Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter

Infobox VG
title = Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter


developer = Xbox 360: Ubisoft Paris (Campaign) / Red Storm Entertainment (Multiplayer)
Xbox: Ubisoft Shanghai
PS2: Ubisoft Shanghai / Ubisoft Paris
Windows: GRIN
publisher = Ubisoft
designer =
engine = - Windows version: GRIN Diesel Engine version 6 - PS2 and Xbox version:
Unreal Engine 2
- Xbox 360 version: Yeti Engine
released = Xbox 360:
vgrelease|North America|NA|March 7, 2006
vgrelease|European Union|EU|March 10, 2006

Xbox:
vgrelease|North America|NA|March 7, 2006

PlayStation 2:
vgrelease|North America|NA|March 28, 2006
vgrelease|European Union|EU|March 31, 2006

Windows:
vgrelease|North America|NA|May 5, 2006

genre = Tactical Shooter
modes = Single player, multiplayer
ratings = CERO: C
ESRB: T
PEGI: 16+
USK: 16
OFLC: MA15+
platforms = PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360
media = CD, DVD, DVD-DL
requirements = Windows XP, 2 GHz P4 or equivalent (2.8 GHz recommended), 1024 MB RAM, 128 MB DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card (256 MB recommended, GeForce 6 Series or higher, Radeon 9600 or higher), 4.5 GB of free space, 12x CD or DVD drive
input = Gamepad, keyboard, mouse, joystickcite book | title=Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Game Manual| url=http://downloads.planetmirror.com/pub/replacementdocs/Ghost_Recon_-_Advanced_Warfighter_-_AU_Manual_-_PC.pdf| date=2006| pages=4| publisher=Ubisoft]

"Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" ("GRAW") is the third installment in the popular "Ghost Recon" tactical shooter video game series, published by Ubisoft. As in previous Ghost Recon games, players will command their team of Ghosts while neutralizing hostile forces and completing various mission objectives. These objectives can range from escorting friendly units across the map to rescuing hostages or taking out enemy artillery.

Being a tactical shooter, similar to games like "America's Army", "Advanced Warfighter" places emphasis on using cover effectively in order to stay alive, together with sound strategic co-ordination to successfully complete mission objectives. "Advanced Warfighter" will allow new strategic situations to be planned and performed using original features. One such feature is the "Integrated Warfighter System". This system is based upon the Future Force Warrior program. Previously, in 2005, the XM8, a weapon designed in mind of the program and featured as the main battle rifle in game, was cancelled while still in its testing stage, making its induction into military service highly unlikely. It is however, used by some Army soldiers in-game, in a few levels.

Gameplay

"Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter" is slightly unusual in that there are three versions of the game for four different platforms, with minor varied storyline/missions. The PS2 and Xbox versions are essentially the same title, while the Xbox 360 and the Windows versions stand on their own.

Gameplay emphasis is placed upon the player to do the bulk of the fighting while AI teammates tag along. The player controls a single squad of soldiers, but only "directly" controls the squad leader. However, the player can issue commands to the AI-controlled team members to maneuver them indirectly.

Combat in "Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter" is slightly more forgiving than previous games in the series. Players can often survive several bullet hits before dying, instead of dying after only a couple of shots like in the original "Ghost Recon" series. However, players are unable to heal their health in the middle of a mission, and a single headshot or a sustained burst of assault rifle fire can kill the player instantly, so the game still relies more on tactical combat rather than arcade run-and-gun shooting.

PS2 / Xbox version

The PS2 / Xbox console version of "Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter" is a first-person shooter. Notably, these versions feature fewer features than the Xbox 360 or Windows versions; players only have a single AI-controlled teammate following them on missions (as opposed to a squad of 3 soldiers).

Xbox 360 version

Unlike all other versions of "Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter", the Xbox 360 version gives you the choice to use either a third person or first person view during the campaign mode. This version features a unique covering system, which allows the player to duck behind objects for covering and perform tactical maneuvers such as pop-and-shoot. In the Xbox 360 version, the player is accompanied by a squad of 3 AI-controlled teammates. While the player may issue orders to the entire squad, they cannot issue orders to any individual team member.

The Xbox 360 and Windows versions of "Advanced Warfighter" feature a cross-com system.cite book | title=Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Game Manual| url=http://downloads.planetmirror.com/pub/replacementdocs/Ghost_Recon_-_Advanced_Warfighter_-_AU_Manual_-_PC.pdf| date=2006| pages=10| publisher=Ubisoft] This system allows the player to command not only his squad, but also other friendly units (e.g. helicopters, UAV drones, etc.). The cross-com system can be used in conjunction with the Intel map, which is a tactical map showing the entire play area, to issue commands. Additionally, the cross-com system highlights the position of any enemy soldiers that are spotted by the player or any members of the player's squad.

PC version

The PC version of "Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter" takes place from a first-person perspective. This version allows the player to issue different commands to each individual squad member, in an effort to appeal to the fans of the original Ghost Recon series. It requires the player to use squad tactics in order to achieve success. It also features larger levels than the console versions, with enemy AI more likely to use ambush tactics, thus requiring more situational awareness from the player.

Like the Xbox 360 version, the PC version features a cross-com system that allows the player to issue commands to other friendly units (i.e. UAV drones or tanks), as well as to lay out attack routes and battle plans on a real-time tactical map. The cross-com system also highlights enemy soldiers spotted by friendly units, however unlike the Xbox 360 version, the cross-com will only highlight enemy soldiers spotted by computer-controlled squadmates, rather than those in the player's own field of vision.

The PC version can take advantage of the presence of an Ageia PhysX card,Cite web|url=http://ageia.vnewscenter.com/press.jsp?id=1143040307850|title=PhysX Support|accessdate=2007-04-08|work= [http://www.ageia.com Ageia] ] however the enhancements are only cosmetic and offer no benefits gameplay-wise.

Inventory (PC)

Before beginning missions after the first, the player is allowed to choose the weapons for the Ghost team. A Ghost may carry a primary weapon, a secondary weapon, and extra ammunition or a heat-seeking anti-tank weapon. Every Ghost has a maximum weight he can carry. The more equipment a Ghost is carrying, the faster he will become fatigued when sprinting. Some of the weapons may be modified and the player can add various modifications to them such as optical sights, grenade launchers, silencers, and vertical foregrips. Every modification has its advantages and disadvantages. The combat/red dot sight increases accuracy by replacing the standard iron sights, but adds some weight. Grenade launchers reduce accuracy and are heavy, but give the option of launching grenades. Silencers decrease the sound level of the weapon firing and also reduce the muzzle flash at the expense of accuracy and range. Vertical fore grips increase stability at the expense of accuracy. Players can also take ammunition from the weapons of dead enemies or allies if the player's weapon is of the same caliber, but players are not allowed to pick up the discarded weapons themselves. The weapons used by the Ghosts are various assortments of rifles, submachine guns, pistols and explosives—-some of which are supposedly going to enter military service in the near future, which is the setting of the game.

Multiplayer

Online multiplayer on the PC edition has both versus and co-op mode. Versus mode features 32 players, which is double that of the Xbox 360 version. The online co-op mode only supports up to 4 players maximum on Windows (the Xbox 360 version supports up to 16 co-op players).

For those with the Xbox and Xbox 360 versions, some new Xbox Live features are included. For the Xbox 360 version the co-operative campaign (which currently features 8 missions - 4 of which are now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace) and multiplayer maps are all set in Nicaragua as a follow-up to the Mexico City missions of the single player campaign.

*On June 22, Ubisoft released the Chapter 2 Downloadable Content for 1,200 Microsoft Points on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
*The price of 1,200 Points was later reduced to 600.Cite web|url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/marketplace/tomclancyghostreconadvancedwarfighter/contentdownload-maps.htm|title=Chapter 2 downloadable content at Xbox.com|accessdate=2007-04-07|work= [http://www.xbox.com Xbox.com] ]

In the UK, a special Game of the Year edition was released in late 2006 containing a card enabling the player (for free) all the marketplace content, including the Chapter 2 download. The game is also budget priced.

The PlayStation 2 version has similar online capabilities with up to 8 players.

Co-op multiplayer support for Windows is up to four people (one of them the squad leader) when playing the single-player campaign and up to 24 when playing in Original Ghost Recon Coop (a mod where players play on a map against computer enemies). More details about co-op can be found on the Ghost Recon site [http://www.ghostrecon.com/uk/newspost.php?id=15387 multiplayer details]

Weapons

GRAW features numerous firearms that are based on or are exact copies of real-life weapons. Some weapons, such as the MR-C, are actually hypothetical prototypes, and their appearance in the game in largely speculation. Below is a list of some of the weapons that make an appearance in the game.

Weapons

*Crye Associates MR-C Assault Rifle
*Barrett M468 Service Rifle
*Heckler & Koch XM8 Rifle
*MK 48
*AK-47
*Nexter FAMAS Assault Rifle
*Heckler & Koch G36K Assault Rifle
*M60 Machine Gun
*Fabrique Nationale SCAR-series Assault Rifles
*Berretta M9 Pistol
*Heckler & Koch MP5 Submachine Gun
*M67 Fragmentation Grenade

Vehicles

The game also makes use of various other pieces of equipment, including remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles. Furthermore, the game features various vehicles of the United States military. Many of the vehicles can be partially controlled, or commanded, by the player, making them extensions of the player. Below is a list of some of the vehicles that the player can interact with throughout the game.

*AH-64 Apache Attack helicopter
*M1A2 Abrams tank
*Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation UH-60
*General Dynamics Stryker combat vehicle

Enemy Vehicles

The enemy AI, representing the Mexican terrorists, also make use of various armored vehicles. According to the story, some of their vehicles were actually donated by the United States of America, intended for use to strengthen Mexican security, but fell into terrorist hands instead. Some of the vehicles used by the enemies in GRAW are listed below.

*Panhard Véhicule Blindé Léger All-terrain vehicle
*Mi-28 "Havoc" attack helicopter
*M1A1 Abrams tank

Plot

Overview

Taking Mitchell as he commands the fictitious elite Ghost Recon team in an attempt to protect the U.S. and Mexican Presidents, recover stolen U.S. technology, and battle the rebellious Mexican forces. The story unfolds entirely in a realistic and detailed modeling of Mexico City, one of the world's largest cities. It is this size that allows "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" to provide multiple locations like in previous Ghost Recon games, ranging from heavily industrialized areas to local parks and landmarks to office districts.

Characters

High ranking officers
*General Keating
*Major General Martin aka Bulldog
*Captain Bolin -Killed by Carlos Ontiveros when he refused to give up the Nuclear Football.
*Captain Abreu - Killed when the American Embassy in Mexico City is destroyed early in the game.

Ghosts
*Captain Scott Mitchell
*Richard Allen (Grenadier)
*Marcus Brown (Gunner)
*KC Kirkland (Gunner)
*Joe Ramirez (Rifleman) Ramirez is generally perceived in the Xbox 360 version as the player’s right-hand man. On the Xbox version, Ramirez is most often the one teammate under the player's command.
*Paul Smith (Rifleman)
*Matt Beasley (Rifleman)
*Derrick Parker (Grenadier)
*Bo Jenkins (Grenadier)
*Annibale Cruz (Gunner)
*Alicia Diaz (Marksman)
*John Hume (Anti-Armor)

Mentioned
*Captain Jennifer Burke - Charged with taking the airport so the President can extract. When General Martin requests a status report, she does not respond. Presumed KIA protecting the President.
*Captain David Foster - Secures ammunition and supplies while Mitchell rescues and escorts the tank trainers in 'Ready for Bear' mission.
*Captain Nick Salvatore - Mitchell witnesses Salvatore get shot on the Cross-Com in a Mexico City shanty town while trying to rescue his team. Salvatore's team is completely eliminated by Mexican rebels before the player reaches his position. However there is a small possibility that Salvatore could still be alive because Mitchell says that Salvatore is only "messed up bad", and requests an immediate medevac for him.
*Bud - Blackhawk 4's pilot and friend of Mitchell. Before the last mission, his Blackhawk is hijacked by Carlos and he is shot in the head while Mitchell watches on the cross-com.
*Lt. Josh Rosen - Blackhawk 4's flight engineer and the Ghosts' training & logistics officer. He was not in Blackhawk 4 when it was hijacked.The PC version differs by only offering four characters as Ghosts: Mitchell, Allen, Brown, and Kirkland. (Note that the default roles of Allen and Kirkland are Sniper and Rifleman respectively in the PC version.)

Political Figures
*President James Ballantine - President of the United States. Ballantine comes under fire during the coup, and tries to escape through the airport with Captain Jennifer Burke's team. However, Burke is presumably killed in action and Ballantine is taken hostage. He is later rescued by Captain Mitchell's Ghost team and returned safely to the U.S.
*President Ruiz-Peña - The Mexican President. He comes under fire when the coup begins, and is rescued by Mitchell's unit. He is transported to the Embassy, which explodes, killing Captain Abreu. Ruiz-Peña survives, and is moved to safety.
*Prime Minister of Canada (unnamed) - Killed during the coup.

Antagonists
*General Ontiveros - Carlos's father, and mastermind of the coup. Friend and ally of General James Monroe. He is captured by US Forces in Palacio Nacional.
*Colonel Carlos Ontiveros - General Ontiveros's son and Aguilla Seven's leader. He opposes the NAJSA idea, and stages the coup to prevent it from happening. He is killed at the destroyed U.S. Embassy when Mitchell shoots him off the roof, causing him to fall to his death.
*General James Monroe - Ontiveros' ally in the United States. Monroe is a retired General, who was opposed to the concept of NAJSA, and fed information to the rebels in an attempt to put his close friend General Ontiveros in power. He is not seen until a news broadcast at the end of the game, where he is seen being escorted by police, having been arrested for his part in the coup.

Support Elements

* Sikorsky Cypher UAV
* Stryker Armored Personnel Carrier
* M1A2 Abrams Tank
* AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter
* UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter
* M2 Bradley IFV

Story

The game story, written by Dougls Gayeton, takes place over the course of two days in 2014, beginning in Mexico City. A US spy plane carrying Guardrail IX, a device capable of disrupting wireless communications, is shot down over Nicaragua. Intelligence discovers a plot to transfer the device to rebels in Mexico City, and the Ghosts are sent in to retrieve it. One of the rebels is identified as Colonel Carlos Ontiveros, son of Mexican General Ontiveros, and a student of Bud, Mitchell's friend and a UH-60 pilot. The mission is aborted when a coup d'état begins in Mexico City and the Ghosts are ordered to Mexico City immediately, where a summit involving the leaders of the United States: President Ballantine, Canada: Canadian Prime Minister (unnamed), and Mexico: President Ruiz-Peña, who are signing the North American Joint Security Agreement (NAJSA), is taking place. The summit is attacked by Mexican revolutionaries, who kill the Canadian Prime Minister, and force the Presidents of the US and Mexico into hiding. Mitchell is sent to safely extract both leaders.

President Ballantine is safely evacuated to Air Force One but is unable to take off due to the danger of being shot down. President Ruiz-Peña is evacuated to the US Embassy in Mexico City where a bomb nearly destroys the embassy, and the Ghosts fend off a massive onslaught long enough for help to arrive. The Mexican President agrees to allow US forces to fight the rebels and restore order. Mitchell is tasked with destroying artillery to open the road for an assault on Chapultepec, where 50 M1A2 Abrams tanks given to the Mexican government as part of NAJSA lie idle. He is later ordered to rescue the American tankers who had been training the Mexicans in how to use them and "borrow" a few tanks.

The rebels use Guardrail IX to monitor US communications and the rebel special forces called the Aguila 7 ambush the Ghosts protecting the President. Mitchell is ordered to rescue him. President Ballantine's rescue is successful, but the Nuclear Football is stolen by the rebels and with the Guardrail IX, the rebels are able to control US ICBMs, which cause China and Russia to ready their own.

Mitchell is ordered to retrieve the Guardrail IX and the Football, but he only succeeds in disabling the Guardrail IX. He is then ordered to return to clear several blockades in Mexico City to allow US tanks to pass. While being extracted, Major General Martin's Black Hawk Helicopter is shot down and Mitchell is ordered to defend him until he can be extracted. US forces then begin a final push towards the Zocalo Plaza where General Ontiveros is held up inside the Palacio Nacional.

Mitchell is ordered to destroy the last pieces of the Guardrail IX before sneaking into the palace. General Ontiveros is there and was captured while attempting to flee, but Carlos manages to escape and hijacks Bud's Black Hawk, shooting him in the head and greatly angering Mitchell, who sees this happen on his cross-com. At first Bud seems sad; this is very noticeable should the player look closely at the Cross-Com, Bud's eyes seem teary. Mitchell notices this before Bud says: "Well there's not much else to do really." Carlos shoots Bud, then shoves him off and puts on his helmet. Bravo Team's Black Hawk attempts to rescue Mitchell and team, but is unaware that Carlos has switched over to a stolen Apache. Carlos soon shoots Bravo Team down and captures them. Carlos flies to the wrecked US embassy and begins transferring the codes for the US nuclear arsenal. Mitchell and team raid the embassy, find and rescue Bravo team, recover the football, and finally track down and kill Carlos. A retired U.S. Army general who was opposed to the U.S.-Mexican treaty is discovered to be the traitor within the U.S. government that had been assisting the Ontiveros' in their activities.

Development history

"Ghost Recon 3" was originally revealed to be in development to be released in 2004 before "Halo 2" but it was delayed. In mid-March 2005, Ubisoft published its financial expectations for the 2005 fiscal year with "Ghost Recon 3" on that list and revealed to be coming to Xbox, PS2, PC and Xbox 360. A Gamecube version was also announced, but was eventually canceled.Cite web|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=24051167&om_act=convert&om_clk=gsupdates&tag=updates;title;2|title=Advanced Warfighter doesn't come to Gamecube|accessdate=2007-04-08|work= [http://www.gamespot.com GameSpot] ] The game's official subtitle of "Advanced Warfighter" was later announced by Ubisoft in late June.

In May, "Advanced Warfighter" was shown to the press in trailer form at the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) convention in Los Angeles.Cite web|url=http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/615/615158p1.html|title=IGN's E3 2005 Coverage|accessdate=2007-04-08|work= [http://www.ign.com IGN] ] The trailer was heavily praised for its intense urban combat and its outstanding graphical effects such as light bloom, accurate lighting and shadowing, its particle effects and its superb weapon and soldier animations — all in high-definition. Because of this, "Advanced Warfighter" quickly became one of the Xbox 360's most anticipated titles.

Reception

The Xbox 360 HD version of "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" was released on March 9, 2006Cite web|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/tomclancysghostrecon3/index.html|title=Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter X360 Release Date|accessdate=2007-04-08|work= [http://www.gamespot.com GameSpot] ] to multiple rave reviews.Cite web|url=http://ghostrecon.uk.ubi.com/newspost.php?news_id=3041|title=GRAW Reviews|accessdate=2007-04-08|work= [http://www.ubi.com Ubisoft] ] "Electronic Gaming Monthly" praised the game's stunning next-generation presentation and high entertainment value, giving it review scores of 9.0, 9.5 and a perfect 10. The game was noted for its deeply immersive atmosphere, smart A.I. (though flawed for the squad and VIP A.I.), wide variety of weapons, multiple action scenes and believable storyline. The Xbox 360's version was noted for its realistic graphics, and Ubisoft had stated that it would port a version of Advanced Warfighter to other 7th generation consoles. Gametrailers gave the game its highest review ever, a 9.9 out of 10, stating that GRAW is a landmark next-gen game that redefines shooters.

The PS2 and original Xbox versions have been mostly panned by critics as watered-down versions of the Xbox 360 version, most noticeably in graphics and content. While the Xbox 360 version received an average of 91% from reviews, the original Xbox and PS2 versions score 66% and 60% in average respectively. The Windows version averages in about 79%.

On 5 October, 2006 it won the BAFTA award for Game of the Year.Cite web|url=http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/5058/6082/bafta-games-ghost-recon-clancy.phtml|title=GRAW BAFTA Award|accessdate=2007-04-08|work= [http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk Pocket-lint] ]

References

External links

;Official websites
* [http://www.ghostrecon.com/uk/ghostrecon3/index.php Official UK website]

;General resources
*
* [http://www.ghostrecon.net/ Ghost Recon.net]
* [http://ghostrecon.3dretreat.com/ Ghost Recon Retreat]
* [http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2006-03-29-advance-warfighter_x.htm USA Today Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Xbox 360 review]
*moby game|id=/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-advanced-warfighter