Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter

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Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
Developer(s)	Xbox 360: Ubisoft Paris (Campaign) / Red Storm Entertainment (Multiplayer) Xbox: Ubisoft Shanghai PS2: Ubisoft Shanghai / Ubisoft Paris PC: GRIN
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Engine	PC version using GRIN's own engine PS2 version and Xbox version using Red Storm's Ghost Recon 2 engine. Xbox 360 uses the new "GRAW" engine
Release date(s)	Xbox 360: NA March 7, 2006 EU March 10, 2006 JP June 29, 2006 Xbox: NA March 7, 2006 EU March 17, 2006 Playstation 2: NA March 28, 2006 EU March 31, 2006 JP September 28, 2006 PC: NA May 5, 2006 EU May 5, 2006
Genre(s)	Tactical Shooter
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen PEGI: 16+
Platform(s)	Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2, Microsoft Windows.
Media	CD, DVD, DVD-DL
System requirements	Windows XP. 128mb DirectX 9.0 compatible (256mb Recommended. FX6 Series or higher, ATI 9600 or higher), 1024mb RAM, 12x CD or DVD drive, 2 GHz P4 or equivalent (2.8 Recommended), 4.5 GB of free space
Input	Gamepad, keyboard, mouse, joystick[1]

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (also known as Ghost Recon 3 or G.R.A.W.) is the third installment in the popular Ghost Recon tactical shooter video game series, published by Ubisoft. As in previous Ghost Recon games, players will command their team of Ghosts while neutralizing hostile forces and completing various mission objectives. These objectives can range from escorting friendly units across the map to rescuing hostages or taking out enemy artillery.

Being a tactical shooter, similar to games like America's Army, Advanced Warfighter places emphasis on using cover effectively in order to stay alive, together with sound strategic co-ordination to successfully complete mission objectives. Advanced Warfighter will allow new strategic situations to be planned and performed using original features. One such feature is the Integrated Warfighter System. This system is based upon the Future Force Warrior program. Previously, in 2005, the XM8 was also cancelled while still in its testing stage, making its induction into military service highly unlikely.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Inventory (PC) 1.2 Multiplayer 2 Plot 2.1 Overview 2.2 Characters 2.3 Story 3 Development history 4 Reception 5 Trivia 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Gameplay

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is slightly unusual in that there are three versions of the game for four different platforms, with minor varied storyline/missions. The PS2 and Xbox versions are essentially the same title, while the Xbox 360 and the PC stand on their own.

The Xbox 360 version features the exclusive third person view and covering system, which allows the player to duck behind objects for covering and perform tactical manoeuvres such as pop-and-shoot. Other versions are primarily designed as a first person shooter.

Gameplay emphasis is placed upon the player to do the bulk of the fighting while AI teammates tag along. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox version contains only one teammate, while the other versions provide three. The player can issue commands to the team members. The Xbox 360 version allows issuing command to the whole team, but not individually.

The Xbox 360 and PC versions feature a cross-com system.^[2] This system allows the player to command not only his squad, but also other friendly units (e.g. helicopters, UAV drones, etc.). The cross-com system can be used in conjunction with the Intel map, which is a tactical map showing the entire play area, to issue commands.

The PC version allows the player to issue different commands to each squad member in an effort to appeal to the fans of the original Ghost Recon series. The PC version requires the player to use squad tactics in order to achieve success. The PC version levels are larger than the console versions with more situation awareness required, lurking enemies, thus requiring more careful approach on the player.

Unfortunately, many PC gamers were disappointed when they first started the game due to the new squad commands. Unlike the Xbox 360 version of the game, the player has to command their men in every way possible, and at times the game is very strenuous to play this way.

The PC version can take advantage of the presence of a Ageia PhysX card,^[3] however the enhancements are only cosmetic and offer no benefits gameplay-wise.

[edit] Inventory (PC)

Before beginning a mission, the player is allowed to choose the weapons for the Ghost team. A Ghost may carry a primary weapon, a secondary weapon, and extra ammunition or a heat-seeking RPG. Every Ghost has a maximum weight they can carry. The more equipment a Ghost is carrying, the faster he will become fatigued when sprinting. Some of the weapons may be modified and the player can add various things to them such as laser sights, grenade launchers, silencers, and front grips. Every modification has its advantages and disadvantages. The combat/red dot sight increases accuracy by replacing the standard iron sights, but adds some weight. Grenade launchers reduce accuracy and are heavy, but give the option of launching grenades. Silencers decrease the sound of the weapon firing and the muzzle flash at the expense of accuracy. Front grips increase stability at the expense of accuracy. Players can also take ammunition from the weapons of dead enemies or allies if their weapon is of the same caliber, but are not allowed to pick up the weapons themselves. The weapons used by the Ghosts are various assortments of rifles, submachine guns, pistols and explosives—some of which are supposedly going to enter military service in the future where the game takes place.

[edit] Multiplayer

Online multiplayer on the PC has both versus and co-op mode. Versus mode features 32 players, which is double that of the Xbox 360 version. The online co-op mode only supports up to 4 players maximum on the PC (the Xbox 360 version supports up to 16 co-op players).

For those with the Xbox and Xbox 360 versions, some new Xbox Live features are included. For the Xbox 360 version the co-operative campaign (which currently features 8 missions - 4 of which are now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace) and multiplayer maps are all set in Nicaragua as a follow-up to the Mexico City missions of the single player campaign.

• On June 22, Ubisoft released the Chapter 2 Downloadable Content for 1,200 Microsoft Points on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
• The price of 1,200 Points was later reduced to 600.^[4]

In the UK, a special Game of the Year edition was released in late 2006 containing a card enabling the player to download (for free) all the marketplace content, including the Chapter 2 download. The game is also budget priced.

The PlayStation 2 version has similar online capabilities with up to 8 players.

Co-op multiplayer support for the PC is up to four people (one of them the squad leader) when playing the single-player campaign and up to 24 when playing in Original Ghost Recon Coop (a mod where players play on a map against computer enemies). More details about co-op can be found on the Ghost Recon site multiplayer details

[edit] Plot

[edit] Overview

Taking place after the events of Ghost Recon 2, players take on the role of Captain Scott Mitchell as he commands the fictitious "Ghost Unit" in an attempt to protect the U.S. and Mexican Presidents, recover stolen U.S. technology, and battle the rebellious Mexican forces. The story unfolds entirely in a realistic and detailed modeling of Mexico City, one of the world's largest cities. It is this size that allows Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter to provide multiple locations like in previous Ghost Recon games, ranging from heavily industrialized areas to local parks and landmarks to office districts.

[edit] Characters

High ranking officers

• General Martin
• General Keating

Ghosts

• Captain Scott Mitchell
• Richard Allen (Grenadier)
• Marcus Brown (Gunner)
• KC Kirkland (Gunner)
• SFC Joe Ramirez (Rifleman) Ramirez is generally perceived in the Xbox 360 version as the player’s right-hand man
• Paul Smith (Rifleman)
• Matt Beasley (Rifleman)
• Derrick Parker (Grenadier)
• Bo Jenkins (Grenadier)
• Annibale Cruz (Gunner)
• Alicia Diaz (Marksman)
• Jhon Hume (Anti-Armor)

Mentioned

• Captain Jennifer Burke - Charged with taking the airport so the President can extract. When General Martin requests a status report, she does not respond. Presumed KIA protecting the President.
• Captain David Foster - Secures ammunition and supplies while Mitchell rescues and escorts the tank trainers in 'Ready for Bear' mission.
• Captain Nick Salvatore - Mitchell witnesses Salvatore get shot on the Cross-Com in a Mexico City shanty town while trying to rescue his team. Salvatore's team is completely eliminated by Mexican rebels before the player reaches his position However there is a 5% possiblity that Salvatore could still be alive because Mitchell says that Salvatore is hit and bad.
• Bud - Blackhawk 4's pilot and friend of Mitchell. Before the last mission, his blackhawk is hijacked by Carlos and he is shot while Mitchell watches on the cross-com.
• Lt. Josh Rosen - Blackhawk 4's Flight engineer and Ghosts training & logistics officer. He was not in blackhawk 4 when it was hijacked.

The PC version differs by only offering four characters as Ghosts (Mitchell, Allen, Brown, and Kirkland)

[edit] Story

The game takes place over the course of 72 hours in 2013, beginning in Mexico City. A US spy plane carrying Guardrail IX, a device capable of disrupting wireless communications, is shot down over Nicaragua. Intelligence discovers a plot to transfer the device to rebels in Mexico City. One of the rebels is identified as Colonel Carlos Ontiveros, son of Mexican General Ontiveros, and a student of Bud, Mitchell's friend and a Blackhawk pilot. The mission is aborted when a coup d'état begins in Mexico City and the Ghosts are ordered to Mexico City immediately where a summit involving the leaders of the United States: President Ballantine, Canada (unnamed), and Mexico: President Ruiz-Pena, who are signing the North American Joint Security Agreement (NAJSA). The summit is attacked by Mexican revolutionaries, who kill the Canadian Prime Minister, and force the Presidents of the US and Mexico into hiding. Mitchell is sent to safely extract both leaders.

US President Ballantine is safely evacuated to Air Force One but is unable to take off due to the danger of being shot down. President Ruiz-Pena is evacuated to the US Embassy in Mexico City where a bomb nearly destroys the embassy, but the Ghosts fend off a massive onslaught long enough for help to arrive. The Mexican President agrees to allow US forces to fight the rebels and restore order. Mitchell is tasked with destroying artillery to open the road for an assault on Chapleted, where 50 M1A2 Abrams tanks given to the Mexican government as part of NAJSA lie idle. He is later ordered to rescue the American tankers who had been training the Mexicans in how to use them and "borrow" a few tanks.

The rebels use Guardrail IX to monitor US communications and the rebel special forces called the Aguila 7 ambush the Ghosts protecting the President. Mitchell is ordered to rescue him. President Ballantine's rescue is successful but the Nuclear Football is stolen by the rebels and with the Guardrail IX, the rebels are able to control US ICBMs which cause China and Russia to ready their own.

Mitchell is ordered to retrieve the Guardrail IX and the Football, but he only succeeds in disabling the Guardrail IX. He is then ordered to return to clear several blockades in Mexico City to allow US armor to pass. While being extracted, Gen. Martin's Black Hawk helicopter is shot down and Mitchell is ordered to defend him until he can be extracted. US forces then begin a final push towards Zocalo Plaza where General Ontiveros is held up inside the Palacio National.

Mitchell is ordered to destroy the last pieces of the Guardrail IX before sneaking into the palace. General Ontiveros is there and was captured while attempting to flee, but Carlos manages to escape and hijacks Bud's Black Hawk, shooting him in the head and greatly angering Mitchell, who sees this happen on his cross-com. At first Bud seems sad; this is very noticeable should the player look closely at the Cross-Com, Bud's eyes seem teary. Mitchell notices this before Bud says: "Well there's not much else to do really." Carlos shoots Bud, then shoves him off and puts on his helmet. Bravo Team's Black Hawk attempts to rescue Mitchell and team, but is unaware that Carlos has switched over to a stolen Apache. Carlos soon shoots Bravo Team down and captures them. Carlos flies to the wrecked US embassy and begins transferring the codes for the US nuclear arsenal. Mitchell and team raid the embassy, find and rescue Bravo team, recover the football, and finally track down and kill Carlos. A retired U.S. Army general who was opposed to the U.S.-Mexican treaty is discovered to be the traitor within the U.S. government that had been assisting the Ontiveros' in their activities.

[edit] Development history

Ghost Recon 3 was originally revealed to be in development to be released in 2004 before Halo 2 but it was delayed. In mid-March 2005, Ubisoft published its financial expectations for the 2005 fiscal year with Ghost Recon 3 on that list and revealed to be coming to Xbox, PS2, PC and Xbox 360. A Gamecube version was also announced, but has not been mentioned since, and it is presumed that it has been cancelled,^[5] with Ubisoft officials themselves doubting it will be released. The game's official subtitle of Advanced Warfighter was later announced by Ubisoft in late June.

In May, Advanced Warfighter was shown to the press in trailer form at the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) convention in Los Angeles.^[6] The trailer was heavily praised for its intense urban combat and its outstanding graphical effects such as light bloom, accurate lighting and shadowing, its particle effects and its superb weapon and soldier animations — all in high-definition. Because of this, Advanced Warfighter quickly became one of the Xbox 360's most anticipated titles.

[edit] Reception

The Xbox 360 HD version of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter was released on March 9, 2006^[16] to multiple rave reviews.^[17] Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the game's stunning next-generation presentation and high entertainment value, giving it review scores of 9.0, 9.5 and a perfect 10. The game was noted for its deeply immersive atmosphere, smart A.I. (though flawed for the squad and VIP A.I.), wide variety of weapons, multiple action scenes and believable storyline. The Xbox 360's version was noted for its realistic graphics, and Ubisoft had stated that it would port a version of Advanced Warfighter to other 7th generation consoles.

The PS2 and original Xbox versions have been mostly panned by critics as watered-down versions of the Xbox 360 version, most noticeably in graphics and content. While the Xbox 360 version received an average of 91% from reviews, the original Xbox and PS2 versions score 66% and 60% in average respectively. The PC version averages in about 79%.

On 5 October, 2006 it won the BAFTA award for Game of the Year.^[18]

[edit] Trivia

Presidents George W. Bush, Vicente Fox, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, did gather for a summit meeting on March 30, 2006, at the Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza. On March 31, 2006, some Canadian newspapers, including the National Post and Ottawa Citizen, commented on the remote possibility of the events of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, happening in real life.^[19]

With the exception of the Ghosts all other US military personel in the game have early 2000s equipment such as Desert Camouflage Uniforms instead of army combat uniforms or multicam. The only advanced piece of equipment they have is the XM8 rifle.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Official websites

• Official UK website

General resources

• GRAW Ghost Recon Fansite
• Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter Tournament Hightlights Video at xleague.tv
• Ghost Recon Retreat
• Planet Rainbow Six
• USA Today Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Xbox 360 review
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter at MobyGames

Tom Clancy video games v • d • e
Rainbow Six:	Rainbow Six • Rogue Spear • Raven Shield (Black Arrow) • Lockdown • Critical Hour • Vegas
Ghost Recon:	Ghost Recon (Island Thunder) • Ghost Recon 2 (Summit Strike) • Advanced Warfighter • Advanced Warfighter 2
Splinter Cell:	Splinter Cell • Pandora Tomorrow • Chaos Theory • Essentials • Double Agent • Conviction
Other:	The Hunt for Red October • SSN • Politika • ruthless.com • Shadow Watch • The Sum of All Fears