GRAW2 is a hell of a game...

[GothicSnake]

I rented Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 the other day, borrowed a 360, and beat it this afternoon. It's an amazing game, mad fun. However, it's still not Ghost Recon. The campaign was great but too linear, scripted, and ######-poor easy as a result. The story had me on the edge of my seat and the action was non-stop but it didn't feel like Ghost Recon, more like a realistic, future version of Medal of Honor. That's all good, but it's not Ghost Recon, as Ive said about 4 times so far.

But, unlike the last GR I played, number dos, GRAW2 isn't horribly flawed. It's actually the best wargame I've played since Battlefield 2. And the best tactical shooter since SOCOM 1. The game mechanics are actually better than [GR], it's just that the campaign is so brainless in design you cant really flex your tactical muscle. The various supporting elements, blend of real-time and the classic command map, the cover system, and the weapon behavior are everything I've wanted in GR. All the game needs is more freedom. You have little if any here, it's like your being led by the hand through the entire thing and I hate that in a game like this. The story is also a little far fetched and ridiculous in execution, I dont feel like trying to get all into it but the stuff after the mercs show up just doesn't scan with me. Regardless, it was still very intense and with a couple narative changes would have been more believeable.

One side note about the games realism, what is up with the weapons selection? Many are current issue or at least out there but half of the hardware in this game I've never seen in my life. I miss my M4 . lol

Anyway, I think that covers the single player, now onto the mulitplayer. It's fun as hell but, once again, it's not Ghost Recon. Feels more like counter strike with less hit points with the way most people play. Split screen and coop is fun though, me and my friends had a good time with the various modes for hours last night. Territory is a pain in the ass but fun, we tried for about 2 hours straight and the 3 of us couldn't make it past 15 minutes.

On the technical side of things, I'll say this game is flawless. The visuals had me drooling long after the first time I loaded it up. The animation is silky and I've never seen prettier explosions. Period. If they handed out awards for destruction effects GRAW2 would win by a long shot. Absolutely amazing. One thing that bugs me, however, is being able to see every round fired and a trail behind it. What's the deal with that? Did they think people are so retarded they wouldn't be able to tell where fire is coming from without having laser beams to show 'em? Whatever. The audio is also top notch, I even like the ingame music which I normally loathe in tactical shooters.

I love how AW has brought GR back to the top of the realistic shooter genre, but it bugs me that a game with so much potential is bogged down by poor design in the campaign and cracked out MP. Even though that's more the player's faults than the developers, as everything needed for a MP experience even better than [GR] is there, it's just that XBOX live is full with a bunch of nitwits, no offense to anyone out there who isn't.

The next Advanced Warfighter only needs one thing to make it a game truly worthy of the Ghost Recon name: freedom. Give me situations where I can actually make decisions and take multiple approaches to completing the mission. Give me back the setup of the original where I have multiple soldiers (ones who dont miraculously come back from the dead) I can kit up however I want, take as many or few of them with me as I please, and take control of them individually while in the field and give me access to support elements in a less gimmicky and limited scope. I cant stand being so restricted. That is the one, glaring and utterly frustrating problem I have with this game. The lack of choice.

I'll end this review with a final grade and two minor gripes.

4 out 5

Gripe #1: Next time lets not have the game quite so advanced, I'd like to see more current/soon to be issued kit instead of a bunch of drawing board gear that will probably be ###### canned long before the time this game is set.

and last but not least minor gripe #2: What genius decided to make my AT weapon a primary that if I actually want to see used I have to lug it around myself because my AI anti-armour class is an idiot. Actually, the AI in general is fairly stupid, they move well and can follow most orders without turning it into a cluster###### but when it comes to actually killing the enemy I might as well leave them at the insertion point because all they do is provide more targets for the enemy and randomly fire in their direction...sometimes...most of the time they just sit there bitching at me about being shot at and not having a good firing position instead of taking the initiative, like a real Special Forces soldier would, and doing something about it.

Ok, well I dont want to end my review of an overall fantastic game on a sour note so uhhhh....YAY GRAW2 FTW YAY!!1!1one

Anticipating the next installment already.

[Ick]

No matter how great GRAW 2 single player is....it is still a single player game vs. AI/computer........and therefore largely a complete waste of time.

This is a multiplayer game and should be considered on that basis. The single player game should be completely ignored.

Any discussion of single player Ghost Recon is a waste of breath.

Well, if you ask me anyhow.

[Pabes]

No matter how great GRAW 2 single player is....it is still a single player game vs. AI/computer........and therefore largely a complete waste of time.

This is a multiplayer game and should be considered on that basis. The single player game should be completely ignored.

Any discussion of single player Ghost Recon is a waste of breath.

Well, if you ask me anyhow.

Agreed. The MP version is the most important selling point to me and I buy games almost exclusively for the multiplayer aspect. To me, it doesn't matter how great the SP camplain is (graphics, length, story line, etc, etc), I'm only going to play it until I beat it. Sometimes I don't even ever care to finish SP. I almost always jump right into online multiplayer. Especially since my friends list is full of great gamers and I can hook up with them in MP for a much better gaming experience.

[GothicSnake]

I dont play tactical shooters for the multiplayer. I do play MP but my primary interest with them is the campaigns. So for me it's a big deal and I'm sure I'm not the only one. And GRAW2 is not a multiplayer centered game, if it was they wouldn't have wasted time on such an in depth campaign. Battlefield 2 is a multiplayer-centric title. Ghost Recon is not. It has both and neither is all that hot in every sequel so far. [GR] set a high standard and it doesn't look like they've even tried to match it, but rather turned the whole ship around and sailed to another port far away from the former game of the year. Unless there is some serious modding capability with the upcoming PC version I doubt many will be playing it a year after release. It doesn't have enough meat and potatoes. Just a whole lot of wasted potential that gets old fast.

But really, none of that matters. My main and number one issue with GRAW2, just like the last one and GR2, is that it doesn't deserve the Ghost Recon name. Just like R6: Vegas is a disgrace to R6. Yes, these games are fun and I love them as action shooters but when I go back and play [GR] or even as relatively recent as Raven Shield I just get depressed at how my favorite sub- genre has all but dissappeared, mutated into this ###### child. I swear, SWAT 4 was the last respectable tactical shooter that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars and it will probably be the last until Armed Assault finally comes out in force.

Edited April 5, 2007 by GothicSnake