Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Review (XB360)

Ubisoft's immensely popular Xbox 360 shooter, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter ushered in a new generation of military combat, thanks to its impressive visuals and addictive play. The sequel, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 continues this tradition, though with far less impact. It mirrors its prequel in almost every respect, offering slight tweaks to an already solid product.

Once again, players step into the combat boots of Captain Scott Mitchell, the tough as nails leader of the elite Ghosts unit that managed to survive the Mexico City incident. Unfortunately, the country's wounds bleed into the United States with the threat of nuclear war. Gamers return to the area to quell the uprising, kill hundreds of bad guys and keep the world safe from tyranny. To do this, they lead Mitchell and his team into the very heart of the conflict, capping enemies using a host of high-powered rifles and completing varied objectives.

Played mostly from the third person perspective, players immerse themselves in detailed war zones. Although the game features stealth-based missions, it really shines when tons of stuff happens at once. Enemies scamper about, vehicles explode, jets scream overhead. The game looks marvelous, not as impressive as the original since it uses the same graphics engine but attractive nonetheless. Even small things, such as a windmill rotating and bits of debris floating through the air add to the immersion.

With the single player campaign, Red Storm improved on the issues found in the original. In Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2), players have better control over vehicles and teammates. Able to see through their eyes using a full screen first person perspective, they can better spot approaching threats. The artificial intelligence also received a nice boost. Instead of standing out in the open waiting to get slaughtered, squad mates effectively utilize cover, follow orders and point out enemies. Vehicles sport improved options. The Mule, a military drone, can be maneuvered to get a better view of the battlefield, as well as supply necessary health packs. In addition, players mess around with tanks, an APC, helicopters and enjoy on-rails segments where they, like in the first game, tear things apart with a mini gun while riding aboard a chopper, except in this case, the gun takes longer to overheat, giving them more time to kill.

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