Customer Reviews

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 picks up where AW1 left off - and brings in a higher level of graphics as well as some new changes to the physics engine. This means if you loved AW1 you'll be thrilled - and if you weren't fond of AW1, you probably won't change your mind here.

To start with, the overall graphics are really quite nice here. The level of detail on individual characters is quite impressive, with the guns, radio, ammo, sunglasses etc. that they carry. A HUD video will pop up with news transmissions or personal broadcasts. The mini-map is in three dimensions to help you with urban assault. Pieces of paper blow down the street. Heat waves and dust storms impair your vision. You really get the sense that this world you move through is barren, dusty, hot and ominous.

The sound fits in very well with this real-world atmosphere. When you're roaming the streets of Mexico, the locals are calling out Spanish dialogue. Bullet shots zing past your head, and the voice acting, while not stellar, is not wooden either.

You're not alone on your missions. You have up to three teammates with you. You can choose from a limited selection of individuals and can make some basic choices - medic, rifleman, antitank gunner. It matches your team up with your personal style of gameplay. I also like that they have some female players in here, and that they aren't the traditional "hide in the back nurses" games that some games offer!

Firing seems a bit slow - when you hit the trigger, it seems like there's a delay before the shot is made. So your own personal actions can get a bit frustrating. On the other hand, team control is well done. You can have your team taking cover alongside you, helping you to wipe out the enemy in well coordinated movement.

You can't go Rambo here and expect to survive. Full out running frontal assaults typically spell doom. Instead, you need to survey your surroundings, creep up slowly, peer around the rock and headshot your enemy before he spots you.

We're generally not fans of "make your squad do things" games - we tend to enjoy games like Splinter Cell where you are directly in control of all actions. But we were very pleasantly surprised with how smoothly and easily this game let you work with your team. The levels that involved alternate styles of gameplay - like riding in a chopper and shooting down enemies as you passed by - were a nice variation as well.

There are a few issues that you just have to accept - for example, in the chopper level - surely someone down there had a rocket launcher and could have shot you down pretty quickly! If the situation was reversed, and you were guarding a convoy under assault from a group of helicopters - you would easily have taken them down.

Still, that's how a game works, and in general we really enjoyed this one. It was fun to play - and fun for others to watch, which is a good indication of how well paced, voiced and "drawn" a game is. It was like watching an interesting war movie, and you got swept up in the events as they rolled out.

Recommended!

I just played through this,I've been playing Rainbow Six:Vegas before so I thought I'd give this a try.First the visuals and sound are superb,the outside combat is really cool,love the maps,but the controls are lacking.My biggest complaint is the taking cover feature.In Vegas just like Gears of war you push a button to manually take cover,in this one though its automatic.You walk up to a wall and it automaticlly takes cover,this sounds good but its really not.Throughout the game I did and did not take cover when I wanted it to,it can be awkward.Having said that there is just to much good not to give it 5 stars.Be warned though Rainbowsix Vegas is a better game,so get that one first then go here.

I kind of have a love/hate relationship with sequels. When a game is great and they make a sequel one of three things can happen:

1. The sequel just stinks it up,
2. The sequel is more of the same, or
3. The sequel improves upon an already great formula.

Obviously, option 1 is bad and option 3 is great. But most sequels (GRAW2 included) fall in option 2 with hints of 1 and 3. GRAW2 is a very short game with the same graphics and gameplay as GRAW and a few improved tweaks on the multiplayer game. By itself, GRAW2 would be a good, albeit short game. But as a sequel with a year's addtional production I just expect more. This game feels more like a $60 expansion pack than a full game. With the explosion of online content for console games I expect to see this kind of crap less and less as a stand alone product and more as additional content. GRAW2 is good but I docked a star because it feels like another piece of subpar development and exploitation by the game megacompanies.

I'll get off my soapbox now. If you really liked GRAW then wait until this goes down to $25 or $30 and then buy it.

While GRAW2 is definately an improvement over part 1, there are are issues Id wouldve liked see done better. The left to right gun movement while in aim LT mode is sluggish, Ive preferred a option to change L/R gun speed in options menu. And there are at times to many orders and commands to give in the middle of gun fights. Sometimes it takes away the fun factor of playing a game.But I have to say this still is a great game , The weather effects look quite nice on my LCD TV 1080i . There's one desert type MAP where there dust devils are swirling around in the distance which looks quite nice , some of the best ive seen on a console system. Also I like how sometimes if I die and reload a checkpoint ..the weather has comepletly changed from sunny to dense fog type conditions.And if you go very slow in a map you'll see it go from sunny to dark night, which adds to the koolness factor. The A.I. isnt very agressive I dont remember ever being flanked one time. So dont expect VEGAS SIX type enemies. I do feel that many elements of the graphics are nicely done ,especially the weather. But I will say if you dont have HDTV you might get a different impression. If your a fan of GRAW1 you should be happy with this game. But the A.I. does seem less intelligent than games like Rainbow Six Vegas, or GEARSofWAR.But I still had funplaying it. After playing the spectacular GEARSofWAR and R/S-VEGAS story campaigns a bazillion times its nice to have something fresh to run through. AT least rent it and beat it in 2-4 days.Peace.

This game advertises itself as a local system co-op game. That is confirmed on the official xbox.com website as well. However, when you get the game and pop it in with your buddy sitting next to you ready to play, get ready to be disappointed.

The "co-op" mode for the game is NOT, I repeat NOT the single player campaign. They cannot start the game with you, and they cannot drop in and play with you like Halo 3 or Gears of War or any of the other games which got co-op play RIGHT. Instead, you have to navigate into the "multiplayer" menu option, and find the co-op "game mode" and that is what it is, a game mode. You basically get a few missions you can play with your friend which are similar to the campaign, but not the campaign at all.

For a game advertised as supporting local play co-op, I think that is a little disingenuous. Yes, it does support local play co-op but not the way you were probably expecting it does. The actual play mode itself plays fine, but it was not what we wanted. The game itself, in single player mode, is a lot of fun and we enjoyed trading off levels playing it (AKA old school co-op).

So, buyer beware, this game supports local play co-op but in a weird way that is NOT the campaign. Overall, it is still a fun game though.

Let me begin by saying... I like Tom Clancy's games. I own or have rented most of them...

I also tend to like playing games... alone

That said, I enjoyed the single player game. Played on the harder levels, the game is a challenge, enjoyable and the plot is... well semi- kind of- plausible. The single player game, made the game enjoyable...

The multiplayer game was frustrating to say the least. If you enjoy playing with a handful of people you don't know... you will probably be okay. That said, be prepared to get chatted up by hosts more interested in talking then playing. Be prepared to get booted to make room for another player. Get prepared to get booted because you have a low rank and a higher ranked player doesn't want to lose to you (as it may in turn lower his rank). If you want to try and play with a friend, be prepared to spend some time trying to find the same ranked server... I got rid of the game earlier than expected, because of frustration with the multiplayer games...

In conclusion, if you are used to some of the frustration associated with multiplayer games on xbox live, and still love them... give this a go. If you want a challenging, rewarding single player game (though a little short), RENT THIS...

If you like tactical shooters, the Tom Clancy games are the ones to get. This is a third person shooter and in much of the game you have control of a squad of 3. The game closely follows the first installment, with perhaps more polished graphics. The game can get complicated when you have to control your team as well as a UAV, Mule, A1 tank, etc. My biggest complaints are that the AI is still not that good (Rainbow 6 Vegas is much better) and the single player mission is short. If money is tight, get the first installment. If time is short, get Rainbow 6 Vegas. If neither is an issue, than get them all and enjoy!

This game leaves a lot to be desired. The best thing about this game is the toon's movements. Running, crouching, firing etc all look very good.

While it is a good looking game, the single player missions are very short and there are way too many cut scenes. Making my controller vibrate for 5 minutes during an unnecessary Humvee ride just drains my batteries and my patience. The overall storyline of "OMG ROGUE NUKES" is pretty lame.

I didn't enjoy the aiming aspect of this game. I know it's supposed to be wide open while RSV is close quarters, but I never got within 50 yards of an enemey. You just get your gun near, wait for the crosshairs to change and pull the trigger. It was too automatic. They needed to mix up the action.

The remote units are overdone. I don't need to see the camera angle of my remotes, besides when you use that feature your toon just sits still. Boring. The chopper was fun to command, but in the whole game you only get it for a few minutes. The remotes may have been more enjoyable if they required actual tactics. Your team's AI leaves a lot to be desired. Example, if you target someone to kill and then move slightly and target them again your team leaves cover and runs toward your target. That is stupid. Also, after completing the entire game I was still unsure of the best way to heal teammates.

The HUD is also overdone. I felt like I was controlling a terminator, not a ghost.

Online play is not very enjoyable. Again, everything is done from such a distance I feel somewhat detached. There's a lot of sneaking around, but with none of the suspense of RSV. If someone gets you in their crosshairs from across the map, they will not miss (unless you ar running). This takes the skill away.

As mentioned, the gun reacts slowly. If a terrorist runs across your screen you can't lead him with your gun, he will outrun your crosshairs. That's particularly annoying.

I wish I would have rented this instead of buying it. As a rental I would probably rate it higher, $60 later and very little replay value and it's a 3 star game at best.

QUICK EDIT: This game also froze my xbox several times, and my xbox is only a few months old. Every other cutscene required a hard reboot!

Obviously a first-class production, but alot of aspects I just hated in terms of "look and feel."

Third-person felt awkward as the guy's body takes up most of the screen. First person also felt awkward because you couldn't see the gun.

Targeting system felt overdone and awkward. Too much red/green crap on your screen, you can't really see anything, in the middle of a firefight you see red crap all over your screen, too much "computerized" combat not enough about the art of good tactical soldiering.

Picking teammates was another stupid aspect.

You can't choose sniper without losing medic. You can't choose rocket launcher guy without losing your machine gun guy.

If you have great interest in this game I highly recommend you choose R6 Vegas 1 and 2, as those were simply better in every way.

After playing the first Ghost Recon I was hooked, but I needed more. This second version has surpassed all of my needs. It has all the great things from the first game plus a few extra bonuses that just make this game the ultimate experience. In campaign mode you have even more control over your team and your supports, such as the UAV and tanks. Multiplayer is a lot of fun too. I have been playing this game for a long time and I have yet to get sick of multiplayer. I would definately buy this game again.