Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter review

March 2006 will be always remembered for the arrival of the reinforcements for the Xbox 360 system. Titles that actually confirmed the mileage between the current and incoming generation of console systems. The only drawback being for most players - that what is often a quite month for video games historically - became an expensive one overnight.Set in 2013, world politics are as unhinged and volatile as any era previously. Terrorists are more formidable, but so are the defences and elite troops set in place to thwart them. Advanced Warfighter moves the series into the cutting edge technology, which is becoming more apparent with every conflict on our television screens.The Ghosts find themselves in Mexico, in the middle of a revolution attempt and both the president of the United States and the Prime Minister of Canada are unaccounted for. Its down to you to ensure the safety of the VIPs, track down those responsible and retrieve any confidential material that has been stolen. If only it was that simple.Your first foray into the world of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is memorable. After the concise training section, you are pitched into action with an elite squad under your command. The opening levels are a blitzkrieg on the senses, as you struggle to come to terms with the information being thrown at your visor display. Not only does it provide you with a constant stream of what your teammates are seeing, but also updates via the media and headquarters. Somehow, Ubisoft has managed to cram all of this information (and more besides) onto the screen with little infringement.Rather than start with the numerous positives of GRAW, Gamestyle prefers to commence with the disadvantages. Firstly the explosion in visual quality has not been matched in terms of freedom, level design and imagination. All of this is admittedly easily lost during onscreen events, but only by stepping back from the experience, does one realise the limitations. Events are scripted and the route is pretty linear; both elements are disappointingly represented but lack the in your face visibility of the Medal of Honour series. The constant stream of information and action goes someway to diminishing their impact.And what of your character? An elite soldier that is unable to climb over barricades and obstacles unless the developer allows from the same company that brought us the multi-talented Sam Fisher? These visible walls exist on every level and strip the opportunity for experimentation and exploration away from the player. On occasion the game will crash for no apparent reason, or team mates will become stuck on scenery; diminishing the overall polish of GRAW.Checkpoints are frequent but these maintain your current health level, meaning that a bad segment will often result in you having to restart the level. An example of GRAWs limitations are the first aid tents that appear on certain levels (an important diet of any war), but these structures are rigid and like so many buildings on every level, unable to accessed. Rewind that again, youre dying and in desperate need of health, but that tent is off bounds. Such are the limitations of the new generation, despite the obvious eye candy. And when some players will struggle to overcome the Normal default difficulty at times, the opportunity to replenish health would have been welcome.Thats enough criticism as if you are willing to overlook such issues then GRAW will provide an enthralling experience, online and offline. The onscreen visor display facilitates atmosphere and drama, as you slowly shuffle through deserted streets, there is a real sense of challenge and focus. Reaching the end of a level unscathed is an achievement, especially as GRAW mixes up the styles of environments. Built up urban locations are prominent but shantytowns and decrepit industrial zones also feature. Adding to the flavour is the range of commands given to you as events unfold; its true how devastating the Apache helicopter can be.The range of commands has been expertly accommodated onto the Xbox 360 pad, which is rapidly becoming a Gamestyle favourite. Controlling your team, combined with other vehicles could have been cumbersome, but thankfully Ubisoft has done a tremendous job. The Achievement points have also been stacked throughout the game to promote longevity.The single player mode is as mentioned previously, challenging. Even on the default Normal setting, some will struggle on certain missions especially those where you go it alone, without any team under your command. Yet this is what the Ghost Recon series is all about, even though the console version includes features (such as the third person viewpoint) that are tailored towards the user base. Online, well GRAW is worth an online review in its own right. The release is laden with options, modes and levels to enjoy whilst away from the frustrations of the single player game. Previous boundaries have been pushed back, with the option to have matches of up to 16 players with minimal disruption. The current favourite is where your team has to defend against an endless onslaught of opponents - who even lack the basic AI of the single player game but make up for it, in sheer numbers. For those with only one mate, then the Co-Operative mode is more than just a repeat of the offline offering. Those without a connection can enjoy a split screen versus mode, as a glimpse of what theyre really missing out on.GRAWs visuals and sound can be easily summed up in one word; wow. Its one of the few releases where screenshots cannot hope to do it justice. One could easily imagine snaps being enhanced in some way, but thats not the case; it only gets better through experience. The common faults of frame rate and pop-up are amazingly absent. If the 360 system is capable of this, so early into its lifecycle, then what lies ahead?The next visual generation has finally arrived.