sneak up on you, it is just great. Each weapon has its own sound and the explosions are great. Time was taking to even duplicate the snapping of a twig and they make good use of the music to cue you in on when it’s about to heat up. They don’t play it loud just enough to make you aware that the crap is about to hit the fan so to speak. Overall, the best use of audio in any game of the genre to date and shows what audio can add to a game when it done right.

Replay Value

With an intense offline mode and several online modes, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is loaded with replay value. You never know what you may find or how the enemy is going to attack. There are countless weapons including mounted guns you can hijack and use. Even if you’re low on ammo, as a last resort you can pick up an enemies weapon and use it. Of course those who really love FPS and war-themed genres will get the most replay value. I know some who have seen the game on display and usually hate games like this that bought it and are now hooked.

Overall Score

Overall Score: 9.6/10 [not an average]

Additional Comments

G.R.A.W, while still early in the year, is the best game out there and I know that this statement may seem arrogant, but it is the truth. Having seen every game released so far, Ubisoft has set the bar very high. The only way you would not enjoy this game is if you’re not into war or FPS. It certainly gets our editors choice award. I predict this may be a contender for game of the year in its category as well.

Editor’s Notes

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is an achievement in tactical first person shooters. Ubisoft did a great job balancing the intense action on the screen with the high tech gadgetry needed to make it through in one piece. Let’s face it, so called tactical games of the past (and perhaps future) such as Rainbow Six and the older Ghost Recon series have given gamer’s enough to satisfy them to a point, but G.R.A.W. wraps it all up and delivers it all.

That’s not to say that Advanced Warfighter is without problems, or areas where we would like to see improvement, but the problem areas of the game are still done well. One thing I would like to see added to the next version of Ghost Recon would be a move to more close combat situations. While much of the action in GRAW is done indoors, it would be good to have areas where the Ghosts need to infiltrate bases, military compounds, and office building, like the ones seen from the outside in the game. If Ubisoft incorporates this into the next game, we’ll see an evolution in tactical first person shooters once again.

Xbox Solution is proud to crown Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter the #1 Tactical First Person Shooter on the Xbox 360, and award the game our coveted XBS Editor’s Choice Award. – Jason Rybka, XBS Chief Editor

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