Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter

UPC: 008888522805

Platform: Xbox 360

Publisher: Ubisoft Entertainment

Developer: Tiwak

Category: Shooter

Style(s): Squad-Based Shooter

Synopsis: The elite "Ghost" operatives embark on a dangerous mission close to home, in this third full-fledged addition to the Ghost Recon series of squad-based shooters. The title's "advanced warfighter" alludes not only to raw talent and rigorous training of the special ops agents under the player's command, but also to a distinctive set of cutting-edge equipment, known as the "Integrated Warfighter System" (IWS), which these agents can use to perform field analysis, call for air or vehicular support, communicate with their commander and one another, and even share first-person perspective video feeds through a high-tech monocle device. These immediate, informative, visual communication capabilities become especially useful in the game's sprawling urban settings. The main campaign in Advanced Warfighter plays out entirely in a single city -- but it happens to be the largest city in the Western Hemisphere. When the leaders of Mexico, Canada, and the United States meet in Mexico City for a highly publicized conference, the threat of terrorist attack is tripled, and so the elite Ghost team is assigned to protect the North American heads of state. In the role of Captain Scott Mitchell, players guide Ghost forces and spec ops agents through tense, densely populated city streets, where the situation has been confounded by the theft of secret nuclear weapons codes. As in earlier Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon games, Advanced Warfighter's single-player campaign consists of a variety of tactical mission types, including recon, escort, and full-on assault. The game also supports a number of team-based, online multiplayer modes. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 28-page Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The documentation explains the controls and interface well enough, but the in-game tutorial does a better job of walking you through the basics. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Razor sharp visuals, a long draw distance, and stellar lighting effects are just some of the highlights you'll encounter while playing. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Gritty. Harrowing. Intense. All describe the experience of playing Tom Clancy's Advanced Warfighter for Xbox 360, a game that realizes atmosphere is just as important as action. It's hard not to think of war films like Black Hawk Down as you lead a small squad of loyal soldiers through Mexico City's dusty, unfamiliar streets and sweltering urban sprawl. The dynamic visuals and crackling sound effects make you believe you are on hostile ground, fighting for your life and for those of your fellow soldiers, blurring the line between reality and entertainment in a heat-induced haze. A risky decision to focus on a single insurgent-filled environment ultimately pays off with a more cohesive storyline than in previous Ghost Recon games. The 12 single-player missions don't necessarily innovate, but instead offer plenty of thrills with Bond-like gadgets (such as an eyepiece video camera and remote-controlled recon drones), strategic firefights, and multiple routes to the main objective. There are the usual escorts, hostage rescues, sabotage attempts, and infiltrations, but each includes more twists than an M. Night Shyamalan film. Objectives will suddenly change just when you are about to complete a mission, with scripted events creating a new sense of urgency as you try to crawl out of the fire and slink back into the frying pan. The controls do an excellent job of making you feel like you are in complete command of a military unit, with an intuitive, icon-driven interface that never makes the wide assortment of moves seem out of reach or too complex for you to stop playing. Aiding players is a heat-signature targeting system that highlights hostile units from afar, so you spend time thinking about how to approach a situation instead of blindly moving forward. Since levels are more expansive, or at least have the illusion of being more expansive, a tactical 3D map is available to help you plan out safe routes. As involving as the single-player game is, Advanced Warfighter takes on new life as a multiplayer game, going beyond the unfriendly confines of Mexico City to explore a wider assortment of themed maps in team-based and solo modes for up to 16 players. While the game has a few minor issues, one of which includes some babysitting of a few route-challenged subordinates, none dilute the quality of the experience. Red Storm has established a new benchmark for shooters on Xbox 360, and Warfighter's immediate procurement should be the top priority in any video game grunt's battle plan. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Xbox Live support and a robust single-player campaign with multiple difficulty levels will keep Advanced Warfighter spinning for weeks on end. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Machine gun rattle, loud explosions, and other sound effects help bring the battles to life. The orchestral soundtrack will also change to punctuate key situations. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The single-player missions offer the right amount of challenge and plenty of thrills along the way. The faster-paced multiplayer component is extremely fun. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.