Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (Xbox 360)

Save system

GRAW saves between missions, at certain objective points and has some checkpoints in-between the action. These are few and far between; this is a prime source for gamer’s frustrations if you read between the lines at some of the gaming forums. I would have liked to see a proper save mode so it is possible to put the game down and go to bed – a fact that really allowed me to enjoy the last Splinter Cell game.

Multiplayer

System link, Local Play, Xbox LIVE are all supported in GRAW and there are numerous game mode play options available. You can also set up a Custom game to your specifications to tailor the gameplay to how you want it. There are death-match style games, team based games and there’s even a coop game selection.

We gave the four player coop a try and the 360 only showed a tiny amount of slowdown in the game. We had put up the maximum number of enemies, but the frame drop was negligible and the coop territory game went well on the Treasury map. We had a tough fight of it but the Ghost team triumphed in the end by killing every single terrorist that came to take the location over.

The team of one Rifleman, Sniper, Heavy Rifleman and another Rifleman served us well and the game was a lot of fun. Several more games followed and there was a great deal of rejoicing later as several of the players went hunting on LIVE and tested out the gameplay. I received mixed reports of this, the play was stable and satisfying, some of the games experienced lag but overall there was a good positive feedback and vibe from my fellow gamers.

I can conclude that GRAW is fun in MP – just as fun as in SP mode.

You can also choose to have UAV drones in MP and the Ghosts can give out orders via the Cross-com. Left and right again switches the target of these orders.

Audio

GRAW has some excellent audio, spot effects, sounds and gun sounds. There are far too many for me to settle on just one I really felt delivered the best effect. The loud shotgun sound of the M-70 Sniper Rifle was really satisfying and elicited a couple of comments from players in MP as the Sniper opened up with it for the first time. The roar of tank engines and the whisper of chopper rotors is realised through the sound engine to transport the player into the battle.

The music in the game is of a highly polished standard and would do well in a Hollywood movie. The soundtrack is not annoying, it is orchestral in nature and features dynamic changes based on several factors.

The voice work in GRAW is spot on as well, these actors know their jobs and they deliver the lines with flawless perfection. The dialogue is definitely well written and Scott Mitchell is a real character with a decent personality and feels much more rounded than in his previous incarnations.

Final thoughts

GRAW is a grand step in the right direction, there were no obvious pop-up issues and frame rate errors that stood right out and hit me. It is worthy of being called next-generation and sets the standard that other 360 titles really should follow in terms of production values, story quality and immersion. As well as the graphics, animations, sounds and level designs which are all top quality work.

It shows what the future of war might be like in 2013 and wraps the whole thing in a Clancy conspiracy to top it off. It is a hard game and will have casual gamers crying with frustration, if you persevere however you’ll discover that GRAW is definitely worth it for SP as well as MP – hunting tangos has not been so much fun since the seminal Raven Shield on the PC.

I just hope that Ubisoft support GRAW with a wealth of downloadable content including new maps/models/weapons/stuff and modes. This is a game that every 360 owner needs especially if they’re into tactical shooters. Each new mission advances the storyline and will take upwards of 60 minutes to complete if you want to make sure you’re doing things right, many of them have multiple objectives and insane odds.

GRAW stands out from the crowd and prepares the way for the new generation of console shooters; with its port to the PC and additional features it will probably become the game to unseat other tactical shooters for online play. Time will tell of course, as with all things.

Wolf out!