7.1.2005

Ghost Recon 2 is an excellent way for the legacy to continue. It really is a fantastic game, comprehensively thought out and brilliantly put together. It is very different to it's predecessors, although shades of Ghost Recon still come through, just about!The squad command function is totally different - rather than drawing up the map and adding waypoints for your 2 teams, you only have one team with you, and they're always fairly nearby. Players of Rainbow Six 3 will be very familiar with the control system, although rather than having 'breach' and 'frag' commands, for example, your squad will 'flank', 'protect' and 'attack'.The commands work well though and they follow out commands consistently,if a little stupidly. Your team members do have a tendancy to get shot if you don't tell them what to do. having spent many hours playing Ghost Recon, I'm very used to doing everything myself, and having the other team mebers there just in case. In Ghost Recon 2 they try to be more intelligent, which tends to get them into trouble, so if you want to do it all yourself (like me) you'll be running around a lot protecting people.The environment structure is a little different to what it was - it's not as enormous, but it's very detailed. Unfortunately, you can't go into every building looking for people like you could before. The placement of enemies and their vehicles are very linear....they follow a strict pattern, but thankfully, there's always at least a few different routes to their placements, so you can, to a certain extent, get tactical.The weapon physics are very much the same as before, although slower to load and to aim, and very slow to change weapon. Some of the sounds appear to be the same ones as before, which is no bad thing because they're excellent. The environment sounds....the ambience.....put Ghost Recon 2 up onto an unprecedented level. One mission that sticks out is on a battlefield - no matter what volume you're playing with, the mortar sounds like it's dropping all around you.Visually, the game is also impecable. It is on a level with Halo 2 and Project Gothem 2 in simple graphic beauty. The models are intricately built, coloured with some of the best textures I've seen, especially when it comes to trees and flowers. Even more visually stunning, are the characters and their weapons.....they are the best I've seen. They really look solid. Also, a few of the missions involve crossing/walking through rivers. The water textures and models are better than ever before. For the first time in any game, the water looks like it will make you wet when you stand in it. The lighting seems to be very accurate too, as do smoke, fire, fog and explosions.The storyline is excellent, and is told from an original perspective - it's put in the past tense, with the members of the squad appearing on a TV show, talking about their missions, thus forming each mission's briefing.The menus are attractive, if a little complex, but you get used to them.....eventually.My only fault with it, I suppose, is the gameplay. I agree that it isn't quite the same as Ghost Recon and Island Thunder. It doesn't offer the same level of suspense. The original games still offer many hours of edge-of-seat entertainment, where you can sneak round behind an enemy position to catch them by suprise. this element has all but vanished in GR2, because half the time you have to stay put, just to make sure your allies or your squad don't get shot.From what I can work out, GR2 is Rainbow Six 3 with more open environments, and no ridiculous, irritating dialogue. It's a great step forward in warfare simulation, it's doing things that haven't been done before, and is very beautiful in both it's appearance and it's sound, but something more like the original GR would have made it perfect. It's still a top-notch production though!I haven't got broadband or a headset communicator, so I can't comment on the voice command or multiplayer features, but I can't see any reason that they should be any less high quality than the rest of the game.Enjoy!

16.5.2009

I know it sounds fatuous, even insulting to compare a video game to the real life experience of war-fighting, but I think Ubisoft when creating this series have done a good job in at least approximating the experiences of a soldier: the sense of fear and imminent death, the sound of bullets hitting the environment around you, the sight of your dead comrades by your side. Gone are the health pickups; one shot can kill, and often you will find yourself out-manned, out-gunned and having to think on your feet (or your belly!) to survive, and judging by the real-life tales from real soldiers I've read over the years, I'd say the 'Ghost Recon' series is pretty damn close to the real thing.As someone who was never into this sub-genre of shooters,I always thought they would be too complex, too grueling. However, after playing the first 'Ghost Recon' - which I found quite compelling and addictive - I decided to buy the sequel. After a day of unbelievable torment, I completed 'Ghost Recon 2'. I don't think I've died so many times in one video game - it was agony. However, the best thing about the 'Ghost Recon' series is that you can save your game any time any place, which means that dying over and over isn't much of a hassle. As long as you save your game often, you'll be fine. Indeed, dying many times just tells you that your strategy is flawed and makes you re-evaluate your options, ultimately allowing you to prevail eventually. Which I did. As someone once said: if something's not difficult it's not worth doing.In the original 'Ghost Recon' you were forced to play first-person ( weapon is not visible); you played as part of two 3-man teams Alpha and Bravo, and you could switch to any team member at any time providing they were alive; you navigated through a mission via a map whereby you place movement way-points to guide the movement and direction of each team; as you progressed through the campaign you unlocked characters and weapons which you could then use later on. In 'Ghost Recon 2' you can switch from first-person, to over-the-shoulder third person view; your character is fixed per mission but you have 3 other team-mates all controlled by computer AI (except on the Lone Wolf missions where you are solo); as well as a map, you navigate in real-time using a radar which uses objective markers to guide you to your next target; you gain points during missions, and these points are used to purchase or 'unlock' various things, from characters to weapons, to vehicles. However, this seems pointless since you cannot use any of them during the missions - the choices of weapons you have are dictated by the missions themselves and can't be changed.A message for any 'Ghost Recon' newbie: they're not as friendly or as forgiving as other shooters you may have played; they require far more patience and thought. However, they are nonetheless addictive and worth having in your collection. Indeed, I have just ordered 'Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike' and 'Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter' and now I know what to expect I'm sure I'll like them.

16.1.2005

Ghost Recon 2 for the Xbox turned out to be a very exspensive game for me. I basically bought an Xbox purely for this game as I was so disappointed with the PS2 version.Since this is the Xbox version I wont write about the PS2 version here... Read the PS2 version for my opinion on that.Firstly, I would like to comment on the graphics, they are superb. I am a newbie to Xbox (Had it since start of January) and I have other Tom Clancy games aswell, but the graphics on this are superb. Water is rendered beautifully, grass is realistic, and the general look is superb.Sound: What do you want from a game like this, the start up music is the same as the PS2 version and suits the game well.

18.11.2004

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a pre-launch day organised by Ubisoft in Reading. Basically a handful of us were selected to play the game all day either on the PS2 or XBOX. I played the XBOX version as the PS2 doesn't really interest me even though I have one.The latest Ghost Recon 2 game is much more better than the earlier versions. It's not as busy and complicated when you work through the menu for example.The graphics are awesome and so too are the sounds. I loved watching the enemy advance above in a helicopter but they weren't there for long as I blew them clean out of the sky, spectacular!I also played the game on LIVE as part of the day involved playing the actual developers.

30.11.2004

I bought this game 1 week ago and I must say...IT ROCKS!It was very under-hyped before it was released and received only warm reviews by the press. However these lowly reviews are not justified.GR2 is an extremely hard game in Campaign (single player) mode. A couple of shots and you're dead! This makes for a very challenging game in which stealth and tactics are a must. Go head first into a firefight and you won't last 5 seconds. Use your squad to full effect and take every corner as though it may be your last and you will survive.Compared with the earlier GR and GR:IT titles, the graphics are awesome, as is the enemy AI. The enemy will try to flank you and won't rush straight at you as in the previous games.

23.3.2005

Because on xbox live this is one of the best co-op games out. Previous reviewers slate the A.I. of your squad in the single player which is a fair comment. However if you don't have a wealth of "live" friends you can manage the single player with your "dumb" team. There is a command for them to stay put if you don't want to give your position away whilst scouting and you should consider them more of a fire support team than your military equals. After all, you are cleverer than your xbox aren't you?As for the enemy spotting you constantly, I have happily picked off several sentries with the suppressed sniper without their buddies noticing a thing, I've also been bush whacked by many a DPRK patrol.

23.1.2005

I was lucky enough to have this game for christmas, and i can safley say that it is the best gane of the Ghost Recon series yet.The story line has now been tottally revamped, the tv show was a very good twist and it tells you more about whats happening in Korea and why you're doing the mission. The characters bring a more human feel to game. I also like the way they added different allies into the game.The missions are a lot better than in the earlier games e.g. You're not just entering enemy bases you've got to defend you're own base, holding a line during an all out battle or rescueing a trapped convoy. This element makes the games less boring and repetative.

21.12.2004

I have only been playing the game for about three days, and I am pretty impressed.The graphics are pretty enough and the missions are incredibly immersive (just wait until you see the 'hold the line' mission where you are defending the bridge - brilliant).The controls are very intuitive, and having the squad controlled by the push of a button works ok.The main problem I had with the game was the headset commands, it seems that I spend most of my time issueing commands three or four times only for the squaddies on screen to do something else entirely - I have tried talking slowly, quickly, shouting, and even in an american accent (which made me feel rather stupid), and still they 'flank right'

3.6.2005

ok now i would like to start off that i paid £14.99 for this game and it is still very worth it.i would like to 1st point out that this is a very intense game which is exspected from a tom clancy but i would also like to including that the game is fun and doing these missions feels very meaningful. Another treat the game offers is the game's sound quailty as this is importent to the game's intesty therefore having surround sound or good quailty speakers will make this game so much better.The qrapics are very nice as they have detailed images of your weapons, sencery, and the chacters (a funny part of the game is when you shoot and enemy on a slop he you roll down the hill like a slinky and

14.12.2004

I say I bought it because so many of the reviewers on amazon seem to review stuff they haven't even got !It is one of the best games I've bought on the XBox.Yes, the campaign level is very hard - but that's because you've got to be patient and work out where you're going to move to and how you're vulnerable. This really isn't a "charge around and shoot everything" kind of game - go and play HALO 2 if you want that. This is about working as part of a team.Online it is spectacular. It is arguable that this game really comes into its own when you have a group of mates attempting to wipe out another team of people you don't even know !

1.12.2004

I'm sure like many other gamers, I bought Halo 2 in anticipation of it being the best game on xbox and I like many other gamers that I know were very dissapointed. I rented ghost recon 2 just to try it out, and i was extremely happy with the game, the gameplay is great and so too are graphics and sounds. on Xbox live the game is very good, as it is very realistic and requires skill to play unlike Halo 2. Having rented this game, I have now purchased it and it is basically my favourite xbox game at the moment. This is a must have for any gamer who seeks a top class game.Gameplay = 8/9Sounds = 10storyline = 8Graphics = 10Xbox live play = 10

17.1.2005

Well where do i start , It is brilliantThe graphics are truely amazing , nice textures and nice models .The sound is also brilliant ..The first moment i played it i was sucked into it instantly .I rented this game out to play it on my dads xbox becuase i have a ps2 and also have this game on ps2 . After so many games that ive played that are good on the xbox , im going to trade my ps2 in .I wish i could say the same thing about it on the ps2 though.If you do buy this game , buy it on XBOX...The ps2 version is rubbish graphics , muffled sound rubbish sound , you feel like your boxed in on the ps2 version , one way road .5 Stars !

28.11.2004

ok i rented this and I have to say dat it is probly the best game i have ever player (apart from halo 2 of course)the game is a lot like full spectrum warrior but u get to control everything. If you have played any ghost recon games before you will know that it is like forests or small towns hunting down small forces. But this time its WAR! massive open terrian battles with surperb graphics and better control over your team. Powerful guns and some very new ones to. no matter who you are i recomend this to you.

29.1.2005

This game is truley awesome. You will be hard to find a better 'on line' game. The single player game is very good, but it comes into its own when played online.The graphics are sweet and the gameplay is great.This will bring hours and hours of fun, whether playing, single coop, multiplayer or online.You will not be able to breeze through it, but saying that, the difficulties are set just about right.Money well spent, even though it was quite cheap for such a top game.

20.12.2004

If you liked GR1 you simply have to buy this game,stunning graphics and sound a completely different feel to the original, i played it on hard level and it is extremely hard to even get through the first mission but very rewarding ,this game dose not seem to popular can not understand why,for me it has to be one of the best i've ever played, top marks to the Tom Clancy team ,

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 (Xbox) - Reviews

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