While it still falls short in a few areas, GRAW2 is an ultimately exciting experience that makes for a great rental.
Captain Scott Mitchell had his work cut out for him in the first Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, but he hasn’t been given much time to recuperate. Scott is sent back into the battlefield almost instantaneously, and things aren’t going to be any easier this time around. Fortunately for our brave protagonist, he’s given some extra support on a few of his latest missions. Not only that, but Scott has even more control over his support thanks to some new features added to his Cross-Com system.
You’ll still have command over your three-man supporting Ghost squad, but you can look through their eyes-as well as those of any other support you have by holding down the right bumper. So, what kind of new support will you have access to this time around you ask? Well, for starters, you’ll be able to command APC’s, tanks, choppers, a MULE-a small vehicle that carries weapons, ammunition and other supplies-and even order the occasional air-strike. Controlling this extra support may take some time to get used to, but once you do, you could potentially wind up completing a mission without firing a single shot yourself.
Sometimes you’ll have control over three types of support, which can make things a bit convoluted when trying to decide just how to tackle certain courses of action. But learning to utilize every bit of support you’re given is what Ghost Recon is all about. So with a few runs through a certain mission using multiple support should all become second-nature. Like its predecessor, Advanced Warfighter 2 relies heavily on scripted moments and use of certain artillery at the right time is still something players will need to abide by in many situations. Fortunately, these scripted moments tend to offer very rewarding results, especially when you’re able to adjust and execute at the right time.
Outside of the extra support granted, Advanced Warfighter plays almost exactly like its predecessor in typical sequel fashion. This is of course a good thing as the core gameplay in GRAW was very solid. Taking cover and firing at the right moment is still essential to your survival, so you may want to think twice about simply running around in the open blind-firing. The action in GRAW was top-notch, and GRAW2 takes it to a whole new level by offering larger, more explosive battles. There are a few moments in the game in which you’ll need to take out what seems like an army of soldiers. These instances are among the game’s most satisfying moments, which are very many. Oh, and yes, there are still the moments in which you’ll get to shoot out of a chopper with a chaingun, and these feel just as awesome as ever.
Perhaps the single attribute that stood out the most in the first Advanced Warfighter was the phenomenal visuals. And, as expected, GRAW2 looks even better than its predecessor, though not significantly. The environments are all rendered with incredible detail and tend to look almost photorealistic. Character models also look impressive for-the-most-part, with the small exception of a few rugged details when you get an up-close look at some of them. There are little to no framerate issues or even pop-ins, which is definitely a nice touch. But like its predecessor, the best part about the visuals in GRAW2 are the explosions, which look even more amazing than before. Gears of War and Motorstorm may be the best-looking games out there, but no other game has better-looking explosions than GRAW2.
Like the visuals, the sound and audio in GRAW2 is better than that of its predecessor, but by only so much. The voiceovers for-the-most-part are believable and each character’s voice tone fits appropriately with the present situation. GRAW2’s soundtrack doesn’t stray too far away from its predecessor, sharing the almost exact same main theme. Fortunately, the few alterations done to the soundtrack all help the game sound even better, with a more epic score to fit with the tone of the game. As for the audio and sound effects, they still remain the highlight of GRAW2’s overall sound; with some of the strongest and crisp sound effects ever heard in a game to date.
Really, just about every aspect to GRAW2’s campaign is better than that of its predecessor, from the visuals, to the sound, to the gameplay and the action. About the only two areas that the game’s single-player itself falls short is with its story and length. The game isn’t terribly long; it can be completed in about ten hours by the average gamer, even shorter by veterans of the genre and/or series. As for the story, it’s about what you’d expect from a game inspired by Tom Clancy. It essentially has you trying to maintain control of the Mexican rebels and try to prevent them from committing any possible acts that may danger the United States.
Beyond the game’s short but sweet campaign is the offline and online multiplayer, which are functional but nothing truly special. The visuals in GRAW2’s multiplayer match those of its single-player for-the-most-part, though the character models still seem lacking in detail. Like its predecessor, you still can’t take cover in the multiplayer at all and you’ll need to play in first-person without seeing your weapon when playing offline. There are multiple options to play through the game online, ranging from solo and team deathmatches, several variants of cooperative play and so forth. It’s all pretty standard stuff and not much other than the several given options set it apart from other online multiplayer games.
How well you’ll connect to certain matches may depend on your internet connection, as I rarely managed to get into a lobby and even then, I still never got to experience a match with any more than eight players. The entertainment you’ll get out of the multiplayer also depends, considering the action can get pretty tense. Although, with how you can be killed almost instantly, it’s definitely not meant for everyone’s tastes. It’s enjoyable, but for someone like me who was expecting a more enhanced multiplayer experience, it doesn’t manage to do too much beyond being just barely entertaining.
As a whole, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is a worthy follow-up to its predecessor and definitely a game well worth checking out. The game has an improved audio and visual presentation as well as enhanced gameplay and an overall better campaign. However, with the still lackluster multiplayer and the single-player being disappointingly short, it’s hard to recommend this game past a good rental. If you enjoyed the previous Advanced Warfighter, then you owe it to yourself to give GRAW2 a go, especially if you were actually fond of the multiplayer.