Review by Jaz Views: 12317 Date: 2006-03-14 Comments: 0 Make a Reply
Xbox 360 Review – Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
Many months before the Xbox 360 was launched, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GRAW) was already being touted as the greatest next-gen game to be released. Since slipping from its intended launch, three months on and GRAW has a lot to live up to – the Tom Clancy titles on the original Xbox are considered amongst the elite, and GRAW is set to continue that trend on the Xbox 360.
You take the role of Scott Mitchell, captain of the infamous Ghost Squad, as you find yourself in Mexico City where disaster strikes. Mexican rebels attack the summit and hold both the Mexican and US presidents hostage. As with all modern clichés, your job as Ghost leader is to see that no harm comes to the presidents, whilst shooting your way though the vast and beautiful landscapes.
The detail that can be found within GRAW is simply incredible. When you’re walking through the streets of Mexico City, you actually feel that you are there. From the soda-machines to the cars and buildings, it all looks fantastic. Not only are the cities detailed, but they are also gigantean in size, and without looking at your map from time to time, you can easily get lost. The single-player campaign instantly gets you hooked, and you won’t be able to put it down for weeks.
The biggest selling point of games in the Tom Clancy series is generally the multiplayer options. Ghost Recon and its sister franchise Rainbow Six, are both well known for depriving players of sleep, and Advanced Warfighter is no different. Not since Halo 2 have there been this many multiplayer options and modes for the host to tinker with. And if one of the many game variants doesn’t take your fancy, you can customise your own game.
When you’re online in a room full of 16 people, there is no better feeling. Do you take the stealth option and hide in the trees, carefully watching your victim’s every move? Or do you run down the middle with guns blazing? The choice is yours, but I will guarantee that you’ll have so much fun however you approach the situation.
As it turns out, GRAW was well worth the wait. So much so, in fact, that I am willing to say right now that not only is this the best Ghost Recon in the series, but this is the greatest Xbox 360 title that is available today. Nothing has come close to the feeling that I got when I fist booted up GRAW – nothing since playing its many predecessors into the early hours of the morning on the original Xbox.
GRAW is pure gaming bliss, whichever way you look at it. I really cannot recommend it enough, and if you don’t already own a copy, you’ve just found your next game purchase.
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is available from stockists now, priced around £49. |