Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Review (Xbox 360) By Mythril

8 / 10
02 Apr 2006 at 13:22

Review by: Mythril

Tom Clancy’s Advanced Warfighter is the third game in the squad-based military shooter that is Ghost Recon, this time the game takes place in Mexico City. UbiSoft created the “Cross-Com”, a communication device that is powered via satellite technology. Using this you and your squad get a complete view of the situation of the battlefield. As the player you can command your squad or allied forces that can assist you sometimes in the form of a helicopter or tank.

This game is a lot more complete than any of its predecessors and could very well be the best part out of the series, it is definitely one of the best games released on the Xbox 360 so far. This because the graphics are absolutely phenomenal, if you are the proud owner of an HDTV then the visual effects blast out of your screen. The in-game audio makes you feel as if you are actually right there in the battlefield. Excellent gameplay, instant action, good enemy AI, no rendered cutscenes, no cut to load screen, no change in cut scene graphics to the gameplay graphics, this game shows you what the Next-Gen consoles are capable of doing.

The first impressions were mainly based on the first mission en from previous experience with Ghost Recon. This looked extremely good, however on a HDTV the fun never ends. Amazing lighting effects en can the landscape reaches for miles and miles. The game is definitely one of the most amazing games released on the Xbox 360 so far. When released this was actually the first game that really gave you those Next-Gen goose bumps.

Alas the feeling was not to last, during the second mission the feeling slipped away. My thought was that whenever playing the game the surroundings would be your battleground, you would be able to go from “A” to “B” whatever way would please you, it turned out that the game was more linear than expected, this was a bitter disappointment, every time I thought I could be clever, and outsmart the enemy and take a wee side road and attack from being, alas this was not to be. Either I am being told that I am leaving the battle field, or I am blocked by dodgy looking fences and impenetrable walls… Trust me I have tried blowing up the walls; it was not to be…

Ubisoft did a great job in designing this game, however the squad control was not what I would have expected from a Next-Gen game. I was left with a bitter disappointment and dissatisfaction when I learned that I could not give my squad member individual orders, at points within the game it would have been extremely beneficial if I could have moved by squad members around individually.

The story that takes place is not the best I have seen, but it is to be excused as the graphics, in-game audio and gameplay do make up for that.

Unfortunately the variation between missions was slim to none. You will find that you perform squad-based missions during the day throughout Mexico City, you will also have missions in which you will destroy an entire base on your own. One of the finest moments within the game was in the second mission. You will find yourself and your squad in the hart of Mexico city, where you encounter snipers and relatively large rebel troops in all nooks and crannies. You end up at the embassy where your task is to bring the Mexican president to safety, the building explodes. All hell brakes loose while you are being pushed back by the enemy, discovering that “YES”, the Mexican President is still alive. BAD NEW??? You are surrounded by a horde of enemy rebels, including vehicles. Shots are fired from all ways, snipers, grenadiers, rifleman… There does not seem to be and end, absolute chaos while you are attempting to keep your squad alive and eliminate all possible threats, it proves to be a difficult task while your hart is racing. This for me was definitely one of the highlights of the game.

This is a must have for the Xbox 360, I would therefore strongly suggest if you don’t already own the game, go to the shops right now and pick it up. ENJOY

By : Mike van’t Hoenderdaal

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