It was true that at launch there were a few Xbox 360 titles that were nothing more than prettied up Xbox ports that brought nothing extra to the party other than a pricey sticker. Unfortunately, for those of us yet to make the jump to the 360, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter isn’t one of those titles. Sadly, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for the Xbox is only a pale imitation of the Xbox 360 version.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; or at least not any more ahead than we already are. You see, the Ghost Recon series has moved forward seven years to 2013. Now the US Army has all kinds of advanced technological wizardry at its disposal; advanced weapons, portable satellite video communication and special protection all rolled up into a fully integrated system the US army calls the Integrated Warfighter System. Basically, what that results in, is the fancy new HUD which you’ve probably already seen in the in-game screens. But more of that in a minute.
That HUD sure looks familiar.
Just like the 360 gamers, you’ll be playing as Ghost squad leader, Captain Scott Mitchell. What begins simply enough as an operation to capture a few shady Mexican military operators illegally selling technology secrets to Columbian rebels, soon escalates, when the US, Canadian and Mexican presidents (in town for Joint Summit) are attacked by Mexican soldiers. Things go pear shaped from that point on, and you’ll be rescuing presidents and securing nuclear suitcase bombs, all the while standing knee-deep in a rebel insurgency. It’s just another day in the life of a Ghost squad leader.
If Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter’s only crime was not looking as visually stunning as its Xbox 360 counterpart then we could probably overlook its visual short-comings. Of course it looks better in all its HD glory on the next gen platform you cry! The HUD is part of the problem here. What is a remarkable, usable visual interface on the 360 version, is simply a gimmick on the Xbox version, taking up valuable real estate on your TV screen. The two picture-in-picture video windows, one which shows the view from your other squad member’s perspective and one in which, when not showing your current coordinates on a basic map, is used to deliver your orders from your superiors, work well in the Xbox 360 version because they look great. In the Xbox version the video is simply rubbish and adds nothing to the gameplay. Keeping the same visual style across all platforms obviously seemed important at the time but its implementation is so poor, it is simply a reminder of what you are missing out on.
If you can look past the HUD (it’s hard when you spend the entire campaign staring straight at it), how does this latest offering measure up against previous Ghost Recon outings on the Xbox? Surely we can expect one thing with a sequel; that the gameplay, the graphics and the basic elements that went into making the last instalment so enjoyable, are still present. We’d like to hope that they’ve even raised the bar since the Ghosts were last out making the world a safer place. Well, it’s a 'no' on both counts. They didn’t raise the bar, hell they may just have lowered it a notch or two as well. Firstly, and most significantly, a couple of your squad members are missing in action. In previous games you’ve controlled a squad of four. Now in Mexico, you’ll find yourself controlling a squad of just two; yourself and one other Ghost. Perhaps all that money the US Army has invested on your whiz-bang Integrated Warfighter System would have been better spent on a recruiting drive.
Your soldiers aren’t as flexible anymore either. Perhaps the US Army doesn’t want the IWS getting dusty on the street of Mexico because you no longer have a prone position, it’s crouch or stand only. Scott Mitchell is a lot quicker than before, but in a game that demands patience, and at times, stealthy movement, you sometimes wish he would slow his movement down just a tad. And while he can move at quite a clip, he can’t climb over obstacles or small walls. You’re also stuck with a first person perspective this time around. There’s no third person view, so forget putting your back against a wall and peeking around a corner. You are less the Advanced Warfighter and more the Slightly Impaired Warfighter. One bright note; weapon choice has always been Ghost Recon’s strong point. If anything, the 2013 setting gives the franchise even greater scope to provide an impressive array of weaponry.
Ok, so he can lean up against a wall, but I can't?
At least the game has a solid co-op mode so you can play the entire solo campaign with a friend. As your squad only has two members, you won’t have to worry about protecting any incompetent CPU controlled squad members. Split Screen mode provides a cooperative mode and an adversarial mode for up to four players, while Xbox Live supports up to 16 players and a variety of adversarial modes and maps. Of course you won't be playing against people playing the 360 version, so your going to find far less people playing this particular version, and be reminded every time you go online that while you might be having fun, there are people out there playing GRAW having a much more enjoyable Xbox Live experience.
Visually the game doesn’t look any better than previous Ghost outings on the Xbox. Initially, the HUD will make you feel as if you’re playing something fresh, but once the novelty fades and it’s revealed for the gimmick that it sadly is, you’ll be left feeling that you’ve been here before. If anything, Mexico looks a little too hazy, as if the city is awash in a sea of dust. That may be true to Mexico City, but it doesn't make for satisfying gaming. Sure, I'm familiar with the fog of war, but even when sniping, your vision seems slightly clouded and out of focus. If you've played Black you'll be disappointed by these visuals, and if you've played any previous Ghost Recon titles on the Xbox you won't notice any visual improvements. Unlike Black, this is no run and gun affair, but the poor visuals don't encourage patience and stealth, as you're constantly tempted to move forward to get a better view of proceedings.
Sound is good but not anything we haven't come to expect. The theme music is appropriate, if not a little generic sounding, and the gunfire and explosions sound as authentic as we think they should sound based on our limited experience watching Hollywood action movies.
A personal gripe; I'd prefer they added the ability to save anywhere, instead of only at supply/save stations and after completing objectives. Before you cry foul and tell me that it dumbs down the game, I argue that it encourages you to play the game in the way it was designed to be played; tactically, stealthily and intelligently, rather than rushing blindly to complete a level or get to a save station simply so you can call it a night and turn off the Xbox.
Even through the scope Mexico City seems awash with dust.
If you're looking for a reason to jump into next generation gaming then GRAW's short comings on the Xbox make for a compelling argument. If I was a cynic, I might even think it was a clever marketing ploy to deliberately make this game less stellar than it should have been to encourage gamers to shell out for an Xbox 360. Ubisoft is on record as saying they deliberately developed very different GRAW games for the Xbox, PS2 and Xbox 360, to play to the strengths of the 3 respective consoles. At face value that sounds like a smart way to go. At the end of the day, it's not fair to compare this game to the Xbox 360 version. But it is fair to expect an offering at least as solid and complete as past Ghost Recon outings. Sadly, on that measure alone, the game doesn't make the grade.
Loading...
