2-Dec-2004 I now know what to get George W Bush and his hawkish cronies for Christmas. Ghost Recon 2 - another military third-person action-adventure game inspired by the apparently workaholic pulp-fiction writer Tom Clancy, it features a plot which is Dubya's wet dream: a US Navy ship has been sunk in the Sea of Japan. America blames the North Koreans, who invade South Korea, and as Captain Scott Mitchell, you are deployed as leader of the Ghost squadron - the only unit deployed behind enemy lines in North Korea. Which is the cue for all sorts of special forces-type action.
Of course, Dubya would never be such a pussy as to send one mere squadron into North Korea - if that scenario happened in real life, he'd be nuking the hell out of 'em. But if he, Rumsfeld and the rest of the Neo Cons played Ghost Recon 2, it might at least slake their foreign invasion thirst for a while. Iran's Ayatollahs should send them all a copy of the game now.
As for the rest of us, it's debatable whether Ghost Recon 2 is a must-buy. It's not a bad effort, and will please the sort of people who own camouflage cream and puttees, but it is undoubtedly flawed. It's one of those games that is by turns enjoyable and irritating, although on balance, it is more enjoyable than irritating.
Ghost of a chance
Somewhat unsurprisingly, Ghost Recon 2 has been banned in South Korea, whose authorities justifiably asserted that: "The storyline goes way too far". Ubisoft would argue that since the game is set in 2007, the storyline is supposed to be a bit of fun. But even North Korea engaged in a spot of "Evil Americans" rhetoric after the game was unveiled at E3. Ubisoft, doubtless, is losing little sleep over the controversy (which is reminiscent of Malaysia's ban on the film Zoolander), as consoles never really took off in South Korea. But, considering that North and South Korea are still technically at war (currently, a ceasefire prevails rather than outright peace), you would have to accuse Ubisoft of insensitivity at the very least.
Behind enemy lines
The first thing that strikes you when playing Ghost Recon 2 is that it is pretty basic - or, perhaps, minimal if you're feeling euphemistic. The missions must be completed in one take; there are no checkpoints, no medical packs and you cannot save mid-mission. Dammit, it's a third-person shoot-em-up which doesn't even have a "Reload" button - hitting the Fire button (R1 on the PS2) when your magazine empties performs that function. So you quickly learn the bizarre technique of emptying your magazine into the undergrowth when it's nearly empty, in order to be recharged when faced with a fresh wave of North Korean troops.
You could argue that such minimalism is outrageous in a 21st-century game, but as you get used to the game, you can see some method behind the apparent madness. Ghost Recon 2 is all about realism - you're playing as a Ghost, the ultimate semi-invisible, high-tech US soldier, and if you can't hack it, then go and join the catering corps. Ghost Recon 2 is definitely a game for those who entertain fantasies about seeing action as a mercenary.
The game's minimalism gives rise to some glaring flaws. Chief among which is the annoyance of working your way through two-thirds of a mission, dying, and then having to retrace your steps (safe in the knowledge of the precise whereabouts of all the enemies - the AI, too, is basic, although it does improve when you begin to encounter elite enemy troops). Concentration and precision are required in order to stop boredom setting in, apart from anything else. The screen, though, is pleasantly uncluttered, with a small indicator showing remaining shots and clips, a simple green/yellow/red health indicator and a pretty useful radar showing enemies within eyeshot.
But despite all that, Ghost Recon 2 does provide plenty of enjoyment. Once you learn to take a stealthy approach, making maximum use of cover (you can crouch and go prone, as you would expect) and any zoom capabilities possessed by your weaponry (once enemies get too close, you're done for), then you begin to discover that the targeting system, which has just a little bit of subtle snap to make you feel like a serious marksman, is pretty well sorted.
The Ghost's arsenal
The weaponry is also quite impressive. At the beginning of most missions, you get to choose four types of weaponry, easily accessible using the Circle button and D-pad, and there are some satisfying armaments such as rocket launchers. Mind you, the fact that Captain Mitchell can carry four types of weapons explains how come he is possibly the slowest-moving character ever seen in a game. Zoom in or crouch and he would struggle to win a snail-race. The first time you mash the left analogue stick forwards and make him "run", you half expect to see grannies with wheelie-bags overtaking you.
The best weaponry becomes available when you are given solo missions. In fact, the solo missions are more enjoyable than the ones where you have a team of comrades to order around, as their AI is as bad as that of the enemies (even though the game tries to convince you that your squad members have "personalities" and "skills"). For example, you are equipped with a futuristic gun which can switch between automatic fire and airburst grenades, and even shoot round corners (actually achieved by leaning in the appropriate direction), and has a laser designator which can be used to call in air strikes.
The nature of your squad members' AI renders your ability to issue them with commands rather superfluous, although the Fragmentation command, in which your colleagues chuck grenades (inaccurately) at the enemy can come in handy. If you have a USB headset, you can issue voice commands, but their peripheral importance to the game renders that gimmicky.
The missions themselves are nicely observed - they progress well, and make sense in the overall plot of the game, in which you help the South Koreans get stuck into their neighbours by pulling off all sorts of daring missions, such as assassinating North Korean military leaders and taking out military convoys. If only these missions at least possessed checkpoints, since they get longer as the game progresses. Completed missions do provide an inordinate amount of satisfaction, however.
Going online
Unusually, there are no local multiplay modes - quite sensibly, given that Ghost Recon 2's zoomed-out, long-distance viewpoint just would not work on a split screen, no matter how big. You can, however, play the game over the PlayStation 2 Online system, in three modes: the deathmatch-style, timed "Team Survival" mode; "Assault", in which one team attacks a series of positions while the other defends them; and "Supremacy", in which teams battle to spread out from their bases, winning new territory until they make it to the opposing team's base and hack its computer. Supremacy, with its big maps, provides the best multiplayer experience, but is not one of those online games into which you can dip for a ten-minute period.
Post game report
It is easy to find quibbles with Ghost Recon 2 for the PlayStation 2 - its quest to achieve minimalism as been taken way too far - but it isn't a bad game. Military obsessives will love it and, providing those who play it are prepared to put in the time required to learn its quirks and foibles, they should be rewarded with a fairly satisfying experience.
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