3-Nov-2004 Compared to other Clancy games on PS2, Ghost Recon has had a raw deal thanks to dodgy Xbox ports and shoddy graphics. Not any more. This new and improved sequel features a different story to the Xbox version and has had a huge visual makeover. In short, it's a completely separate game and a bit of a looker.
The quality hits you immediately. The lush, diverse scenery is more intelligently laid out, with players able to hide safely in the best cover positions. That said, run-and-gun tactics only ever end with a bullet between the eyes, so you need to move your troops around intelligently. Whenever you're in a firefight a new filter effect drains the colour, giving battles a stylised Saving Private Ryan feel.
Your three squad-mates are also more adaptable now. The best man for a job is always automatically selected, but they're all capable of, say, healing a team-mate on a basic level. Flanking manoeuvres and decoys, in which you send one man down one flank while the rest of you pile down the other, are performed with the minimum of fuss too.
The pick so far though is a multiplayer game called Cat and Mouse, in which one player is hunted down by up to 15 others with only his multi-purpose M29 gun to rely on. This Jack-of-all-trades weapon features a camera that can shoot around corners and above cover, and fires airburst grenades that can be made to detonate at set ranges. You'll also go lone wolf with this weapon in some of the single-player missions too. We like the sound of that.
PSW Staff
// Overview
Verdict
Improved graphics and more action-packed, but retains the tactical gameplay of old. It's better than previous Ghost Recons and looks like surpassing the Rainbow Six games too.
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