Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Preview
Red Storm Entertainment, Ubisoft
Third Person Shooter, Release Date: March 6th, 2007
PostedMarch 2nd, 2007

Tom Clancy can tell a war story with the best of them, and the success from his books is all the proof you need for that argument. One of his books though, Rainbow Six, garnered so much success that it literally opened up an entirely new niche in the gaming industry, one that he and Red Storm Entertainment have capitalized on enormously. Their latest game, and arguably their best one yet comes in the form of "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2", or GRAW 2 for short. In just under a week from now, GRAW 2 is hitting store shelves for three different venues: the Xbox 360, Sony's Playstation 3, and the PC. Whichever system you pick this title up for, you're definitely not going to be disappointed, as GRAW 2 looks like one of the best games of the year so far. With that out of the way, let's tackle some of the details that this game has to offer, shall we?

From a storyline perspective, the plot is really creative and very well done; on the other hand, I guess you gotta expect that when it has the Tom Clancy name, eh? For those of you who never played the original GRAW, here's a brief summary to catch you to speed. In the first title you had to quell a ginormous Mexicon uprising that was intent on invading America after a controversial new President rose to power. Now, in GRAW 2, the year is 2014 and the rebel force is back along the Mexico/US border with the same intentions. As Captain Scott Mitchell of the elite ghost squad, it's up to you to stop them. GRAW pits the player in single player missions, team missions, and even full-scale war missions where one has to command multiple forces; it's these gameplay setups that really make GRAW 2 one of the coolest action games of the year, if not the best since the original R6 series. From my perspective, it's refreshing to see a creative storylien like this instead of the usual "kill terrorists" type stuff, even though I highly doubt Mexico would ever invade the US; come on now haha.



GRAW 2 at its heart is a third person shooter, but the way Red Storm was able to seamlessly integrate tactical gameplay elements into it is what really make this game phenomenal. I don't know if you ever played "Full Spectrum Warrior"; if you did, then you'll know what I'm about to talk about (if you haven't, you should; great games). In FSW, the gameplay heavily favored the simulation aspect rather than the arcade feel, and for good reason considering that game was built off a real US Army training engine. GRAW 2, although hard to portray in mere words, has the PERFECT blend of tactical planning, strategy, and flat out arcade fun that really separates this game from any other 3rd person out there today, at least from a next-gen perspective. GRAW 2 also integrates a few new exciting gameplay additions that have to be noted as well. First off you have access to a medic now in your squad, so any of your team members including yourself can be healed during combat. Red Storm also threw in air support, so if you find yourself up against enemy tanks without the necessary firepower, just sit back and call in the birds and watch the fireworks! On top of that your squad now has access to two new support vehicles, a MULE (a massive yet quick armored vehicle), and an unmanned aerial drone that excuse my French, can really "Fuck shit up!" Oh, then there's the ridiculously popular 16 player multiplayer mode, yeah, that's not too shabby either.

Gameplay wins awards, we all know that, but in those rare instances when a game couples phenomenal gameplay with gorgeous graphics, then you really have something special. If GRAW 2 could be summed up graphically in one word, that word would be "Explosions". GRAW 2 honest to God, or whoever your favorite deity is these dyas, has the sickest explosions ever seen in a video game. Hands down, without a doubt. You have to see them in motion really to get the true drool effect, but it's well worth it. The sound from what we've heard is pretty solid, although it won't knock Call of Duty (PC) off it's pedastal anytime soon. To summarize, the graphics are next-gen, the explosions are out of this world, and the sound is well above average. Throw in outstanding gameplay, and you've got yourself a must have game, whether you pick this up for the 360, PS3, or the PC. Granted, the best multiplayer experience right now is probably on the PC and the 360, but Sony will get their act together soon. GRAW 2 is an outstanding game folks; we're lucky enough to nab an exclusive demo and we couldn't be more impressed. Look for this title on store shelves on March 6th, which is just a few days away.


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