Remember standing in line to pick up your pre-ordered copy of Ghost Recon: Island Thunder and thinking to yourself "When I turn this on, Embassy better be a map choice?" Well now you can get that eager with anticipation feeling all over again. The elite soldiers of the Ghost Recon franchise have long been trotting the globe, leaving only justice and bodies in their wake. After abusing Russia, demolishing Cuba, and planning an ass-kicking trip to Mexico City, this summer's GR2: Summit Strike places The Ghosts back on Russian soil, once again attempting to restore order and peace to a war torn country.
Remember standing in line to pick up your pre-ordered copy of Ghost Recon: Island Thunder and thinking to yourself "When I turn this on, Embassy better be a map choice?" Well now you can get that eager with anticipation feeling all over again. The elite soldiers of the Ghost Recon franchise have long been trotting the globe, leaving only justice and bodies in their wake. After abusing Russia, demolishing Cuba, and planning an ass-kicking trip to Mexico City, this summer's GR2: Summit Strike places The Ghosts back on Russian soil, once again attempting to restore order and peace to a war torn country.
Historically, when it comes to new content, Ghost Recon fans have long been a spoiled group. Not only was Ghost Recon one of the first Xbox Live games to offer free downloadable content, but it was one of the few console games ever to offer a stand-alone expansion kit. Eager to keep gamers from straying to other titles, Ubisoft and Red Storm's equation for GR success calls for a renewal of GR vows every so often. Was Summit Strike worth the wait and the Red X's? Let's find out.
Political unrest?!? Annie get your gun!
So its 2012 and Kazakhstan is in trouble (but when have we known it to be stable?). Aamir Rahil, an arms dealer and Pakistani warlord has assassinated the Kazakh president and his security council. As Rahil quickly expands his corrupt grip on the nation, your mission is to go in shooting and restore stability to the nation while eliminating the military presence, which if Iraq has taught you anything, is a task easier said than done.
Boasting the most expansive environments of any Ghost Recon title to date, Summit Strike maps are as sprawling as they are exquisitely detailed. Providing gamers with an even mix of urban and rural scenarios, die hard GR fans will feel right at home. With a new weather generator bringing true to life snow flurries and realistic wind patterns, Summit Strike takes the next step in immersion, a vast improvement over the original Ghost Recon's motionless trees and foliage. Summit Strike's new maps aim to combine characteristics of some of the most successful Recon maps of all time, with an updated twist. Fans hooked on "Government District" might feel as though they are back in Island Thunder's "Polling Center" or pinned down behind a car in GR's "Embassy." Carrying over some fan favorite maps from Ghost Recon 2, gamers can still hold down the "Ghost Village" or any of the "Bonfires" variations. An excellent selection of differing maps means Summit Strike will enjoy the endless replay value we have all come to expect from the GR franchise.
Grab your Lone-Wolf, pitch a tent, build a fire. You shameless camper.
Opting only to make minor refinements to the title's gameplay, Ubisoft tweaked an already ergonomically friendly interface and added a few new features. The ability to aid a wounded team member in campaign mode is refreshing and new. Those of you who frequently shot your dying A.I. team mate like a wounded horse can now patch him up and get him back in the action, if you don't take a bullet yourself in the process. A collection of new weapons means more options for everyone, but for old-school fans its just a matter of picking your poison, as all of the classic guns still made the cut. However, much to the dismay of Recon purists, the role of the Lone-Wolf weapons has been expanded. Now with more Lone-Wolf options and weapons, gamers can frequently be found looking over the top of a rock, just outside the spawn zone, thus taking away some of the wide-open excitement we have come to expect.
Multiplayer co-op got a little more interesting with the addition of the a few new game modes and some top notch artificial intelligence. Heli-hunt, exclusive to Summit Strike, tasks your fireteam with the take down of multiple airborne helicopters throughout the map. While an intense and exciting premise, I found Heli-hunt enjoyable for the first few helicopters only. After that, chasing helos all day quickly became an exercise in patience. On the up side, missions are now far less scripted and somewhat open ended. Similar to the original GR and Island Thunder, users can complete the mission objectives in any specific order without following such a linear format.
A.I.: His gun is real.
The A.I. system has been vastly improved, with respect to both your team and the enemy forces you encounter. What was once clueless A.I., running into trees and getting lodged in doorways, is now an effective kill squad. Likewise, your Russian counterparts no longer exhibit the accuracy of a 70 year old man with a rusty AK-47, they too can hold their own. Co-op, once a laid back, friendly paced experience, is now an all out war against A.I. that is often times a better shot than most people new to the franchise.
Ghost Recon will always enjoy its role as one of the most prolific tactical shooter franchises on the market. This success is no accident, as it's the culmination of years of hard work and attention to detail by both Red Storm and Ubisoft. Never setting out to make Ghost Recon an eye-popping adventure like the Splinter Cell series, Recon's developers have continually proved their commitment to raising the bar when it comes to fun and addictive multiplayer gaming. For $30, this is an absolute must buy for any Ghost Recon fan.
Xbox repair process leaves gamers in a fix
