Published by: Ubisoft
Developed by: Ubisoft Paris
Genre: Shooter
Release Date:
MRP: $59.99
ESRB: Mature
Also Available On: PC , Xbox 360 , Nintendo
DS
Also known as: Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
It could’ve been so different. Two years ago, when Ghost
Recon: Future Soldier was shown at E3 in 2010, the reaction was muted. Unlike
the bombastic demo that was unveiled – which borrowed more from recent
blockbuster shooters than the thoughtful, strategic franchise it was based on –
the reception caused little more than a rumble. True, that first glimpse proved
it was more than a Call of Duty-aping run-and-gun duck hunt, but its direction
had obviously been swayed by the bullet-spitting behemoth.
Two years on and many of the fears that Future Soldier
doesn’t stay true to its roots can be laid to rest. It bears all the hallmarks
of a great Ghost Recon game – a considered tempo, smart pacing and a smattering
of the genre’s now all-important set-pieces – but more importantly it takes the
blueprint laid out by Advanced Warfighter and improves on it.
Play Future Soldier as you would Call of Duty or Battlefield
and you won’t last long. It’s a punishing game in some respects, and you cannot
stand out in the open and expect to survive for more than a few seconds. It
forces you to think strategically, to plan ahead and use cover at all times.
Often the best option is to take down the enemy one by one, carefully
considering your next target in order to prevent a patrolling guard from stumbling
over a dead body and raising the alarm. And sometimes the best route is to not
fire a single shot at all, but to move silently to your objective without the
enemy realising you’re even there.
This flexibility to tackle missions in different ways makes
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier a refreshing change from the recent trend of linear
shooters. It’s superbly paced too, shifting effortlessly between moments of
considered calm to the flashes of pure spectacle that are de rigueur in today’s
action games. Scenes of explosive carnage are peppered more frequently
throughout the campaign than in previous Ghost Recons, but they fit within the
narrative in a believable way. You won’t question why something is happening
and are never drawn out of the experience by moments of outrageous silliness.
Instead it all gels together perfectly and makes sense,
which should be applauded considering the game’s near-future setting and the
advanced gear at your disposal. Adaptive camouflage enables Ghosts to blend
with their background and sneak past without detection, providing they move
with caution, while the Warhound is a robotic beast that acts as both a mobile
artillery platform and moving cover. There are also sensor grenades that pick
out nearby enemies, aim-assisted sniper rifles, airstrikes… Ghost Recon is
packed with cool gadgets that make you feel like a total bad-ass when used
correctly, but aren’t so overwhelmingly powerful as to make you invincible.
The drone is perhaps the piece of kit you’ll find most
useful, though, and while it will be instantly familiar to anyone who’s play
previous games, it boasts a handful of new features. Firstly, it can transform
into a radio-controlled car and emit a sonic pulse that disables nearby
electronics or temporarily stuns enemies. It also provides a bird’s-eye view of
the battlefield, giving invaluable insight into the enemy’s position.
But it’s the tagging system that really revolutionises the
way Future Soldier plays. It’s an improved version of the tagging feature in
Splinter Cell: Conviction and replaces the old direct-order system: rather than
telling your team-mates to move to specific positions, you tag an enemy – or
multiple enemies, up to a maximum of four. This essentially issues the order
for a team-mate to focus on that target, and they’ll do everything they can to
ensure the enemy stays within their sights. Your team-mates are smart, so
they’ll stay in cover and maintain a low profile, but if they’re unable to
continue targeting an enemy because it would compromise their position then
they’ll stand down. A Ghost wouldn’t give away their position in real life, so
it’s refreshing to see that your team-mates are smart enough to act the same
way here.
Tagged enemies can then be eliminated when the time is
right, and perfecting multiple takedowns when each Ghost has a bead on an enemy
and you’re able to eliminate four guys simultaneously is an extremely
satisfying feeling. And because you’re able to tag enemies using the drone,
it’s also possible to play armchair strategist, marking enemies from afar and
relying on the expertise of your fellow Ghosts to execute your orders.
That said, the Ghosts are not so smart that it takes away
the challenge. Ask too much of your team mates and they’ll get pinned by enemy
fire or, worse, shot, giving you just a few seconds to either patch them up or
send someone else to their aid. You’re frequently outnumbered and outgunned,
and it’s only by working as a team that you’ll survive, getting a team-mate to
lay down suppressing fire while you sneak around the flanks.
At times Ghost Recon: Future Solider looks superb. It’s
obvious a lot of time has been spent perfecting the way the Ghosts bond as a
team, either out on the battlefield or chewing the fat between missions. It’s
therefore a shame Future Soldier falls short in other areas; faces look waxy
and the dialogue unconvincing, so the few scenes designed provoke an emotional
response don’t really click.
There are also moments when it doesn't quite look finished.
Some backgrounds lack detail, and clunky textures jar against what is otherwise
a superb-looking game. Overall it feels like it lacks the high-gloss polish of
many of today’s big hitters.
In contrast, the cover system is a highlight and draws its
inspiration from Gears of War. It’s intuitive to use, enabling you to quickly
move from one position to the next. Importantly, the transition between cover
always feels seamless, whether you choose to vault over the bonnet of a car or
dash to a nearby wall, meaning you can focus where the enemy is rather than
worrying if your backside is hanging out in the open.
Many of the missions can only be completed using stealth and
this constant change of tempo means the overall game is perfectly paced. As a
result the 10-hour campaign is engaging throughout, and the only grumble I’d
have is that the handful of helicopter gunship scenes; whilst they don’t really
detract from the experience, they do feel a bit tacked on, certainly in
single-player. In four-player co-op it’s a different story, because the group is
split – two in the chopper and two on the ground. The guys in the sky must
provide support, laying down fire while foot-soldiers help out by throwing
sensor grenades to highlight incoming threats.
Co-op as a whole is a superb addition to the Future Soldier
package. The entire campaign is playable with four people and some missions
feel very different when playing with friends than they do alone. There’s also
the added challenge of survival – you always know your back is covered if you
take a bullet in single-player, but in co-op if you accidentally leave one guy
to die it’s game over.
Multiplayer is adequately catered for too, with four games
mode on offer. Decoy proves the most entertaining, which tasks two teams with
taking three objectives. The twist is, only one of the three is the real
target; the other are two decoys, and neither team knows which is which, so the
result is taught battles where dominance constantly fluctuates from one side to
the other. Even the straight-forward deathmatch feels unique, because elements
of the single-player game are carried over. Individually you don’t have all the
gear at your disposal – only a scout is blessed with adaptive camo and sensor
grenades for example, so although they’re poorly armoured, they provide invaluable
intel on the enemy’s position. It encourages players to work as a team, and
while the same can be said for most multiplayer shooters, in this case it
definitely feels like an extension of the campaign than a last-minute add-on.
Then there’s Guerrilla mode, which is Future Soldier’s take
on Horde mode. It’s for up to four players, either online or split-screen
(note, there’s no option for players to have specific control set-ups, so if
one of you inverts their aiming controls then affects everyone on the team),
and once again it borrows elements from the campaign game – tagged kills,
getting the upper hand by remaining undetected and so on. However, it’s little
more than a pleasant distraction, unless you’re desperate to unlock the
thousands of different weapon combinations the game has to offer. Ubisoft has
made a lot of Gunsmith and while there is a huge selection of variables to play
around with, more often than not you’ll find the combination that works for you
and stick with it.
CLOSING COMMENTS
Ghost Recon: Future Solider is a refreshing change from the
current trend of thoughtless shooters, and in the moments when everything
clicks together, it’s hard to think of a more absorbing shooter. Unfortunately
it doesn't always click though, and forgettable dialogue, poor facial
animations and inconsistent visuals dent what is otherwise a great game, plus
there’s no denying a little extra polish would’ve made a huge difference. But
if you’re after a superbly paced, thoughtful shooter that boasts a strong campaign
and enjoyable multiplayer, Future Soldier is bang on target.
Thanx bro
ReplyDeleteFuture soldier is a new direction for the Tom Clancy games, that's for sure. My co-worker from Dish and I are big fans of Advanced Warfighter 2. I enjoyed managing the battlefield assets, while being engaged in the battlefield at the same time. I also enjoyed the ability to progress through missions in many different ways. I decided I couldn’t go wrong by adding it to my Blockbuster@Home game queue. I don’t always have the option to buy all the great games out there I want due to lack of funds, so the most economical way for me to play games is by renting them. I can’t wait to play.
ReplyDeleteThanx Bob for the comment , i would definitively find a free download link for Advanced Warfighter 2.!!!!
ReplyDelete@Bob: Here are some links for Advanced Warfighter 2:
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