Last year at this time, gamers were beginning to grumble about the Xbox 360. The talk wasn’t about failure rates or a lack of good games. The big question that everyone was posing was simple: Where are all the so-called “next-gen” games? Sure, there were some nice looking titles that launched with the system, but we really hadn’t seen any titles that could be called “the next big thing” in gaming. Finally, in the span of two weeks at the end of February and beginning of March, we saw the two titles that would launch the Xbox 360 into the proverbial stratosphere. The first was EA’s Fight Night Round 3, and the second was Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. Amazingly, nearly a year to the day after the release of the first GRAW (as the cool kids call it), a sequel is touching down. Naturally, this brings a new question to everyone’s minds: Are we seeing something new, or just more of the same?
The single-player campaign in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is a continuation of the one seen in the first game, as fighting between Mexican government and rebels has thrown the country into civil war that’s now threatening to spill over the border. Like a good neighbor, the U.S. is there, and we’re sending in our finest fighting force to help save the day. You’ll once again play as Capt. Scott Mitchell, the hero of the showdown in Mexico City, but the battle has moved north to Juarez (in Mexico) and El Paso, Texas. The story will actually be told during the game itself, as news feeds and messages from HQ will give you updates on what’s going on. While the dialogue can be corny at times, it’s actually a pretty solid story as these things go.
If you played the first GRAW, you’ll feel instantly comfortable with the controls in the second game. Things have been fine-tuned just a bit, so the cover system feels a bit tighter, as you’ll be able to take cover and hop back out instantly. The combat is just as solid as ever, and I found the gunplay to be a bit more satisfying this time out, particularly when you’re using cover effectively. You can still zoom and hold your breath to go for headshots, . The only drawback to the cover system is the fact that it isn’t quite as deep as that seen in Rainbow Six Vegas, but it doesn’t really hurt the game in any way. It’s just different, and you’ll be fine once you get used to it.
The ability to use the cross-com system was one of the most innovative elements of the first game, and it’s actually become a much bigger part of the gameplay than it was before. This time, holding down the right bumper will bring up a full-screen view of whatever part of your team you have selected (you’ll once again switch between them using the D-pad), and you can give them orders or actually control them while in that view. This drastically changes the way the game is played, in some cases making it easier (especially in the lower difficulty levels). Being able to control the UAV when scanning the battlefield makes getting the jump on your enemies a lot easier, and the fact that you can give orders to your team when you can’t even see them is definitely cool. In fact, I actually went through a whole mission without moving from the spot where I started.
Once again, if you played the first GRAW, you’ll have no problem wrapping your head around the sequel’s troop movement mechanic. All you’ve got to do is push up on the D-pad to get them to move, and they’ll take cover when you order them to move against a wall. Although you can run and gun your way through the levels if you really want to, the game is much more satisfying when you are able to use your team successfully. The tutorial actually works quite well this time, teaching players how to use the recon and attack modes correctly and where to place your men to gain the upper hand over your enemies. Obviously, you’ll need some help when playing the game on the hardest difficulty setting, so it pays to know what you’re doing.
In addition to controlling the other three members of your team, you’ll be able to give orders to a variety of supporting and offensive vehicles. In addition to the aforementioned UAV, you can use the MULE to scout ahead, carry weapons, and act as movable cover. On the offensive side, you can give orders to everything from tanks to infantry to attack choppers, often at the very same time. Like the rest of the units, you can go into a first-person view for each of these, meaning you can send a tank ahead to wipe out any dangerous enemies. All of these new cross-com abilities make the game feel a bit easier, so hardened GRAW players should definitely start out on the toughest difficulty setting.
One of the big knocks against the first game was the fact that the A.I. (both your teammates’ and enemies’) was a bit weak. That’s definitely the area of the game that’s shown the most dramatic improvement, as your foes will use high ground to their advantage, fire from cover as soon as they see you coming, and perform flanking maneuvers. It offers a nice challenge, but it’s not as if you and your men can’t handle them. While your guys still do some stupid stuff during combat (like exposing themselves for far too long in an effort to get off a good shot), they’ve definitely learned how to support you. They’ll now be very specific when tipping you off to enemy locations (like yelling, “Two enemies behind that red car!”), a far cry from their behavior in the last game.
For the most part, the multiplayer from the first GRAW has remained largely the same, with a few exceptions. Graphic whores will surely be unhappy to hear that the multiplayer offering doesn’t look as good as the single-player campaign, although there have been some visual improvements here and there (particularly the lighting). Naturally, there are a ton of news maps and some new weapons, including the amazingly powerful grenade launcher that can fire off six explosive rounds in rapid succession. Although not everyone cares about it, there are a lot of diehard fans that will drool over the clan support, a feature that was sorely lacking from the first game.
The game’s co-op mode is a virtual carbon copy of the one found in the original game, although there’s a new story in place and plenty of new enemies for you and your friends to kill. It seems to be a lot more challenging this time out too, as it’s quite an achievement to make it through a level without dying or missing an objective. Of course, that’s probably why you’re given achievement points for being “perfect.” We should also mention the bevy of new co-op gametypes, including the recon games, in which you must do your best not to make too much noise. Make sure you equip those silenced weapons!
The first GRAW’s visuals blew us away, and while the sequel’s got some great looking effects, they just don’t have the same impact. Of course, that’s probably because we’ve been spoiled in the year since we were wowed by the original. Still, this is a great looking game, particularly when you’re making your way through the nighttime levels. It also features some dramatically improved particle effects, something that’s immediately evident anytime a chopper touches down nearby. The game sounds great, too, although we didn’t notice any difference between the two titles. The soundtrack ramps up for the dramatic moments, really helping to increase the intensity.
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