Ever since the first Rainbow Six, the Claney franchise has set a number of
new standards for the shooter genre. Gaming technology and military hardware
have changed a lot in the nine years since that first title was released and
with Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Ubisoft is hoping to bring the series
not just up to date but into the future. I''ve been playing the recent
multiplayer beta over the last few days and are excited to see what else the
designers have in store for us.
The new game focuses on a hypothetical threat from Mexican rebels in the
year 2014. The Ghosts, armed with the latest weapons and the advanced
Integrated Warfighter System, have been assigned to patrol the wall recently
erected along the 1,900 mile US-Mexico border. As the rebels make their way
across the wall, the Ghosts will find themselves fighting in border towns,
scorching deserts, high mountains and even out in the West Texas town of El Paso.
The game take place in a dense, rundown urban location called Calavera. The
name itself means "skull" in Spanish and resonates with ominous
connections to the Dia de Los Muertos. The cramped location means that
firefights take place at close ranges, so while sprinting might be a good way
to get across large open areas, you''ll want to creep around with your weapon
drawn when rounding the corners of buildings or fences. You can see from the
screens in our media section just how crowded the maps can be. Rather than
giving players a sense of security when surrounded by walls, the options for players
to get up on roofs means that death can come from any direction.
The Recon vs. Assault mode tasks the Ghost team with destroying three Air
Defense Anti-Tank Systems (ADATS) in preparation for a massive air strike. The
Rebels can win by defending all the ADATS or eliminating all the Ghosts. They
can also claim a partial victory if they manage to preserve at least one of the
ADATS. The ADATS are important targets for the Ghosts, not only for the victory
points they give, but also because dead Ghosts only respawn when an ADATS is
destroyed.
The Recon team can make use of three different classes -
Rifleman, Sniper or Scout. The Rifleman is armed with the now cancelled M8
carbine, allowing them to engage enemies at all but the longest ranges. The
Sniper is armed with the impressive M14 rifle with long-range scope. Snipers
will likely need to fall back on their M9 sidearm if confronted by an enemy
face-to-face. The Scouts are armed with the suppressed version of the MP5 and
AN-M8 smoke grenades.
The only way to lose this tag is to die or to have a friendly Scrambler, the
Rebel''s answer to the Scout, to use their detagging device. The Rebels can opt
to play the Assault class armed with Germany''s G36K assault rifle. They
can also make use of the Support class and its powerful Mk 46 light machinegun.
Though it''s not great at picking off targets at a distance, it''s an ideal
weapon for laying down suppressive fire in broad areas that the enemy might
cross. This makes it great for keeping the Ghosts from getting too close to the
ADATS.
Where the Ghosts have to rely on stealth and subtlety to make their way to
the ADATS, the Rebels, as the defenders, can make use of tremendous firepower
and spawn points right near the areas they need to defend. This gives them the
option to move out and meet the Ghosts as they make their way through the town
or to take up positions of ambush near the ADATS locations. The Ghosts can even
the odds somewhat because taking out an ADATS not only deprives the defenders
of an extra spawn location but also increases the time between respawns for the
defenders.
Once victory is determined, both teams switch sides and have
another go at it. In between , players can get a look at their kill/death
ratios and show off any promotions they''ve earned. Promotions are earned by
scoring points during the games, eicomplishing mission objectives or
by tagging enemy units with the heartbeat sensor.
There are five classes here and they''re the same for each side. Players who
want a more straight ahead combat role can take on the Assault or Rifleman
classes. The former is armed with the M416 rifle and a suppressed MP5, while
the latter makes use of the Beretta Rx4 and the G1 8. The Demolition class
comes equipped with the Special Ops Combat Assault Rifle, SCAR, supplemented
with a barrel-mounted grenade launcher. If that''s not enough , the Demo class
also has an MP5SD. All three classes some with M61 frag grenades.
Though the graphics are by no means finished, Ghost Recon Advanced
Warfighter 2 already looks impressive. The detail on the guns and uniforms of
the soldiers is as high as we''ve ever seen it in the series. The environments,
though depressingly monochromatic as they were the last time around, still
manage to be compelling and realistic. What''s even better, the smoke and
explosion effects have been upgraded as well, so you''ll really feel the
intensity when one of those ADATS blows up in your face.
This Claney franchise is too hot to handle . So play it & feel the heat
.