Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
| Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 | |
|---|---|
| Xbox 360 cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Ubisoft Paris (Xbox 360 version) GRIN (PC version) |
| Publisher(s) | Ubisoft |
| Engine | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable versions: Yeti Engine PC version: GRIN Diesel Engine version 7 |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Microsoft Windows |
| Release | Xbox 360 |
| Genre(s) | Tactical shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2) is the sequel to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. It expands on the game play of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and is the eighth installment in the popular Ghost Recon tactical shooter video game series, published by Ubisoft.
The game takes place in 2014, 48 hours after the events of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, just south of the United States border, and deals with the conflict between a Mexican rebel group, Mexican loyalists, and the U.S. Army for a time span of 72 hours. A wide array of location types are included, featuring mountains, small towns, urban environments, and a large hydro-electric dam just north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Gameplay
The gameplay is similar to the first GRAW, although some new features have been added to improve gameplay. One significant change is the addition of the improved cross-com system, a battlefield information interlink between all friendly units, that now allows a full screen view of what any unit is seeing. This makes the direction of friendly units much more accurate and effective. The squad A.I. is improved, with less problems occurring than in the last GRAW. Units will actively seek cover and descriptively call out targets (i.e. "behind the red car", or "under the green roof")
Plot
The game begins in Ciudad Juárez where rebel activity has caused civil unrest throughout Mexico. The Ghosts are sent to Sierra Juárez to investigate claims that the rebels are in possession of a dirty bomb, later revealed to be old Ukrainian Red Star III nuclear warheads. Soon after the first act, it is revealed that delivery systems as well as the nuclear warheads are being smuggled to the rebels from the Panama Canal, which leads the Ghost team to travel to Ciudad Juárez to search for the nukes. After battles with the rebels, a group of mercenaries appear in the conflict. Upon extracting from a mission involving a meeting with a journalist with information about the mercenaries, Lieutenant Rosen's Blackhawk 5 is shot down and Mitchell's team is forced to extract via Humvee. The driver is eliminated by a Havoc helicopter and Mitchell is knocked out from an explosion. He is forced to escape via Blackhawk 9 and then sent on a mission to rescue Rosen. Mitchell is then sent on a joint mission with Bravo team (lead by Derrick Parker) to secure the nukes. However, only one of the remaining nukes are destroyed and a rebel leader escapes with the last nuke. Mitchell does manage to kill the leader as he escapes. However, it is revealed the leader was not in possession of the nuke. US intelligence then finds out that the mercenaries plan to take the nukes to El Paso, Texas to destroy a large dam. The dam turns out to be on top of a major US installation where the mercenaries were using a jamming antenna. The Ghosts then find out the nukes were not at the dam. They then cross onto Mexican Soil and try to eliminate the Nukes. Mitchell and his team end up pinned down on a balcony right above the site where the nukes will be launched. Meanwhile the US will use an EMP(Electro-Magnetic-Pulse) missile fired by air support to stop the launch of the nukes. However, Mitchell and his team are still in range of the blast, and General Keating hesitates on authorizing air support with friendly soldiers in the blast area. Keating tells Mitchell "Son, I can't ask you to do this," but Mitchell says "Sir, it's why you sent me here, you know this is the only way,", and air support fires the EMP missile, catching the Ghosts directly in the blast of the EMP. The view cuts to Mitchell falling back by the explosion, with faint voices from Mitchell's crosscom. Lieutenant Rosen's Blackhawk can be seen from this view, and while Keating and Rosen plead with him to stay alive, President James Ballantine thanks him for saving the nation. Rosen's chopper hovers over Mitchell, Rosen appears on the crosscom saying "Soldier, you're going home" and the game then cuts to the credits. It is unknown whether Mitchell and the other Ghosts survived. It is widely believed that Advanced Warfighter 2 will be Captain Scott Mitchell's last appearance in the Ghost Recon series, either dead or alive.
Multiplayer
Unlike the first GRAW, players in the online multiplayer mode can be "downed", or critically injured, instead of killed. This gives teammates the opportunity to heal a downed teammate and prevent the other team from getting the point, although downed players can be shot and killed by players from the opposing team before they are healed. The mechanics in the multiplayer mode have also been improved, and characters can now "slide" into a crouched position while running, where in the first GRAW this was only available in the single player mode. The ability to use cover like in the singleplayer mode has still not been added to the multiplayer mode. In multiplayer the player can choose from four weapon classes, including Rifleman, Grenadier, Automatic Rifleman, and Marksman. Choosing the rifleman class makes the player more proficient with rifles, the automatic rifleman more proficient with machine guns, and so on. Another new feature added to multiplayer was full-screen cross-com. As in singleplayer mode, the player can hold down the right button and bring up the fullscreen view. This can be used to view friendly players' views as well as the Drone, but cannot be used to give commands or manually fly the drone.
Team Selection
In this addition, the player can select each NPC to bring along for each mission rather than choosing a preselected team, as in Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. Choosing the correct teammates plays an important role as certain teammates perform better on certain missions (e.g., choosing the anti-tank gunner to combat enemy armored vehicles). This decision is aided by an Intel screen that gives your objective and a rough estimation of the enemies your team will face. Each time a new mission is started or the player regroups with the command vehicles over the course of the mission, the player will receive new Intel and can choose new teammates and rearm. Another feature is that the Riflemen have a different Assault Rifle each.
Unit Descriptions
Rifleman - At least one rifleman is present in any team. They are versatile soldiers, effective against enemy infantry and armed with scoped assault rifles.
(Machine) Gunner - Better armoured soldier, armed with a light machine gun, capable of pinning down enemy forces and destroying light/civilian vehicles (which may provide cover for enemies). They are inaccurate at long range but are able to prevent enemy troop movement in a wide section of the battle zone they are covering.
Grenadier - Grenadiers are armed with underbarrel grenade launchers. This enables them to quickly destroy light armoured/civilian vehicles and deal with enemies behind cover, or in groups.
Medic - The medic is the only team member able to heal Captain Mitchell, and having him in your team allows you to carry 3 additional medkits, which is often vital. The rest of the team are trained to heal an unconscious teammate to "red" (injured) health, but only the medic can fully heal them. This is particularly useful before a major firefight. The medic is only armed with a submachinegun, and therfore is ineffective in medium to long range contacts. The Medic was cut from the PC version of the game.
Marksman - The marksman is capable of killing enemies at extreme range or behind cover with a sniper rifle, and is useful in recon missions. However, she is not the best choice in large scale fights.
Anti-tank Gunner - The anti-tank gunner is armed with a lethal Rocket launcher, and is vital for defending the team from heavy armor (main battle tanks, helicopter gunships). He can deliver massive power over long range, however it is usually best to use your support units in this role, since the anti-tank gunner has no other use. A medic or additional rifleman is usually more popular.
Note: Through choosing his weapon, the team leader can perform any of these roles himself, but is always a medic as well. However Captain Mitchell cannot carry additional Medikits or heal other team mates to 100% Health. However in the PC version of the game nobody is capable of healing.
Support Units
AH-64 Apache Helicopter Gunship - The AH-64 Apache is by far the most effective support unit. Its 30 mm gun and 2.75" rockets are capable of annihilating any enemy, however it should try to avoid enemy anti-tank gunners.
AH-6 "Little Bird" Gunship - The Little Bird is similar in capability to the Apache, however it is far more fragile and should be used with support to protect it from RPGs or machine gun fire.
F-15E Strike Eagle - The F15 fighter jet delivers enough power to destroy just about anything. There is a delay between uses, the pilot notifies the player when he is standing by. The F15 is the only support available in gunride missions.
Sikorsky Cypher UAV - The UAV is able to scan an area and feed intel directly to Captain Mitchell's HUD. It is vital in missions where little support is available, and allows the Ghosts the advantage of being able to plan an attack in detail before going in. The UAV can scan an area (at low altitude) for around 5 seconds before being spotted and shot down, so users should be cautious. The UAV is able to monitor units within its target radius at high altitude, so when positioned over a battle zone it can stop enemies from disappearing from view.
M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank - This tank is almost invincible. The Ghosts need only to deal with enemy RPGs and cover behind it and it can send the enemy running. The Abrams can deal with all enemy ground vehicles and destroy cover. Enemies are forced to remote positions, where riflemen and snipers can deal with them without being at risk of being pinned down. The Abrams must follow a preset route.
Stryker APC - The APC is armoured enough to protect those covering behind it from small arms fire. It is armed with a regular shell gun, similar to a tank, and a heavy machine gun on the top. The gunner can potentially be killed, effectively limiting its ability. The APC requires support from the Ghosts to avoid being surrounded by gunners or grenadiers, and is limited to moving along a specific route.
UH-60 Black Hawk - The Blackhawk, which is used to transport the Ghosts between missions and carries re-enforcements and equipment, has an M134 heavy machine gun mounted on the side, allowing Captain Mitchell to defend the aircraft and clear insertion areas. The UH-60 is manned by a pilot and co-pilot, and usually a logistics support officer to brief the team.
Humvee - The Humvee can transport the team between missions in relative safety, but carries no equipment etc and is unable to safely enter battles. Humvees with gunners sometimes escort the Ghost Truck to rally points.
Infantry - Additional Ghost units and Mexican loyalists can be controlled in some missions, the same as your main team. They are always a pair of riflemen, and allow you to vary your main team more by providing additional firepower that makes up for the specialists' weaknesses. Having additional infantry allows flanking maneuvers. It is unknown how when commanding Mexican loyalists the full-screen cross-com can still be used dispite the lack of cross-com equipment on the soldiers.
MULE - The MULE delivers equipment and medkits, which is vital for a soldier working alone. They allow the team leader to change his role and heal himself in battle. Mules are not well armoured, and should follow at a safe distance. They can be driven in command-full-view, but this is generally unnecessary.
Characters
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High Ranking Officers
Ghost Leader
Riflemen
Gunner
Grenadier
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Marksman
Anti-Tank
Medic
Support personnel
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Additional content
Throwback Pack
Seven classic maps from past Ghost Recon games redone for the GRAW 2 engine. The maps are: Bonfires, Desert Gulch, Fishing Village, Jungle Mines, Mountain Base, Mountain Falls, and Peninsula. The Throwback Pack was released to Xbox Live Marketplace on May 9, 2007 for 800 Microsoft Points ($10 USD).[3]
PlayStation 3 Exclusive Content
The PlayStation 3 version of GRAW 2 will receive exclusive content in the form of SIXAXIS control, 14 extra multiplayer maps, and two new co-operative multiplayer modes This annoyed many PS3 owners, as they did not think this was sufficient enough to make up for the extra $15USD on the RRP (Compared to the XBOX 360 or PC price)
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (May 2007) |
- Third Echelon from Splinter Cell is mentioned by name during Act Three. This shows again how Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell may exist within the same universe, the first time being the sinking of the USS Clarence E. Walsh in both Ghost Recon 2 and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. Also, the news broadcasts shown between missions are by World News Media. Broadcasts by the same station are seen in the Splinter Cell games
- The player can obtain special head gear from Rainbow Six: Vegas and Splinter Cell: Double Agent by having saved profiles from the games on your hard drive or memory card. The player can gain access to these head pieces in the multiplayer character customization area.
- In the multiplayer map Lagoon, an area similar to the island map named Rocky Cove from the first GRAW can be seen in the distance. Similarities include the raised cliff like area in the center with rocky beaches to the sides.
- Derrick Parker and KC Kirkland were a grenadier and a gunner respectively in GRAW, but in GRAW 2 they're both riflemen.
- Some of the Ghosts from GRAW such as Richard Allen and Annibale Cruz did not return in GRAW 2, but it can be assumed that Derrick Parker's Bravo Team was made primarily by the other Ghosts who aren't available to Cpt. Mitchell's team in GRAW 2.
- The US Soldiers in GRAW 2 feature less-advanced technology than the Ghosts. They are equipped with modified MultiCam, Interceptor OTV's, though they carry Crye Precision MR-C Carbines. If one compares them with the original GRAW, they are seen with the same uniform as the Ghost team in GRAW.
- News feeds occasionally use live-action scenes.
- Girls are allowed into your squad. This cause a minor controversy in the US as the feminists said this was a sexist depiction of women. They said that it was an outrage the women could be shot in any video game
References
- ^ "ghostrecon.us.ubi.com/newspost.php?news_id=6062". Retrieved 2007-07-06.
- ^ "http://www.gamespot.com/psp/action/graw2/tech_info.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;techinfo". Retrieved 2007-07-17.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - ^ "www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/05/09/graw2-throwback-pack.aspx". Retrieved 2007-07-06.
External links
Tom Clancy's video games | |
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| Rainbow Six | |
| Ghost Recon | |
| Splinter Cell | |
| Ryanverse | |
| H.A.W.X | |
| The Division |
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| Other games | |
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