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Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (Xbox 360) Also On: PS3 Release Date:03/06/2007 ESRB Rating: Rating Pending Genre: Shooter Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft The jump in quality (graphics, features, modes...just about everything) from Ghost Recon 2 to Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter was mind-blowing. From GRAW1 to GRAW2? Not so much. That's the problem with bringing out another military shooter only one year after the last one in the series -- it doesn't leave developers much time to do anything in the mind-blowing department. So GRAW2 ends up looking -- and -- feeling a lot like GRAW1. Does that really surprise anyone? Stuff that was impressive in GRAW1 loses some oomph in the sequel because Advanced Warfighting vets know what to expect. Looking back, GRAW1's levels seemed much bigger than they actually were. That's what amazing graphics and clever level designs can do for a game. But in GRAW2, players won't be so easily fooled or impressed. The stages don't feel quite as wide open now because I know the game's limitations. I can actually sense the invisible level boundaries without even having to check the overhead map. And because of that, I can almost always figure out where the enemies will be coming from before they actually appear. That predictability makes this second tour of duty much easier and subsequently less intense. In the first game, I was constantly paranoid about enemy bullets coming from god knows where. In part two, I'm more or less charging forward with a bravado not fit for this tactical "take cover!"–type shooter. So get used to the term "GRAW1.5" -- you'll be hearing it a lot. But still, when I booted up GRAW2, a lot of that giddiness I felt when I played GRAW1 came rushing back. "Damn these graphics look good," I thought to myself. "This really doesn't seem like a videogame." The environments look lifelike (though the urban areas are more impressive than the bland outdoor backdrops). Stray animals wander the abandoned city streets. Trees sway when things explode near them. And those explosions themselves look like big-budget movie effects, not something rendered up on a computer. Even in this post-Gears of War era, GRAW2's graphics are among the best. And despite that aforementioned predictability, individual moments offer more adrenaline-laced thrills. Enemies charge at you in greater numbers, helicopters swarm from the skies...even the on-rails "mow everyone down with your turret" sections are more action-packed with Hollywood-worthy chase scenes -- though these Mexican rebels still need to learn how not to run out into the open and toward my chain gun (typical Ghost Recon A.I....). The energizing music and constant 24-style pressure-cooker "a lot of people are going to die if I don't take care of this...fast!" deadline puts a nice layer of urgency over the campaign's story, without an actual gameplay deadline to frustrate snail-paced players. Throughout the game, however, you'll find small improvements over GRAW1 that come with small problems. For example, the new medic class is very helpful (wartime bandages are never a bad thing), but if you select him as your A.I. squadmate, you can't have a marksman on your team. Why do the two have to be mutually exclusive? It doesn't make much sense...just like the new airstrikes that you can call down in certain scenarios. These giant, fiery maelstroms look so devastatingly cool, but no one who values his eyebrows is going to call one in to hit a tank that's less than 100 meters away. And they're always that close in this game (the developers want you to see the fireworks show, after all). Your A.I. buddies are chattier in GRAW2 -- again, to mixed results. They'll call out bogeys with great realism and accuracy ("He's behind the truck" or "I see two of them -- no, make that three..."). It's amazing to hear and further immerses you in GRAW's world, but sometimes these chatterboxes get stuck repeating themselves (especially when complaining about not having the right angle of attack), making you wish you had a "shut up, already!" button. Another mixed result: The new mule, an unmanned, remote-controlled six-wheeler that holds ammo and supplies, is a good idea in theory, but you rarely need it (good thing, because it's always getting itself blown up anyway). One fairly insignificant upgrade, however, does stick out: The Cross-Com interface that you use to issue commands to your fellow Ghosts, drones, or support vehicles is more intuitive now. You can select your friendlies more easily and look through their eyes for a different tactical perspective of the battlefield (in a couple of chapters, you can play most of the mission with just the Cross-Com, giving the game a more real-time-strategy feel). But really, no one but the most hardcore GRAW1 fans will appreciate this tweak. Like last time, however, it's the multiplayer that really cinches it for me. It's still a lot of the same ("GRAW1.5," remember?), but more maps, customization options, and modes make this the most robust Xbox Live experience this side of Halo 2. You'll still find some choppiness, especially when you have a few too many human participants teaming up against computer rebels. And one particular mode didn't work quite right for us during playtesting -- helicopter hunt, where players work together to take down waves of gunships (they stopped coming after a while, though Ubisoft plans on having this fixed via a downloadable patch). But the new multiplayer features more than make up for the problems. It's now safer to die, for example. Temporary invulnerability and spawn "areas" instead of spawn spots keep spawn campers at bay. Clan support is fully fleshed out as well. You can recruit, promote, demote, disband, transfer leadership, and find any match that any members are playing at any given moment. At the time of review, we didn't test these clan functions (because there are no other clans around for us to play against), but if it all works, GRAW2 will be a community fave for months to come. GRAW1.5? Yeah, I don't have any problem calling it that. But that shouldn't stop anyone from suiting up for battle again. GRAW2 is still tremendously fun despite its all-too-familiar design. Other WDS GUIDES: GRAND
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