Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Genres Tactical shooter
Developers Red Storm Entertainment
Publishers Ubisoft
First release Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
November 2001
Latest release Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
March 27, 2011
Official website ghostrecon.com

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon is an American series of military tactical shooter video games created by Red Storm Entertainment, the game development studio founded in part by American author Tom Clancy.

Ghost Recon has also been novelized by Grant Blackwood under the pseudonym David Michaels.[1]

In the series, the player is in charge of a fictional, newly-conceived squad of United States Army Special Forces operators from Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (5th SFG) stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Except for the "1st Battalion, 5th SFG" designation, this unit is entirely fictional, as Special Forces Battalions currently only support three Companies (A, B and C). 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.

Contents

Games in the series

TITLE Release Year Year Set Windows Mac Microsoft Sony Nintendo Mobile phones Comments
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2001 2008 Yes Yes Xbox PS2 NGC N-Gage
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Desert Siege 2002 2009 Yes Yes No PS2 No No expansion pack
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder 2003 2010 Yes Yes Xbox No No No expansion pack
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm 2004 No No No PS2 No N-Gage, Mobile
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 2004 2011 No No Xbox PS2 NGC No
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike 2005 2012 No No Xbox No No No
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2006 2013 Yes No Xbox, 360 PS2 No No
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 2007 2013 Yes No 360 PS3, PSP No Mobile
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Predator 2010  ? No No No PSP No No
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wii[2] 2010  ? No No No No Wii No
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars 2011 2017 No No No No 3DS No
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online[3] 2012  ? Yes No No No Wii U No
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier 2012 2024 Cancelled[4]
No 360 PS3, PSP Wii, DS No

Storyline

Ghost Recon

Ghost Recon begins in April 2008, with civil unrest in Russia. Ultra-nationalists have seized power with plans to rebuild the Soviet Union. Their first step is clandestine support of rebel factions in Georgia and the Baltic States. Alarmed by the threat, the US deploys the Ghosts into Georgia to stop the Russians. Over the course of the campaign, the Ghosts take the fight to the ultra-nationalists, with a final showdown in Red Square.

Ghost Recon: Desert Siege

Set 6 months after the first game, Desert Siege features a new campaign in East Africa, where the Ghosts have been deployed to stop Ethiopian Army Colonel Tesfaye Wolde's plans to invade Eritrea. He executes his plan through arms sales with the same Russian ultra-nationalists who launched the coup the previous year.

Ghost Recon: Island Thunder

The second expansion set to Ghost Recon, Island Thunder takes place in Cuba in 2010. Its plot revolves around Cuba's first democratic elections since the 1950s, but an anti-American faction named the FDP (El Frente Democratico del Pueblo or People's Democratic Front), secretly terrorizes election outlets during the campaign while fielding their own presidential candidate. The Ghosts, who are sent to ensure order during the elections, discover that the FDP is a shell organization run by a Colombian drug cartel that needs the island as a transit point to the United States.

Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm

Taking place just after Island Thunder in Bogotá, Colombia, the drug cartel that had aided and financed the FDP in their efforts in Cuba has initiated a number of terrorist attacks against the Colombian government who have allied themselves with the U.S.A. After Colombia's call for help following an attack on a U.S. Embassy, America responds by deploying the Ghosts to restore order and put the cartel out of business.

Ghost Recon 2

Ghost Recon 2 is set in the Korean Peninsula in the year 2007. The settings of the PS2 and GameCube versions (both of which are labeled 2007: First Contact) are linked with Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, particularly the sinking of the fictional intelligence-gathering vessel Clarence E. Walsh. They depict a new Korean War brought about by a renegade Korean People's Army general, Jung Chong-sun, who launches a coup against the North Korean government. The Xbox version is the direct sequel of the two games, in which Jung plots revenge against NATO and South Korea. Ghost Recon 2 also marks the debut of the series' main character, CPT Scott Mitchell.

Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike

Kazakhstan has fallen into chaos. The Kazakh president and Security Council were assassinated in an explosion set by notorious Pakistani warlord and arms dealer Asad Rahil. With the President dead, the Kazakh military fractured into factions vying for political control of the country. Rahil quickly moved in and consolidated power using his corrupt contacts in the Kazakh military. A large group of soldiers loyal to the government has been working closely with U.N. ground forces to stabilize the region. The Ghosts have been sent in to capture Rahil and neutralize his military presence. They are working closely with a contact in the Kazakh military named Grigoriy Koslov. Together, the Ghosts and Koslov shadow the U.N. forces' assaults against Rahil's troops and track him from the southern mountain ranges to the wastes of the arid badlands.

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter

Often identified by the acronym GRAW, the game takes place over the course of 72 hours in 2013, beginning in Mexico City. The plot revolves around Mitchell's efforts to rescue US President Ballantine from Mexican rebels, destroy a secret communications device that they captured, and prevent a launch of the United States' nuclear arsenal. The game is mostly known for its new combat mechanics, new weapons, and next-generation graphics.

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2

The game is again, set south of the United States border in 2013, one day after the events of Advanced Warfighter and again 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. This game, as well as Rainbow Six: Vegas, has been noted for rectifying squad artificial intelligence problems that the series has been afflicted with.

Ghost Recon Novel

The novel by David Michaels follows CPT Scott Mitchell and Ghost team on a mission in China. Their task is to search for the Spring Tiger Group - a band of rogue Chinese military officers - and put an end to its attempt at seizing control of Taiwan and sparking a massive armed conflict in the Pacific Ocean.

Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is a turn-based tactical RPG video game for the Nintendo 3DS. It was developed by Ubisoft Sofia Studio under the creative direction of Julian Gollop. First images of the game were leaked by IGN in December 2010.[5] The game was released on March 25, 2011, as a launch title for Nintendo's new handheld.

Ghost Recon Future Soldier

Ubisoft announced on January 22, 2009 that it is currently working on a new installment in the Ghost Recon series. It was originally scheduled to be released in early 2010, but the release date was subsequently pushed back into Ubisoft's 2010–2011 fiscal year (April 2010-March 2011),[6][7][8] and was delayed again for a 2011–2012 fiscal year release.[9][10] The Australian Ratings Board revealed that Ubisoft had registered the name Ghost Recon: 'Predator', leading to speculation that this was to be the name of the next release in the series. In December 2009 the name Ghost Recon: Future Soldier was also registered, leaving the title up in the air until Ubisoft announced officially what the title would be.[11] In January 2010, Ubisoft confirmed that the game would have the Future Soldier title, and that multiplayer beta would be available to owners of Splinter Cell: Conviction.

Reception

Aggregate review scores
As of April 21, 2011.
Game GameRankings Metacritic
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (Xbox) 85.31%[12]
(PC) 82.15%[13]
(PS2) 67.03%[14]
(GC) 63.25%[15]
(Xbox) 84[16]
(PC) 80[17]
(PS2) 63[18]
(GC) 59[19]
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 (Xbox) 82.69%[20]
(PS2) 63.61%[21]
(GC) 49.64%[22]
(Xbox) 80[23]
(PS2) 58[24]
(GC) 54[25]
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (X360) 90.61%[26]
(PC) 80.07%[27]
(Xbox) 64.57%[28]
(PS2) 50.67%[29]
(X360) 90[30]
(PC) 80[31]
(Xbox) 66[32]
(PS2) 44[33]
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (PS3) 86.59%[34]
(X360) 86.53%[35]
(PC) 77.15%[36]
(PSP) 62.38%[37]
(X360) 86[38]
(PS3) 84[39]
(PC) 76[40]
(PSP) 61[41]
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars (3DS) 78.93%[42] (3DS) 77[43]

Though well-received by game reviewers, the first Ghost Recon games were criticized for poor squad Artificial Intelligence.[44]

References

  1. ^ "Author: David Michaels". Librarything.com. http://www.librarything.com/author/michaelsdavid. Retrieved 2009-08-27. 
  2. ^ http://wii.ign.com/objects/061/061126.html
  3. ^ "Ghost Recon Online official website". Ubisoft. http://ghostrecononline.us.ubi.com/. Retrieved 2011-05-24. 
  4. ^ "Ghost Recon: Future Soldier won't be coming to the PC". dsogaming.com. http://www.dsogaming.com/news/ghost-recon-future-soldier-wont-be-coming-to-the-pc/. Retrieved 2011-11-23. 
  5. ^ Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars: Images", IGN, accessed 27 March 2011.
  6. ^ Geddes, Ryan (2009-01-22). "New Ghost Recon, Assassin's Creed 2 Coming". IGN. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/947/947304p1.html. Retrieved 2009-10-24. 
  7. ^ Clayman, David (2009-04-29). "Ubisoft Announces Ghost Recon 4". IGN. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/977/977859p1.html. Retrieved 2009-10-24. 
  8. ^ "Ubisoft Reports First-Quarter 2009-10 Sales". Ubisoft. 2009-07-27. http://www.ubisoftgroup.com/index.php?p=59&art_id=60&vars=Y29tX2lkPTY5MiZzZW5kZXI9SE9NRSZzZW5kZXJfdXJsPWluZGV4LnBocCUzRnNpdF9pZCUzRDImZmlsdGVyX3R5cGU9JmZpbHRlcl9tb250aD0mZmlsdGVyX3llYXI9&PHPSESSID=de14c3bde0e8ef760c5a04df45568a9b. Retrieved 2009-10-24. 
  9. ^ "Ubisoft reports first-half 2010-11 results" (Press release). Ubisoft. November 15, 2010. http://www.ubisoftgroup.com/gallery_files/site/270/1042/2350.pdf. Retrieved 2010-11-16. 
  10. ^ Alexander, Leigh (November 15, 2010). "Ubisoft's Guillemot Talks Driver Delay, Studio Restructuring". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/31548/Ubisofts_Guillemot_Talks_Driver_Delay_Studio_Restructuring.php. Retrieved 2010-11-16. 
  11. ^ "Classification Database - TOM CLANCY'S GHOST RECON PREDATOR (MA 15+)". OFLC. 2009-10-19. http://www.oflc.gov.au/www/cob/find.nsf/d853f429dd038ae1ca25759b0003557c/be248d6667a0d752ca2576540057ff0a!OpenDocument. Retrieved 2009-10-21. 
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  24. ^ "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-2. Retrieved April 21, 2011. 
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  29. ^ "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/926953-tom-clancys-ghost-recon-advanced-warfighter/index.html. Retrieved April 21, 2011. 
  30. ^ "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-advanced-warfighter. Retrieved April 21, 2011. 
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  32. ^ "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-advanced-warfighter. Retrieved April 21, 2011. 
  33. ^ "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-advanced-warfighter. Retrieved April 21, 2011. 
  34. ^ "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/937004-tom-clancys-ghost-recon-advanced-warfighter-2/index.html. Retrieved April 21, 2011. 
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  44. ^ Electronic Gaming Monthly, Issue #202, April 2006. pg. 90-91. "More importantly, it seems Ubisoft has listened to past complaints of shoddy A.I."; GRAW: "A.I. Teammates: Usually more trouble than they're worth", "...the A.I. could use some occasional help (allies will walk into your line of fire and the like)"

External links