GRAW is a brilliant tactical shooter, filled with suspense, blistering action and beautiful presentation.
That is not to say this game is easy. Using your squad and friendly units effectively is vital to a successful mission, and takes time to master. As before, well aimed shots can kill instantly, so this is no walk in the park. Many have criticised PC to console games as being dumbed-down, but you won’t find that here; there is more available interaction with your squad, friendlies and the environment than any previous GR title.
The visuals are terrific, as you enter the city via Blackhawk, you see the urban layout sprawled beneath you in great detail while the sun reflects off of windows and gives an orange tint to the horizon. Once on the ground, you can fully appreciate the work that went into making the experience feel authentic. Explosions create clouds of flame and smoke, at the same time rumbling your vision, or causing your team to hit the deck.
Your team is, for the most part, a well oiled killing machine. There are times when orders aren’t followed (for example destroying a stationary truck) but these lapses in team-mate AI can be overlooked. One issue is that the enemy seem far more focused on shooting YOU, not your team-mates and this can be very frustrating on the hardest setting. For team-mates that are taken down, their lives can be saved by you or your men and little touches like the man limping after being healed provide great levels of realism.
The levels are varied and can be approached from different angles as has always been the case with GR games. They go from one to the next with each briefing given on the way to your next objective.
The multiplayer is great and comes in all the matches you would expect (team deathmatch, deathmatch, capture flag etc.) but there are also a number of co-op campaigns that can be played over LIVE with up to 16 players. Although the graphics in the multiplayer aren't as stunning as in the SP, there is still a great level of detail and plenty of fun to be had on LIVE.
GRAW for the 360 is a well polished game that delivers on both SP and MP modes. We can be glad it was held off for a few months, resulting in what is arguably the best 360 title to date.