Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Review

Leading the charge on the Xbox 360, Ubisoft's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter quickly set the benchmark for next-generation videogames, creating a highly immersive experience with stunning presentation. So good was the 360 version that the mediocrity of the current-gen version was quickly forgotten; however, an ardent group of PC fanatics hung on to the promise of an overhauled adaptation, taking the series back to its roots as a tactical-shooter. Missing out on the release of Ghost Recon 2, PC fans have had five long years to wait for a sequel to one of the most passionately played (online at the very least) games on the format; can GRAW match the success of the original Ghost Recon, or is this one console conversion too far for the PC faithful?

Following the same storyline laid down by previous versions of GRAW, the PC adaptation gets off to a novel twist with a parachute sequence initiating the experience. It explains why the Ghosts were scattered for those who've played the console versions, but sets up some chorological differences betweent he various different versions at the same time.

In many ways GRAW is a very different experience to what came before on the consoles. GRIN, the Swedish based developers of the game have attempted to emphasise the tactical elements of the game, whilst switching the play exclusively to a first-person perspective.

Perhaps the first noticeable difference between the PC version and the Xbox 360 is the lack of a detailed Cross-Com feature. This aspect became a strong feature of the Xbox 360 version (from a marketing point at the very least), so it's somewhat surprising to find the high-quality real-time visual feeds, replaced with largely ineffective wireframe displays. The game does provide the ability to switch the main view to that of a squad-member, which, although impressive from a visual treat, serves little actual gameplay purpose when it comes to the battlefield. Arguments for the wireframe display claim that it's far more realistic, presenting just the crucial information and nothing to detract the Ghost's attention; as a videogame, however, the effect is somewhat lacking and doesn't instantly grab your attention like it did on the 360.

Instead, a greater focus for the PC version is placed on the actions of your squad-mates with the introduction of a more developed tactical map. Resembling the planning maps from older Tom Clancy PC titles (Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, Rogue Spear), but actually on the battlefield, the tactical map appears to provide the canvas for more detailed battle strategies by issuing commands and waypoints to individual members of the squad. The concept is sound given the demands of the PC audience, the execution falls somewhat short, however, putting too much emphasis on the micro-management of your squad to make up for some squad AI inadequacies. Often you'll lay out a plan with meticulous precision, only to be stopped in your tracks by a squad member standing out in the open, failing to take cover or covering a wall!

To be fair, GRAW's tactical map does provide the power to handle these issues, with the ability to issue waypoints, set actions such as "Cover" and "Attack Target", along with targeting cones to indicate the size and direction of the area you want to be covered. The problem is the implementation requires a little too much micro-management, and when the action heats up and all hell breaks loose, you're desperately left wishing that your squad members would show a little initiative, or at least some of the training that led to them becoming Ghosts in the first place. It's also possible to issue in-game commands, directing members or the squad as a whole to Attack, Move or Cover wherever your reticule is pointing, but the system doesn't compliment the tactical map by making up for its issues with immediacy, resulting in a muddled tactical element that only becomes more frustrating as the game progresses.

Equally the PC adaptation provides an expanded weapon loadout section, designed to appeal to PC gamers tastes. Each Ghost can be equipped with a Primary and Secondary weapon, but with a maximum weight allocation to consider - the more equipment a Ghost carries, the faster he'll grow fatigued when sprinting on the battlemap. There's a variety of upgrade options to most of the weapons available, providing the opportunity to add items such as laser sights, grenade launchers, silencers and grips. Strangely the PC adaptation lacks the shoot-around-corners MR-C assault rifle along with Smoke Grenades - a strange decision given the importance of a smoke grenade to handle the more armoured targets you'll come across.

Fans of the original Ghost Recon will likely look at GRAW's tactical element with some disdain, pointing to the "hot-switching" ability of Ghost Recon 1 as a way to avoid the micro-management, and questioning the reduced squad-size and lack of tactical options as a result.

Although it can be tough to direct the action, GRAW retains the heart-pounding action, which remains as tense and exciting as it did two months ago. Many of the 360 features have found their way to the PC adaptation, which thankfully includes the "slide to cover" and "hitting the deck" techniques. The cypher also makes a return, providing players with the essential upper hand, scouting unknown territory and highlighting enemy positions to plan for. Given the first-person-perspective there's less significance on covering techniques as a squad with definitive manoeuvres compared to the 360 version, however, that's not to say GRAW has degenerated into a run-and-gun shooter. Beyond the obvious changes, the PC version also implements a handful of subtle new features, such as the ability to stand on your toes to gain an extra few inches.

Despite GRAWs many virtues and the various shortcomings throughout the Campaign mode, the multiplayer features is where GRAW will be judged by many. Offering four-player co-op in which each player assumes a squad member with one leading the charge through the single-player campaign, GRAW also provides a 32-player Domination mode. Working similarly to similar modes in other first-person-shooters, two teams must fight to control different areas of territory, establishing links between. The lack of game types is a little disappointing, though GRIN has confirmed the release of further maps and types in a future patch. Also at this stage the game lacks anti-cheat measures, and as such there's a considerable amount of glitches at work in online matches. GRIN has made it clear that they are developing their own solution to specifically suit GRAW, rather then looking at third-party software such as PunkBuster; hopefully the online experience won't have degenerated too far before this happens.

To get GRAW looking good you'll need to have some pretty serious hardware behind you, with at least a 512MB graphics card needed to get high texture quality (unless you alter the configuration files manually). Strangely the game doesn't support Anti-Aliasing as yet, and as such looks a little rough around the edges on larger displays. GRIN and Ubisoft both assure us that anti-Aliasing will be introduced in a future patch, though like the issues surrounding the multiplayer, you can't help but feel the game was released perhaps a little too early.