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 Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 1:37 am Post subject: Ghost Recon |
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Note: this review is for Ghost Recon on the Xbox
Ghost Recon is a Real-Time Tactical Shooter series based around squad-based tactics and realistic combat. All Ghost Recon games are in common in that you command a squad of elite Special Forces called "Ghosts" in combat operations and that the damage caused by enemy gunfire is realistic.
Ghost Recon
Ghost Recon
The very first Ghost Recon game is simply titled "Ghost Recon." In 2008, ultranationalists bent on the re-unification of the communist Soviet Union take control in Moscow and move the armed forces to the Caucasus mountains near Georgia and the Baltic forests of Estonia and Lithuania. The Ghosts are acting as peace-keepers in Georgia until the new Russian forces invade and capture T'blisi. That's when you get sent to Lithuania to help hold the line until the US tank divisions arrive.
The story in this game is told much more realistically than in the other games.
The gameplay in this game was very unique for many reasons. One of the bigger of these was the damage caused by the enemy. A bullet can easily kill a guy, so the engagements should be quick and overwhelming. Another cool feature is that wounded men have to wait out a mission before they are declared healthy again. (They don't have to wait, but what good is a soldier who can barely walk?)
Your soldier's accuracy is affected by how you're positioned, how you're moving, and how fast you're firing.
The biggest and most innovative feature was the tactical command granted to the player. You are given a 2-dimensional map and can order the two squads (each of three men) to any accesable position to help out-maneuver your enemy. The player can also take control of any of the soldiers.
Ghost Recon: Desert Siege
After the attempt of Soviet reunification, several engagements have sparked up around the world. One of these is between Ethiopia Eritrea.
I have not played this game, so I can't say exactly what it's like, but it is an expansion of the original Ghost Recon.
Ghost Recon: Island Thunder
Castro's dead, and a new hope for democracy has emerged on Cuba. With a new president promising free elections, the Ghosts are there to help ensure the elections are held and to help destroy a rebel group funded by the Cartel.
This game is pretty fun, but not much different than the original.
Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm
The Ghosts are sent to Columbia to thwart a rebel uprising funded by the Cartel who funded the failed Cuban revolution.
Never played
Ghost Recon 2
Ghost Recon 2
In 2011, after facing pressure to open up to outside assistance, the North Korean Military led by General Jung invade South Korea and the Ghosts are sent to help defend the freedom of the Southern Peoples.
This game is way worse than the first. The storyline is told through "interviews" with the Ghosts on a news show months after the war. It's much the same with each level: "But nobody told that to the North Koreans", or "But the North Koreans had other plans", or "Things don't always go as expected." You cannot customize your 3 man squad, and there are only a half-dozen weapons to chose from. You cannot command your men from the tac-map. (And you cannot change which person you are. You play as Captain Scott Mitchell.)
Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike
In 2012 the Kazakhstani president and council are assassinated by a Pakistani warlord who then moves in to take control through his corrupted military contacts. The Ghosts are sent to assist UN forces and prevent the Pakistani warlord from taking control.
This is much better than Ghost Recon 2. You play as Captain Scott Mitchell who is in command of 3 other Ghosts. The AI is much smarter, and the story is told more like in Ghost Recon. You have over 2 dozen other weapons to chose from, ranging from the M16/M203 to the AK-74U to the MP-5 Silenced.
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (Xbox 360)
In 2014, a US device called "Guardrail 9" which has something to do with communications falls into the hands of Mexican Rebels who want to sell it to Columbian rebels. At the signing of NAJSA (North American Joint Security Agreement), a Mexican rebel leader stages an assault against the US, Canadian, and Mexican officials killing the Mexican President and Canadian Prime Minister. The Mitchell has to secure the President and Vice President and then go after the Mexican Rebel leader.
This game is different from the first two because it is a 3rd-person Tactical Shooter, not a 1st person. Also, there is a 3-D map from which you can control all your directly orderable support. You can take cover behind buildings, walls, and obstacles. You can customize your squad by selecting different men that you want (for example: rifleman, support gunner, marksman, etc...). You can order different support vehicles (Apaches, Abrams, UAVs, etc...), and sometimes can control the minigun on the blackhawk. There is a cross-com from which you can see the health and type of unit you are controlling.
The weapon selection is slightly limited however (the only rifles are the MR-C (sucks), MR-CLWC (has a camera, so a little better), SCAR-H (mildly good), and the SCAR-LCQC (not very good)), and the cover system is a little glitchy. The multiplayer sucks.
(Don't get the original Xbox version)
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2
After quelling the rebel uprising in Mexico D.F., the Ghosts go home to find rebel activity in the city of Juarez just off the US-Mexico border a few days later. The rebels are believed to have WMDs and the Ghosts are supposed to find these. At the same time, a ship is hijacked on the Panama canal which is carrying Ukrainian Intermediate-Range-Ballistic-Missiles.
This game is one of the best games for the Xbox 360. There is still the same interface and controls, with a few exceptions. You can directly control unmanned vehicles by holding the Right Bumper, which moves you into first person mode of that unit. When using a manned vehicle (like an Apache, Abrams, or your other Ghosts) it shows you the battlefield from their location and you can pan around to get a better view of the situation. This allows for better maneuvering of men (a good example is the training scenario: you order your squad of men onto a building overlooking a courtyard where a few enemy soldiers are located and then move around behind a wall to put the enemy at a right angle between you and your men. You can then order your men to engage, and put fire on them from two directions). The AI is smarter for both the allied and enemy forces. There are several times I've been trying to flank around the enemy only to find they had set an ambush or were trying to drive a wedge between me and my men. The graphics are better. The weapon selection is greatly enhanced with weapons like the Rx4 Storm and M468 (my personal favourite). The storyline is a little different from the others, because it's not a parallel to GRAW but it's not a sequal in the same sense as GR and GR:2.
I know I'm forgetting something...
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