Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2

"GRAW 2 is the best squad based tactical shooter on the 360"

With the release of GRAW last year, it was a big success. It was a graphical masterpiece and the gameplay was superb. GRAW 2 has come out only a year or so after the original GRAW, so does it improve enough to warrant a purchase? Yes it does.

Gameplay - 9/10

The gameplay in GRAW is very unique. You control a squad of 3 soldiers who follow your commands. You can tell them to move to cover while stealthily spotting enemies, you can tell them to regroup on you, you can tell them to attack enemies on sight etc etc. There is also a cover system that you must use to get through the game especially on the highest difficulty setting. It's very simple, you just run up to a wall and your character will go into cover mode. You can peak your head up to get a better view and you can also go into aiming mode and take down some enemies whilst remaining relatively safe.

You also command helicopters and tanks, you control them very much like the soldiers but these vehicles are extremely powerful and can kill a swarm of enemies in a matter of seconds. The actual shooting is good, it doesn't take much to kill you, only a few bullets, and you can kill the enemies with a well aimed burst from an assault rifle, or a well placed shot from a sniper. The weapons in the game are very balanced, and there is a lot of them so you can choose one that suits your play style.

Graphics - 9/10

The graphics are superb, although they're not much of an improvement from GRAW 1. The character models look great, the environments look superb, just the detail that goes into the environments is very well done and makes you feel like you are actually fighting in Mexico or the United States.

Story - 7/10

The story is decent. It's your average Tom Clancy story - save the world from mexican terrorists while they try and steal nuclear weapons to wreck havoc on the United States. You are Scott Mitchell, an experienced "Ghost" commander who you played as in GRAW 1. GRAW 2 is very much a true sequel to GRAW 1, in that the story is actually continuing from the original.

Replayability - 8/10

The single player campaign is relatively short, a bit shorter than GRAW 1, but you will have a blast while it lasts. There is a higher difficulty setting with achievements that will probably make you want to play through it again. The online multiplayer is pretty good. There are a few problems with the online though. When a host who doesn't have a strong enough connection tries to host more players than his connection will allow, the server will shut down and you will be back in the main menu again. This happens far too often and you will find yourself in the menu more than playing the game. Another thing that is incredibly annoying online is this game seems to be a clan haven. I personally think clans are a complete waste of time and effort, considering who wants their life ruled by a 15 year old kid telling you to get on at a certain time of the day? In a lot of servers you enter you will most likely be booted because the host is having an unofficial clan match. If you have a clan the game is great, just expect to get a lot of bad feedback from lone rangers getting kicked out of your servers.

If you are not a clan leader's muppet you would be better to play a game like COD 2 or 3 or Gears of War for the online experience because clans are less prominent there. Overall the online is solid, but not spectacular.

Overall - 9/10

GRAW 2 is a great game for tactical shooter fans. If you prefer run and gun shooters this is probably not the game for you. But I had never played a tactical shooter in my life before GRAW and I love it. So if you are unsure if you like tactical shooters, rent this one at the very least.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/29/07, Updated 06/04/07