Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter was released back in March last year. It was highly praised in reviews and even won numerous awards, including a BAFTA. At its launch, it was widely considered one of the first games to show off the Xbox 360's awesome power, with massive levels, plenty of on screen enemies, intense firefights and excellent visuals. It was regarded as a success, however gamers did point out some annoyances and also suggestions on what they wanted which might make the game better. GRAW was published and developed by Ubisoft and is the third installment in the Tom Clancy Ghost Recon series, this is of course excluding expansion packs. GRAW 2 is in development and is expected early this Spring. It will follow on from events in GRAW, where players will again take the role as Scott Mitchell and command a team of Ghosts against Mexican rebels.
The developers seem confident that in the time between GRAW 2's release and the first game, they have become more experienced with the Xbox 360 development tools so should be able to get more out of the console so to speak. They have promised fans more content and to fix the problems that were present in GRAW as well as develop existing areas of the game that players liked. GRAW wasn't just another third person shooter, it had plenty of gadgets and ambitious technology that players were able to use which added a lot of functionality into the game. The game enabled players to give orders to vehicles as well as team mates, the drone allowed for reconnaissance of enemy positions as well as the cross-com which to a lot of peoples surprise, was actually based on existing technology. As fans might expect, in GRAW 2 the Ghosts will be well equipped for the future battlefield, as the game will introduce new technologies as well as enhancing existing gadgets such as adding new features to the cross-com. Although Ubisoft has promised us a lot of improvements over GRAW, they have also introduced an interesting new toy that players can use. In order to give players more options on how they choose to face the enemy, Ubisoft have introduced the MULE. It is a small, unmanned vehicle that can be controlled, kind of in the same way the Drone can. In GRAW there were trucks which players encountered as they progressed through levels where they could re-arm and stock up on ammo, as well as ammo boxes dotted around various levels, this is the MULE's primary function. As well as being a mobile ammo cache, players can also use it as cover; much like the vehicles in the first game could be used as mobile cover. Another useful function the MULE has is the players’ ability to take direct control of it and see through its camera, this will no doubt come into good use when a player is unsure what enemies lay ahead as it can be used for close range recon, perhaps it won’t be too stealthy though. Although fans will be expecting new content and new gadgets & weapons to play with, they will also be expecting improvements and upgrades from GRAW.
Ubisoft have promised gamers more of what they want. GRAW was renowned for its impressive explosions and its large scale street fighting, we can expect more of this in GRAW 2. The main thing both players and reviewers alike criticized GRAW for, in terms of the single player, was the empty feeling environments. The game was set in Mexico City, however it was only enemies in the streets, none of the residents in the city made an appearance. The developers have tackled this fault by adding some dynamic features to give the levels more life. One of the designers working on the game gave some examples of this, players will witness birds flying away, presumably reacting to gunfire, as well as dynamic fire. This means that if an explosion sets a building alight, the fire will spread accordingly and gradually become more intense. The developers aim to make the game feel like an actual war-zone with these additions. The AI in GRAW was not the best, however the developers have stated that this time round, the AI will be much improved. At times, the team AI was pretty disappointing, no doubt most people will have stories about how their computer controlled team mates got themselves killed numerous times. The developers gave an example of how the AI has been improved; it deals with the recon mode, which is basically a stealth type mode which the player can set instead of the attack mode in regards to the 'Rules of Engagement'. In GRAW 2, if recon mode is selected, AI team mates will not fire upon the enemy which should reduce the chances of being spotted. Another aspect of the team AI which has been improved is the information they relay to the player. In the first game and in most other games, team mates will probably just let the player know that enemies have been spotted. In GRAW 2 however, they will give more accurate information, for example stating the amount of enemies spotted as well as stating the direction which makes good use of the HUD compass. In the first game, it felt like many of the enemies were just waiting to be shot, however now the AI has been tweaked so they will show more aggression towards the player, this might involve flanking maneuvers if the computer believes it has the upper hand. When developers make statements like the AI is the most advanced so far and such, I am always optimistic about their claims, simply because there are too many examples where the AI just doesn't live up to peoples expectations, however Ubisoft seem to be convinced they have made some good changes. The cross-com became a major feature in GRAW and the developers seem keen to continue its use but we should expect some enhancements this time round.
The HUD in GRAW managed to display a lot of information to the player, however some people, especially with smaller screens, saw this as more of an annoyance than a benefit. For the sequel, the HUD has been cut down, so will take up less space on the screen so it should feel less cluttered however this doesn't mean it has sacrificed any of the information it displays as it will still give players the same amount of information as before. Players will also be given more options for the cross-com, such as being able to make it full screen, this feature might prove useful for viewing enemy positions through the UAV drone.
The graphics in GRAW 2 look to surpass the first game in most areas, but one notable graphical feature which has been implemented is the use of different filters to compliment the levels. This means that it will be clear where the level is, whether it is in Mexico or in Texas. The filters won’t be the only way to distinguish between the sides however, Mexico will seem much more like a war-zone with damaged buildings and smoke whilst the American side will seem untouched and still in tact in comparison. The graphical technology in GRAW 2 has been upgraded, we will see more accurate shadows in relation to the objects casting the shadow as well has the strength of the shadow depending on where the light is coming from. Players will also notice the sun setting when they play as the game features real time day and night cycles. In a trailer for the original GRAW, the HDR lighting which was demonstrated impressed a lot of gamers and in GRAW 2 we will see some improvements here also, through the inclusion of 'God Rays' which will appear through clouds or objects such as leaves. Another feature the developers have added called 'Depth Sprite' will mean that smoke won't pass through solid objects or buildings. If all of these technical achievements should come together well, it will deliver a much more realistic and immersive gaming experience, although some of the features might seem insignificant on paper, no doubt gamers will appreciate them when they aren't present, perhaps on another game.
Very few multiplayer details have been announced, but most fans will be confident Ubisoft will continue their impressive track record with their games in regards to the multiplayer experience. GRAW only had 4 co-op missions, although they were fun to play, especially with up to 16 players. GRAW 2 will be released with 6 new co-op missions, each with their own objectives and storylines. As for the more competitive adversarial modes, players will have a choice of 14 new maps. Overall their will be more weapons, more options to customize characters, dozens of new game modes and something which will perhaps please female gamers, which is the inclusion of female characters to choose.
The new features and equipment available in GRAW 2 looks as if it will hopefully make the sequel feel more original, something some sequels seem to miss the mark on. There will be high hopes for this game and hopefully GRAW 2 won’t fall short on the expectations. The first game was an outstanding technological achievement when it was released and it looks like GRAW 2 will continue the trend. The original was a big hit and GRAW 2 will no doubt please fans in the same way, Ubisoft are not going to take the series into unknown territory, they are just giving fans what they want, more GRAW, which is hopefully what GRAW 2 will provide. The game is scheduled for release early in March, but be sure to look out for the demo coming out on the market place soon.
Preview By: Fraser Keith
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