Enter the Ghosts

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series always provides an engaging blend of first-person shooter action blended with squad-based tactical action. It's a combination that has lured many a gamer to the franchise, and a tradition that Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™ intends to honor.

Developed by Red Storm, Advanced Warfighter is set for release on both Xbox® and Xbox 360™. Captain Scott Mitchell, the series' most famous character, returns with his squad of Ghosts (really it's a fire team of three men), and this time they are embroiled in some of the most intense urban combat we have seen since Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood™.

Unlike Brothers in Arms, the combat isn't in the cobblestone streets of France, but rather the sweltering avenues and dusty alleys of Mexico City, where the Ghosts desperately strive to free the President of the United States.

The mean streets of Mexico City.

New Weapons and Gear
The game is set in the year 2013 and focuses on the Ghosts' new capabilities provided by ultra-advanced weaponry that is currently in development. The gear, which includes sophisticated body armor and a futuristic helmet with integrated radio, laser target designator, enhanced thermal/night vision, and something called a cross-com unit that looks like a blue eyepiece on any of the troops' goggles.

This all boils down to some very cool capabilities on the battlefield. For instance, your helmet is linked to all the other battlefield sensors, such as choppers and UAVs, and allows you to communicate with other soldiers. Use it to zoom in on distant targets no matter which weapon you're using.

If you can see a fragment of an enemy or a target—for example, a head or shoulder rising above the car down the street—your helmet automatically fills in the location of the enemy's body.

Tactics and Strategy
Despite all of your new technology, you still need to fight—and so do the men you lead. The squad control is similar to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon® 2 Summit Strike, one of the best games in the Ghost Recon series.

I'm not talking Brothers in Arms or Full Spectrum Warrior™: Ten Hammers tactics, but your squad mates engage enemies, advance to selected points, and otherwise help out. Your squad also does a much better job of seeking cover. They duck behind cars and flatten themselves against buildings—all moves that help keep them alive.

Ah, man. That was my ride home.

Fierce Online Action
The multiplayer functionality of many titles in the Ghost Recon series has boosted their popularity on Xbox Live®, and in this category Advanced Warfighter gives gamers more of what they love. Feel free to crouch, sneak, and run, but be sure to stay low, because one or two shots from another player's weapon easily takes you out.

Ubisoft promises that the multiplayer functionality includes all the same features as the single-player mode, including picture-in-picture display that lets you see what your squad mates are seeing. Multiplayer also boasts numerous Venezuelan maps and a tough cooperative campaign to play through.

Sometimes the nice helicopter guys will take you up for some aerial target practice.

Advanced Warfighter is a top-notch addition to the Ghost Recon series. Its combination of sophisticated weaponry, intriguing squad tactics, and an absorbing multiplayer mode make it a must-have for military buffs and strategy gamers alike.

Article by Jad Reklaw

• The Ghost Recon home page.