Ghost Recon falls into line on the next generation of hardware.

User Rating: 8.5 | Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter X360
This is a retrospective review written in May 2010.

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is the new full name for the continuation of this popular 3rd person tactical shooter series from Ubisoft. It's also the first game in the entire Tom Clancy catalogue to appear on the next generation of consoles; available for the Xbox 360 and PC*, Ghost Recon aims to raise the series to a new standard.

You play as Scott Michell and you'll have 3 AI controlled team-mates along with you most of the time. You'll be able to order them around, including move, take cover and not to mention when and when not to fire on the enemy. While none of this is particularly new, what is new and impressive is the simple but effective control scheme that is backed up by the Cross Com. The Cross Com allows a picture in picture display showing you exactly what you're team-mates are seeing; a very useful tool when planning an infiltration.

The game is set in Mexico City when a band of rebels are attempting to overthrow the government. You're initially tasked with getting in and backing up the Mexican military (at these those who are still loyal to the President). This will take you everywhere from hovering over the streets taking up the gunner seat in an attack chopper to twisting down narrow streets. Throughout the campaign you'll get direct control over the action of Armoured Personnel Carriers and Attack Helicopters via the Cross Com. These moments are nothing short of spectacular especially when playing on the hard difficulty. To go from Guerrilla tactics to raining down fire is excellent and often punctuated with an orchestral soundtrack that further emphasises the drama.

For its age, the game is visually striking. The sunsets in the distance, the characters, weapon models and explosions all look great. The major criticisms would be the overuse of bloom which can be blinding at times and how when you reload your gun your character motions but no clip can be seen leaving or entering the weapon (this isn't true of all weapons). Sound design is excellent; the game uses a mix of licensed music and orchestral pieces which are utilised at the exact moments they're needed. Guns sound great and explosions have a suitable bang to them. Sadly though the voice acting is hammy and almost seeks to ruin the experience. Captain Mitchell, like many protagonists, is in dire need of a Strepsil to clear his throat, his gruff tone may eventually start to grate on some players but most shouldn't be put off too badly. Nevertheless, it gets the job done and after all, the story isn't the real reason you should play this game – the action is.

Multiplayer offers all the usual trinkets you'd expect to find in a shooter including separate co-op missions and a stand off mode against a set number of enemies. The only complaint about multiplayer is that it takes a severe graphical hit; this can be true of many games but in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter so much of the lighting and texture work is stripped down that it becomes very noticeable.

If you've never played this series and you are a fan of shooters then go out now and buy it (it won't be too expensive). It has a fantastic campaign and serviceable multiplayer. The set pieces in the campaign make it worth buying alone.

*The PC version does not play identically to its Xbox 360 counterpart.