Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (2001 video game)

For other uses, see Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (2001 video game) (disambiguation).

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Developer(s)	Red Storm Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Designer(s)	Brian Upton
Platform(s)	PC, Mac, Xbox, PS2, GameCube
Release	PC November 13, 2001 November 23, 2001 June 15, 2002 (Game of the Year Edition) 2003 (Gold Edition) Xbox November 11, 2002 December 6, 2002 September 25, 2003 Playstation 2 December 1, 2002 December 6, 2002 March 13, 2003 Gamecube February 9, 2003 March 28, 2003
Genre(s)	Tactical Shooter
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (also known as simply Ghost Recon) is a tactical shooter video game created by Tom Clancy. The game was developed by Red Storm Entertainment, a Ubisoft subsidiary, and published by Ubisoft in 2001 for the PC; it was later ported to the Mac, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2002 and to the GameCube in 2003, and then later to the Nokia N-Gage in 2004. A port for Game Boy Advance was planned, but was canceled. Unlike Clancy's other tactical shooter series, Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon is not based on any of his books.

Ghost Recon's success has spawned 2 expansion packs, Desert Siege and Island Thunder, as well as numerous sequels for video game consoles and the PC.

Overview

Ghost Recon puts the player in charge of a fictitious squad of U.S. Special Forces operators from Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (5th SFG) stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. Except for the "1st Battalion, 5th SFG" designation, this unit is entirely fictional. They are sometimes referred to as "The Ghosts". Their role is not unlike other real world Special Operations Forces, in that their operations are kept highly classified.

The Ghosts are organized into three fireteams named using the NATO phonetic alphabet: Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie allowing for a distribution of three soldiers per team (two on certain platforms). However, since the player can only assign a total of six men in a single player mission, it is not uncommon for one of the fireteams to be disregarded, depending on the preference of the player. The player enjoys limited tactical control on the battlefield environment, and can issue maneuver commands as well as rules of engagement for each of the fireteams through a command map. It should be noted that the Xbox and PS2 versions of Ghost Recon do not have Charlie teams.

In the original game, the soldiers themselves are organized into four different distinct roles (or classes). Every class can carry a primary and a secondary weapon, which are organized into "kits". Even though the primary weapon remains the same in all the kits (being defined by the soldier class — see below), there is a variety of equipment to be chosen as the secondary weapon.

• Rifleman: this class provides the majority of the selection pool of personnel that the player can choose from. He can use a variety of different weapons and equipment (or kits). His primary weapon is the M16 assault rifle. Secondaries include the M203 grenade launcher (which is attached under the barrel of the rifle), the M9 pistol, additional spare magazines, or binoculars (in later versions these were replaced with deployable sensors).
• Support: this role is to provide a high volume of suppressive fire with the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). In addition to the machine gun, the support class may also carry the M9 (suppressed), M67 fragmentation grenades (known as "frags"), Claymore mines or additional magazines.
• Demolitions ("Demo"): although the name is self-explanatory, this class also serves in the anti-tank role. His primary weapon is the M4 carbine, a compact cousin of the M16 rifle. This soldier can also be equipped with demolition charges (explosives), frags, extra magazines, or the M136 AT4 light anti-tank weapon.
• Sniper: this class is complete with a camouflaged Ghillie suit, and the U.S. Army's M24 Sniper Weapon System (SWS), also camouflaged. The sniper may be equipped with the M9 sidearm, with optional suppressor, extra magazines or frags. Unlike the other soldiers, the sniper can not rely on sheer firepower to overcome his enemies should he ever get involved in a direct firefight. The sniper relies on cover and concealment, and his ability to move stealthily. Although a deadly advantage on maps with longer ranges (such as some of those found in the expansion pack Desert Siege), the sniper is to be used wisely if the player intends on keeping him. Reinforcement from the rest of the team should never be too far behind when deploying the sniper in a combat situation.

As the player progresses through the single player campaign, his soldiers gain Combat Points to add to the skill level and effectiveness of the individual men. There are four basic categories of skill:

• Weapon: affects the accuracy and aiming of the weapon; the reticule will close faster and tighter as more points are added to this skill.
• Stealth: enhances the ability of the soldier to remain undetected by enemy forces and reduces noise generated by the soldier moving.
• Endurance: improves recovery time when taking hits, increases the soldier's ability to survive a wound and reduces the effect of heavy equipment on speed.
• Leadership: for every three points of skill, all other soldiers in the same fireteam gain an extra point to each of their stats.

The player also unlocks "specialists" from NATO or allied countries by completing special mission objectives. The specialists are more experienced than the Ghosts and have more Combat Points, making them an essential addition to the team. They are equipped with weapons from their homeland. Two of them are armed with the Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW), as part of field tests and implementation of the U.S. Army's Land Warrior program.

The game is played entirely from the first-person perspective. There are no first-person weapon models, just the targeting reticule. A Heads-Up Display (HUD) relays information such as the name of the soldier you are controlling, his fireteam, weapon and ammo inventory, a threat indicator (similar to the heartbeat sensor made popular in Rainbow Six), health status, and a stance indicator (whether the character is standing, crouched, or prone).

Bullets will not penetrate dry wall, but they will break glass. A grenade launched from a grenade launcher will blow a door apart, and kill anyone within the blast radius on the other side. Depending on the armor on your target, it is possible to neutralize a threat with one or two well-placed shots.

Ghost Recon has both single player and multiplayer modes of play. Up to 36 players are supported in the PC version's multiplayer over an internet (TCP/IP) connection or LAN.

Expansion packs and related games

Ghost Recon: Desert Siege is an expansion pack that debuted in 2003, and it is available for the PC as a separate purchase. It is also bundled with the Mac port. The expansion pack adds 2 new multiplayer game types (Domination and Siege), 5 new multiplayer maps, new weapons for use in multiplayer, an eight-mission single player campaign, and several new characters. The PS2 version of Ghost Recon allows you to unlock levels of Desert Siege as a bonus.

Ghost Recon: Island Thunder was released later in 2003 as an expansion pack for the PC and as a standalone game for Xbox. It contains eight new single player missions, 12 new weapons, 5 new dedicated multiplayer maps, 3 new multiplayer modes (Cat and Mouse, Defend, and Behemoth). On the Xbox, Island Thunder features five additional missions and twelve multiplayer maps.

Island Thunder was never released for PS2, but its content was combined with eight new single-player missions set in Columbia and additional multiplayer maps and released under the title Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm in 2004.

Plot summary

Ghost Recon

Ghost Recon begins in 2008, with civil unrest in Russia. Ultra-nationalists have seized power in Moscow, with plans to rebuild the Iron Curtain. Their first step is clandestine support of rebel factions in Georgia and the Baltic States. This is where the Ghosts come in: to silence the rebellion. Armed with some of the most advanced weaponry in the world, the soldiers of the Ghost Recon force are covertly inserted into Eastern Europe and given specific missions to curtail the rebel actions and overthrow their benefactors.

The game's storyline stems from political turmoil that came to light a few years earlier, in which the Ultra-nationalist regime came to power and placed its leader, Dmitri Arbatov, as Russia's president. By 2007, the threat posed by the Arbatov Administration became clear. Russia forms an alliance called the Russian Democratic Union (RDU), which is made up of the previously conquered countries of Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Together, they launch a campaign to revive the long-dissolved Soviet Union by taking back all of the former Soviet republics.

During the first few missions of the game, the Ghosts have to battle South Ossetian rebel forces from the north of Georgia, who are harassing the legitimate government and its allies. The Ghosts fight in the forests, on farms, and in villages while assisting their NATO allies in fighting the enemy. Unfortunately, the Russian government complains to the United Nations that the Americans have interfered in their affairs, and eventually they send in their army to aid the South Ossetian rebels. This ignites a full-scale war between the U.S. and Russia. Unfortunately, the U.S. cannot hope to stop the Russian Army from invading Georgia, so the Ghosts slow down the invading forces so that all NATO forces and the Georgian government can evacuate. Eventually, the Ghosts are all that's left of the U.S. forces in Georgia, and they evacuate by SH-60 Seahawk helicopter on the rooftop of the American Embassy in T'bilisi, just barely avoiding the Russian forces. The Georgian government flees to Geneva and sets up a government-in-exile. Sadly, with the fall of T'bilisi, Georgia surrenders and is forcefully incorporated into the RDU.

After Georgia falls, the Caucasus region is vulnerable to further attacks. The Georgian government, Great Britain, Germany, and the U.S. all protest the Russian invasion, but Moscow ignores this. Russia then focuses on invading the Baltic States on Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, which the Ultra-nationalists have hoped to regain control of for years. In response to this, the Ghosts are sent behind enemy lines to find intelligence on the enemy attack. Unfortunately, the Russians launch their attack early and overrun the Baltic States within days. The Ghosts then are sent back in to slow the invasion down so NATO reinforcements can arrive from Germany. After cutting off the Russian reinforcements, the Ghosts fight alongside American forces to push the Russian Army out of the Baltics. Victories are won within the next months in Utena amd Rezekne, and finally, NATO reaches Vilnius, Lithuania. The city was almost leveled after intense fighting between Russian troops and Lithuanian rebels, but after the city was liberated with some help from the Ghosts, the Russian Army retreated from all three countries.

The loss of the Baltic states takes its toll on Russia. President Arbatov is blamed for the disaster and placed under house arrest, starting rumors about a coup de'tat. The Ghosts then run into Russia to free American and Russian POWs. Some Russians have prompted major protests across the country, landing them in prison. After this event, President Arbatov is executed by his once-loyal government. This sparks a rebellion all across Russia that borderlines on civil war. The Ultra-nationalists quickly lose the support of the people, and many members of the RDU are also liberated or quit the alliance. The Ghosts are then sent on a campaign to disable the combat capabilities of several Ultra-nationalist military bases, such as the naval base at Murmansk and the airbase at Arkhangel'sk. They destroy several subs and prototype aircraft, making Russian Forces combat ineffective in Naval and Air warfare. While the Ghosts are striking bases, the Ultra-nationalists engage in battle with American troops and Russian forces that are now opposed to the government north of Moscow. Unfortunately, the Ultra-nationalist forces detonated a nuclear bomb during the battle. Alongside Arbatov's execution, this act of terror causes the Ultra-nationalist regime to lose all legitimacy in the international community, prompting an immediate invasion of Moscow.

After the Ghosts succeeded in weakening the Russian fighting force, NATO forces launched an assault on Moscow, with the Ghosts spearheading the assault. By this time, the Ultra-nationalists had lost control of all territories except for whatever they held in Russia itself, and the RDU was effectively dissolved. However, the coup was not finished. The remaining Ultra-nationalist forces holed up their tanks, snipers, Spetsnaz, helicopters, and artillery in the wooded areas surrounding Moscow as a last line of defense. However, the Ghosts broke through the lines and cleared a path for NATO forces. On November 10, NATO forces finally reached Moscow and were joined by friendly Russians. The city was partially deserted, as many civilians had fled prior to the attack. The Ghosts were sent in to finish the job once and for all. They saved a small squad of American troops from an ambush and cut into Red Square. When they arrived, American invasion forces were pushed back, but the Ghosts wiped out the tanks and infantry guarding the walls of the Kremlin. Without any remaining defenses, the Ultra-nationalists, led by Prime Minister Karpin, finally surrendered and both the Americans and the newly-liberated Russians celebrated their victory in Red Square. However, the world would feel the effects of the war for years to come.

Desert Siege

In the year 2009, old hostilities between Eritrea and Ethiopia have resurfaced. Colonel Tesfaye Wolde of the Ethiopian military had participated in illegal arms trades with Russian ultra-nationalists. Sparing no time at all, and with a newly refurbished arsenal, Col. Wolde seized the opportunity to reclaim Eritrea (which won independence in 1993). The situation garnered international interest when the conflict threatened the shipping lanes in the Red Sea. In response to a plea from the Eritrean government for international support, the Ghosts have been mobilized to stop Col. Wolde from advancing any further.

Island Thunder

The year is 2010, and great changes are afoot in Cuba. Fidel Castro's heirs have been unable to keep the fire of his revolution burning, and a popular uprising has toppled the Communist regime. In its wake, a fragile hope for democracy emerges. The interim President, Pedro Ebana, promises free elections, and requests international assistance to safeguard the elections. For there are those in Cuba who do not want to see a democratic regime, and they will do anything it takes - subversion, violence, or open revolution - to make certain that Cuba's future is the one they create for it. From the midst of chaos, the call goes out for the Ghosts. Their mission: to ensure the integrity of the Cuban elections by thwarting any attempts made to subvert them.

Weapons of Ghost Recon

Assault Rifles

• AK47
  • 7.62x39mm

• AK74
  • 5.45x39mm

• M16A4 with ACOG 4x Scope
  • 5.56x45mm

• M16/M203
  • 5.56x45mm/40x46mm HE Grenade

• M4A1 with ACOG Reflex
  • 5.56x45mm

• M4A1 with ACOG 4x Scope and Suppressor
  • 5.56x45mm

• L85A2 with SUSAT
  • 5.56x45mm

• OICW with integrated Grenade Launcher
  • 5.56x45mm/20mm HE Grenade

• Sa vz. 58
  • 5.45x39mm

Sub-Machine Guns

• MP5
  • 9x19mm

• MP5 with Suppressor
  • 9x19mm

• Star Model Z84
  • 9x19mm

Support Weapons

• Degtyarev DP
  • 7.62x54mm

• M240 machine gun
  • 7.62x51mm

• FN M249 SAW
  • 5.56x45mm

• M60 machine gun
  • 7.62x51mm

• MG3
  • 7.62x51mm

• RP-46
  • 7.62x54mm

• RPD
  • 7.62x39mm

Sniper Weapons

• Accuracy International Arctic Warfare aka L96 A1
  • 7.62x51mm

• M24 Sniper Weapon System
  • 7.62x51mm

• Barrett M82
  • .50 BMG

• Stoner SR-25
  • 7.62x51mm

• Stoner SR-25 with Suppressor
  • 7.62x51mm

• SVD Dragunov
  • 7.62x54mm

Pistols

• Beretta 92FS
  • 9mm

• Beretta 92FS with Suppressor
  • 9mm

• SA Pistol
  • 9mm

• Makarov
  • 9mm

Heavy Weapons

• AT-4
  • 84mm Projectile

• MM-1
  • 40mm Grenade

• M2 Browning Machine Gun
  • .50 BMG

• AGS-17 Automatic Grenade Launcher
  • 30mm Grenade

Miscellaneous Weapons

• M67 Fragmentation Grenade

• SLAM (Selectable Lightweight Attack Munition)

• M18A1 Claymore Anti-Personnel Mine

Awards

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon was named Best Game of the Year in 2001 by both IGN and PC Gamer, as well as receiving the Best Sound award from PC Gamer magazine. Ghost Recon was a runner-up in IGN's Best Action Game 2001 and Best Use Of Sound (Reader's Choice). Wargamer gave it three bronze awards in Game of the Year, awarded Red Storm with Game Developer of the Year, and gave Game Publisher of the Year to Ubisoft.

System requirements

Minimum PC requirements

• Windows 2000/XP
• Pentium II 450 MHz processor
• 128 MB of RAM
• DirectX 8.0 or higher (included on CD) (must have compatible sound card)
• 16 MB VRAM 3D graphics card compatible with DirectX 8.0
• 2 GB hard drive space
• 4X CD-ROM
• Internet/network with TCP/IP connection at 28.8 kbit/s

Minimum Mac requirements

• Mac OS X or Mac OS 9 or higher
• PowerPC G3 processor or higher
• 256 MB of memory (128 MB if using Mac OS 9)
• ATI Technologies Rage 128 graphics card with 16 MB VRAM or better
• 1 GB of hard disk space

External links

• Game is now free of charge, ad supported - Official fileplanet files were taken offline, and ubi.com logins no longer work
• Official Ghost Recon Website
• Red Storm Entertainment
• Ubisoft Entertainment
• Planet Rainbow Six: Tom Clancy Community fansite
• Ghost Recon.net
• Ghost Recon Retreat
• Ghost Recon Spain
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon at MobyGames
• Ghost Recon Wiki