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 REVIEW:
GHOST RECON ADVANCED WARFIGHTER |
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| Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GRAW)
is the game Red Storm designed to bring the Ghost Recon
franchise into the next generation. Built from the ground
up, GRAW improves on every aspect of the much loved,
but flawed, series and brings it to the forefront of
next generation games. The new graphics engine provides
unsurpassed visuals on the young Xbox 360 gaming console.
The gameplay is a major deviation from past Ghost Recon
games. Worry not fans, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
will captivate followers and newcomers alike. |
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For Xbox 360: March, 2006
Red Storm Entertainment
http://www.redstorm.com
Ubi Soft
Xbox 360
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In Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (GRAW), the presidents
of the United States, Canada, and Mexico meet in Mexico City
to sign the new North American Joint Security Agreement (NAJASA)
policy. The policy would combine the efforts of Mexico, Canada,
and the USA to stop illegal immigrants, drugs, and terrorists
from crossing North American borders. Things get interesting
during the public signing, when rouge Mexican soldiers attack
and capture the three presidents. This is the point at which
the game begins as you, Ghost (special operations) Captain
Scott Mitchell, are sent in along with your team to rescue
the hostages and quell the rebellion that has spread throughout
the city.
The game keeps you interested by showing news clips before
each mission, interaction between key plot figures, and revealing
some twists and turns along the way. The story develops during
the actual gameplay instead of from non-interactive cut scenes
as used by other games. This style is used quite well as it
carries the non-stop action of the game. The overall content
and presentation of the story is well thought out and complements
the rest of the game, but it won’t stay with you long
after you finish the game.
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Graphics are essentially the link between the gamer and the
virtual world. When they are implemented poorly, graphics
can make you feel like you are playing a game, which unfortunately
is a familiar feeling to most gamers. When you play GRAW,
the visual presentation pulls you in from the first scene
and takes you along for one hell of a ride.
Landscapes
Unlike some other games I have reviewed such as Splinter Cell:
Chaos Theory, which are centered on indoor scenes, GRAW take
place in an urban environment, on city streets. Skyscrapers,
parking garages, offices, litter, abandoned freeway overpasses,
and widespread poverty are just some of the elements that
recreate the urban landscape of Mexico City. The care and
detail put into modeling the city is brought to life with
truly next-generation graphics engine to create an engaging
and unpredictable cityscape to be explored and/or shot up.
Screen snapshot taken from a helicopter ride between missions
(player is in control the whole time). The view of the buildings
and the never ending horizon make it hard to pay attention
to the news in the top right area of the screen. Unfortunately
the screen snapshot cannot capture the glory of seeing this
in motion on an HDTV in 1080i.
Buildings
You see a ton of different buildings as your objective guides
you through the city. Games often have a building that you
see over and over again; luckily in GRAW I didn’t experience
déjà vu at every turn. Almost every building
is different, with unique and distinctive features. The structures
are highly detailed with rich textures and smooth surfaces,
and they feature anti-aliasing to prevent “jaggies”
(jagged edges).
Vehicles
GRAW shows immense detail and care taken into the construction
of each vehicle. These models don’t look like the toys
that were put in older Ghost Recon games. When the M1 tank
rolls by you get out of its way; the model really captures
the weight and power of the real tank. The tank gives you
the feeling of awe and fear; it is this ability to capture
that feeling that makes this vehicle realistic. The new Stryker
APC model is also recreated in such a fashion, as sometimes
you begin a section by walking off its ramp onto the street.
Generic civilian vehicles such as trucks and sedans are not
overlooked either.
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| The model of an M2
in GRAW. |
To compare with MetaVR's simulation
technology, the M1 model from MetaVR's 3D
vehicle libraries. |
Vehicles are damaged in a dynamic fashion; rims, doors, windows,
tires and other parts can be shot off or damaged. Tires deflate,
rims pop off, glass shatters and eventually the vehicle explodes
in a fiery spectacle of pure satisfaction.
From this side view of a truck the separation between the
wheels and body is evident as is the incredibly detailed reflection.
Characters
GRAW also delivers on great looking character models. The
first thing you notice is how smoothly rendered the bodies
of your squad are. Polygon counts have been upped due to the
horsepower available in the 360, allowing for more detail
and better mapping. One thing I notice is the layers that
are visible on the Ghosts’ body armor. You can clearly
make out different items they are wearing. This makes them
look more like soldiers by giving you the sense of gear they
are lugging. Compared with other character models from games
that have one visual layer and maybe some items attached to
it, GRAW’s models are clearly better. The models animate
well too, with good facial movements and running animations.
All actions of the characters in the game are smooth and realistic;
I saw no problems with clipping or “gliding” across
surfaces.
The layers of the uniform appear separate and the helmet appears
on top of the soldier’s head instead of part of it.
The row of individual pockets on his chest is a great detail.
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| Detail of a character
in GRAW. |
To compare with MetaVR's simulation
technology, a detail of a MetaVR character from MetaVR's
3D
character libraries. |
Far Horizon
The horizon distance is never a problem; in fact you can see
so far ahead that you can form strategies that would otherwise
be guesswork. The horizon distance creates an area and atmosphere
where you are taken aback by the vast size of your surroundings.
Audio
The audio presentation contributes to the graphics onscreen
to produce an immersive game experience. You can play the
audio in full Dolby Digital Surround Sound if you have speakers
hooked up to your home entertainment system. Although I didn’t
have the chance to listen to surround sound, I thought the
game’s audio sounded pretty good in stereo.
Gunfire sounds really cool. Each sound matches the type of
weapon you or whoever is shooting with, which makes it easy
to identify the guns being shot without seeing them directly.
Gunshots can also give you a sense of where an enemy is, with
good directional sound and sound changes based on how near
or far the enemy is. The sounds of grenades and explosions
are also done well.
Voices are believable and convincing, and being able to detect
fear in the foreign tongues of your enemies is always cool.
Voices are distinguishable from one another, which is an important
feature in a squad-based game. The believable ways the characters
speak contribute greatly to making them feel more human.
Graphics in the Video Trailer Compared with the Real-Time
Gameplay
Computer Generated Graphics (CG) are often used in games for
specific purposes, such as a means to progress a piece of
the story that cannot be accomplished in the game when the
player is in control. Computer graphics are also often displayed
before the Start screen when you boot up a game. GRAW has
a very cool CG video that it uses before its Start screen.
The main difference between the gameplay and CG effects in
the video is the quality of the graphics.
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| Detail of a character
in the GRAW video. |
Detail of a character in
the actual game. |
During a game, the graphics must be processed in real time
because the player will never do something the same way twice.
A CG video has the luxury of not having to deal with player
input, therefore it does not need to use the graphics engine
used in the game. In the GRAW video you can tell right off
the bat that it is not gameplay. The camera perspective is
changed for certain effects, just as you would see in a movie.
However, in the game the camera is always behind the player
to make it possible for the player to play. In general, every
aspect of the video is better-looking than the game: textures,
character models, animations, the tank, and so on. Although
the game looks awesome, it is impossible to create such a
highly detailed picture with everything happening in real
time, that relies on a game engine to do the work. Everything
in the movie trailer is very cinematic, the action is frantic,
the soldiers are believable, and part of the movie even shows
a bullet flying through the air in slow motion. Although similar
elements look very good in the game, it is just not possible
to create the same level of detail and cinematic flair that
you see in CG movies in GRAW or any other game.
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The newest in the long standing Ghost Recon series, GRAW is
a first-person shooter/strategy game that aims for ultimate
realism. From its early days on the PC, Ghost Recon’s
gameplay has made some major changes but I don’t think
anyone is complaining. While still focusing on creating a
military simulation game, GRAW has become a much more exciting,
action-packed thrill ride.
The first thing you notice when you start the campaign is
the game’s third-person perspective, which a break from
the series’ first-person perspective. Instead of seeing
through your soldier’s eyes, you see from an Isometric
view behind your character. Fans of the series may have serious
reservations about the view change because of the questionable
Ghost Recon 2, which used the same technique. But while playing
this game I wondered how it was possible to play in first
person; I would have a hard time going back to it. (Don’t
worry diehards, first-person can still be used.)
The next thing to notice is the new Heads Up Display (HUD)
interface called Cross-Com. Essentially, Cross-Com displays
notifications next to things in the game. For example, when
an enemy is spotted, a small red diamond appears on him, even
if he ducks back behind cover. This helps you keep track of
enemies when you start running into large groups of them.
You see information about each enemy’s health, location,
and distance, without taking your eyes off the firefight.
Friendly targets appear with blue diamonds, and objectives
or key points are indicated with waypoints and distance. Another
great thing about Cross-Com is the small section in the top
left area of the screen that lets you see the action from
your squad mate’s eyes. It is essentially a “picture-in-picture”
and is a good way to show what your squad is seeing and videos
of a campaign’s progress without stopping the action.
The new HUD Cross-Com is an awesome addition to the game in
terms of both visual eye candy and practicality.
The blue diamonds indicate that my squad-mates are friendly;
the “100%” in the box around the soldier in the
middle shows the good condition of his health, and the “5.7”
indicates his distance from me.
The gameplay is squad based like all the previous Ghost Recons.
You have a squad at your command to order around as you go
from objective to objective. The interface for ordering your
squad around is now contextual and a breeze to use. When your
crosshairs point at a wall, the option appears onscreen to
command them to take cover there. If your crosshairs are on
an enemy, the fire command appears. In this way your squad
is easier to control but that doesn’t prevent them from
being incredibly stupid. I found myself in an intense firefight
while one of my squad-mates decided to stare at the scenery.
Of course his daydreams didn’t last long; he chose to
stop in the middle of the street and was mowed down. Sometimes
squad-mates are useful but moments like these leave a bad
taste in your mouth.
Another new aspect is the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), which
can be sent anywhere on the map to scout out enemy positions.
The UAV or “drone” is very useful, and it provides
a new view on the huge city from the sky. What your UAV sees
is shown on the screen in the top left, and can be switched
with your team’s camera on the fly.
View from UAV.
The action takes place in Mexico City, where you clear areas
of enemies or anything in your way street by street. Combat
is fun; it is action packed with all kinds of guns and explosions
but manages to stay close to the roots of Ghost Recon with
an impressive feel of believability and realism. In other
words, running down a street full of enemies while shooting
like a maniac doesn’t usually end well. The various
enemies, terrain types, and locations also keep the game interesting.
Add to this mix a relentless pace and sense of urgency and
you have a game that is a blast to play.
Missions have various goals such as rescuing hostages, getting
from place to place, securing something or destroying something
else. How you accomplish each mission varies each time because
of the size of the levels and the freedom to choose a path
to your goal. (Freeform gameplay is becoming easier to create
due to new hardware and game techniques.) The many paths all
get you to the end of the mission in one way or another. Each
mission usually ends with a vehicle (helicopter, APV, or truck)
that transports you to the next mission. These instances are
the only times when you run into a load screen, which occurs
rarely and passes very quickly.
The game is simply a lot of fun to play and still achieves
the signature style and realism that you come to expect from
the Ghost Recon series.
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CONTROL SCHEME |
SCORE: 8.0 |
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Controlling the action in GRAW is now much easier due to the
Xbox 360 controller’s ease of use. The 360 controller
is more ergonomic, functional, and practical than any other
controller I have used. GRAW takes full advantage of being
able to use the new controller. After learning from the tutorial
the various actions and the controller buttons they correspond
to, controlling your character becomes second nature.
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The campaign will likely be played only once or twice through
by the average gamer. This isn’t because the campaign
is bad, it’s because playing GRAW online is so much
fun!
To understand why Xbox Live rocks you need to know that a
revamped version of the service was launched with the Xbox
360, improving on Microsoft’s popular online service.
Before the launch of the 360 Microsoft required developers
to incorporate Xbox Live into every 360 game in one way or
another.
GRAW lets you play online with other gamers via the Xbox Live
service. You can join matches where teams are placed against
each other to achieve a certain goal, such as deathmatch.
There are other more complicated setups and scenarios catering
to casual and competitive gamers. You won’t have to
worry about the frustration of playing with much more experienced
gamers as the service will automatically match you against
people of the same skill level. There is also a cooperative
mode where you work with players online to complete missions
similar to that of the campaign mode. Although all these things
have been done in other games, it is great to see the newest
generation of Xbox Live come to life.
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BUGS AND GLITCHES |
SCORE: 7.0 |
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Although it isn’t really a bug or a glitch, the AI of
your teammates is pretty dreadful. They run into your line
of fire, don’t fire at enemies right in front of them,
and do other stupid yet semi-comical things. I ended up ignoring
my team a lot and going solo. It is sad to see such a great
game held back by a problem that is so obvious that you wonder
why the time wasn’t taken to fix it.
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GRAW is a new take on the proven series, delivering more action,
next generation graphics, sound, gameplay and general quality
than any other Ghost Recon game. Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
is a hit for the series and sets a standard for next generation
gaming.
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