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| Game: |
Tom Clancys Ghost Recon 2 |
| Genre: |
Shooters |
| Developer: |
Red Storm Entertainment |
| Publisher: |
Ubisoft |
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| Related Links: |
Coming Soon. |
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Tom Clancys Ghost Recon 2 Preview: |
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Hands On Preview:
Since the launch of Xbox Live, you will find the majority of top rated Live games come from Ubisoft with Ghost Recon being one of the first titles to grace the Live battlefield. With the continuing support from Ubisoft in the form of downloadable content maps, Ghost Recon has had it’s shelf life extended on more than one occasion and has managed to create a fanbase that has waited patiently for the much anticipated sequel – Ghost Recon 2.
On Monday 15th November, Ubisoft hosted a community day allowing invited guests the opportunity to play and for many it was their first time, Ghost Recon 2. The venue was the Renaissance Hotel in Reading, and to greet everyone who suffered the journey through rush hour were Ubisoft representatives – Chris Easton and Ian Chambers. At last the chance to play a game I’ve been looking forward to since the announcement of a release date. Every company could say they have improved on their original game but how many have actually done it? Well, Ubisoft have not only improved but have surpassed any kind of expectations I had of Ghost Recon 2.
Picking up the controllers, Ade and I decided to play Co-Op Campaign in order for both of us to play straight away and my first reaction simply was WOW!! To start of with, you can edit your soldier from the default character allowing you to choose a different class – Gunner, Marksman, Rifleman etc. These classes than present you with a variety of weapons he can carry as his Primary, Secondary and explosives weapons. There are four slots to fill and the range of weapons (so I believe) expands the further you progress which in turn unlock certain items. Have no fear though, unlike GR1, all weapons will be instantly available to use during LIVE play.
The game starts with a nice intro explaining what has happened and what your mission objective is for now as the objectives are constantly updated as you progress through the mission. Next, the screen splits into two (as we were in Co-Op Mode) horizontally. Depending on what kind of view you had chosen, you could have the traditional First Person View (GR & GRIT) or the new “Over the Shoulder” view which allows you to witness your character and weapons interact with the environment. Since this was the Co-Op mode there was only Ade and myself on screen but in a single player game, you would be leading a team of four (including yourself).
To say the graphics were excellent would be an understatement considering how much of an improvement they are over the original Ghost Recon and Island Thunder, Real life East Asian environments have been rendered in stunning detail completely immersing you with the dynamic lighting and multi texturing. No longer do the edges of the grass look rough but instead they sway in the breeze hiding you or enemy soldiers from sight as you crawl along on your stomach. The popular night vision has been improved and made more realistic since this time when you are in that mode, enemy soldiers no longer glow in the dark and you would still have to look carefully to spot them in the distance. The zoom view depending on what weapon you have limits the side views, creating a more realistic experience and thus forcing you to switch views though out the mission. Another major difference I had noticed was the reticule which has been redesigned smaller and has a red laser dot in the centre. Another was when you killed an enemy, you would no longer get a confirm kill response which makes the game better since you have to make sure you have killed them before leaving them otherwise the enemy might just get up wounded and shoot you in the back. Yes, the enemy is sneaky and are no longer stupid lemmings. In fact, the AI has been notched up to the point that you could have a one on one fire fight for some time due to the AI constantly ducking and hiding behind objects whilst taking pot shots at you.
The controls are not exactly the same as the original but enough familiarity for you to slide right into it with new moves including a combat roll. The other modifications come into effect whilst you play in a single player campaign where you can now command your team via a headset with voice commands or simply use hand signals to direct your team in the field of combat.
Like I mentioned before, this was a hands on day showing nearly everything from the game but not the final code and from what I have seen so far and played, this game will be a must have for all Ghost and Rainbow players. If you can’t afford to buy the game on release, don’t forget…Christmas is just around the corner !!
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