Joystiq managed to spend some quality time trying out the multiplayer component of Ubisoft's upcoming Xbox 360 title, Ghost Recon 3: Advanced Warfighter, at a world exclusive showing in the UK. Online and LAN play can make or break a title, as the continuing success of games like Halo 2 shows. The Ghost Recon series has been steadily gaining followers.
As Ghost Recon 3 is in the earliest stages of pre-release, after being delayed to 2006, the game presented was fairly unstable and had a tendency to crash if something complicated happened, such as pressing the Back button, or joining a game in progress. Teething troubles aside, the LAN game setup consists mainly of well-known elements from Ghost Recon 2's multiplayer mode, but also adds some new options and gametypes such as the enigmatic Bounty Hunter mode, which a handy Ubisoft rep refused to explain. The familiar option to choose a player 'class', such as Rifleman, is made in the pre-game lobby and displayed for all players to see, echoing Rainbow Six: Lockdown's soldier class system, although this choice does not restrict players' weapon selection (according to Ubisoft).
Most of the controls are the same as in previous Ghost Recon titles,
albeit mapped to the 360’s controller, taking full advantage of the new shoulder buttons. This makes them easy to
learn, but also dulls the excitement of a new game on a new platform and makes the title feel more recycled. Jumping
into the game is easy for anyone familiar with the various Tom Clancy-inspired games, and the gameplay feels almost
identical to GR2, although movement is more fluid and the graphics are
sharper.
Only one map—the desert-themed Arroyo—was available for testing, so no
conclusions can be drawn there; however, the high-definition TV made a big difference to the visual quality of the map.
Careful placement of rocks and stones in the distance, now crisply visible, caused most players to shoot at walls,
deceived into thinking they were enemy soldiers; others wandered into pools of water and admired the graphical effects
whilst getting shot in the head from afar. It certainly made a change from the endless parade of sandy rocks that made
up the rest of the map.
Overall, the multiplayer modes seemed little different from those in Ghost Recon 2, other than the expected improvements caused by a faster console with better graphics. The promised “technological” feel of the storyline was subdued during the multiplayer mode, although the single player game promises to be a rich and engrossing experience. Diehard fans will love it, but the jury’s out for now on whether new players will be convinced. Especially if they hate rocks.
