Some time ago I reviewed the original Ghost Recon (GR). Since then, I've had so much fun playing through the game a second time, as well as both of the two expansions, Ghost Recon: Desert Siege (GR:DS) and Ghost Recon: Island Thunder (GR:IT), that I decided I needed to write a follow-up article. To come right to the point: I didn't "get" GR when I first played it. Some of the missions seemed incredibly hard to me, but that's because I wasn't approaching them The Right Way™. Now that I've seen the GR light, I can breeze through all of the missions in the original game, just as I can breeze through the missions in the expansion packs. In this article, then, I'll discuss The Right Way™ to play GR, as well as make a few comments about some of the things that have changed since my original review.
First, many of the problems with the original game have been addressed. The game is still a bit of a system pig—even with my new ATI Radeon 9700 Pro video card, I still can't turn all the graphical goodies up like I can in any other game—but newer and faster hardware does help. The sound-reflection bug that I complained about earlier seems to have been eliminated, just as the player and enemy AI seem to have been improved. The game engine has improved in other ways as well throughout each of the two expansion packs, so if you haven't yet played GR, now is a great time to pick up the whole enchilada.
Second, if you thought the missions in the original game were hard (like I did), then you probably weren't playing The Right Way™. If the method I am about to describe seems obvious to you, well, then please hold your tongue and stop laughing at me, for my ego is a fragile thing. On a more serious note, I just didn't "get" how to make my fire teams effective until after I had completed the game once.
A big complaint I had with the original was that it didn't have the flexibility of Rainbow Six or Rogue Spear. That is, I couldn't set up ambushes from multiple angles, force grenade throwing, etc. The trick to doing some of these things in GR is mastering the keyboard shortcuts for the advance and rules-of-engagement settings. Whereas I was always trying to work around the poor timing of the different teams during my first pass through the game, my teams had near-surgical precision during the second pass through.
Here's an example of how to do it. You're approaching an enemy position, say, the camp of the very first mission of the original game. There are multiple routes into the camp, so it would be best if you could position your three teams separately to cover different arcs, each team taking a different route through the camp. As soon as the camp is spotted, hit the keys to issue hold orders and recon rules of engagement for all teams. That prevents contact from being made too soon.
While all the teams are at hold status, issue the orders to get the teams into their various positions, and release them while still at recon status. I typically take command of my sniper at this time in order to guide him manually to the best spot available. Once the teams are in position, give them the hold command yet again. Now give them all the orders for proceeding through the camp. Give each team its own route, preferably so that each fire team has its own distinct zone of responsibility, and be sure to specify the end position and angle for covering fire. Once everything is set, decide which team you wish to command, and hit the keys to go to advance at all costs with suppressing fire.
Using this technique, the AI teams are far more devastating than they were. They won't stop at first sign of fire and duck out of sight. This makes them more vulnerable, of course, but because they're set for suppressing fire, they'll rain lead and grenades on the enemy far more readily than they would otherwise. The results I've seen indicate that the ghosts tend to get the drop on the bad guys, putting them down more often than not. I was too stingy with ammunition the first time I played through the game. Using the suppressing fire rules of engagement is very liberating by comparison. It's also more fun (grin).
In my second run through of the enemy camp assault at hand, I started out controlling the sniper. As soon as I told the other teams to advance at all costs with suppressing fire, I started dropping bad guys without even waiting for acknowledgement. Naturally, the enemy started to scatter, while some dropped to the ground and started to return fire. I quickly dropped my sniper prone and changed to a team with an underslung M203 grenade launcher. Chucking a grenade into the camp removed the danger to my sniper, whom I quickly moved back into position to cover the exits, before using the other two fire teams to gun down all the bad guys within a couple of seconds.
It was really quite a startling change insofar as I just about lost my mind trying to take that camp without casualties the first time. It's amazing what a difference The Right Way™ makes, isn't it? I applied that same school of thought to the rest of the original game, as well as both of the expansion packs, and it made the experience far more enjoyable, as well as far more satisfying.
Being the first expansion pack for the original game, GR:DS gets off to a much faster start. This time around you get combat points to spend from the outset, which is a good thing. Surprisingly, though, the first couple of missions aren't all that difficult. In the very first, mission, for example, you infiltrate a beach, and after making your way to high ground, you can simply rain down death on the enemy soldiers at the machine gun nest using anti-tank weapons if you like. There's nothing particularly difficult about it if you play it smart.
The rest of the missions in GR:DS build nicely, unlocking helpful specialists and unleashing new weapons to bring death to the enemy. The environments are even more amazingly beautiful and detailed in some cases than in the original game, and that is saying a lot, believe me. It really puts the player in the middle of some hot, desert action. The addition of "technicals" (i.e., jeeps with machine guns mounted to the rear), for example, seems like it's ripped straight from CNN video footage. The first time one of the technicals rolls across your path, you'll either love it or hate it—depending on how well you handle the challenge. For what it's worth, I grabbed an OICW and nailed the driver in the head with a grenade, which was mighty neat.
Ultimately, the campaign builds until you get to the very last mission, which is a wonderful face-off against an integrated enemy assault team. You're running against the clock to begin with, and I will never forget the panic that welled in me as I realized I was behind schedule. I began to crest a ridge only to find an armored column headed toward me with what seemed like at least two-dozen pairs of boots on the ground. I recalled my teams immediately, set up a quick plan for an assault, and managed to carry the day. That was a very satisfying victory, after what seemed like certain impending doom.
The only complaint I have against GR:DS is that it was too short. I played through all the missions in but a few hours, and it definitely left me wanting more. The end-game cinematic was somewhat more satisfying than that of the original game, which essentially didn't have one, but it just wasn't enough. I wanted more time on the sands under the burning hot sun. It's a pity it wasn't at least a few missions longer, or at least a bit harder.
Wow. That's the first thing that comes to mind with this second expansion pack. The opening movies for the original game and GR:DS were pretty neat, but the opening cinematic for GR:IT absolutely grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. Seriously, this is the best opening cinematic since the pulse-pounding startup movie for Rogue Spear. I defy you to watch the startup film for GR:IT and not want to jump immediately into the game.
Speaking of beginnings, the new helicopter/boat-insertion "feature" in GR:IT has been much maligned by reviewers, and unfairly so as far as I'm concerned. For those who haven't heard, GR:IT lists as a feature the fact that you will see your teams inserted into the combat zone at the beginning of each mission. Some reviewers have complained that this really isn't much of a feature insofar as you can't control your men until after the whole sequence is finished playing back.
It is true that the feature is essentially a series of cut-scenes, but I was really surprised at the degree to which it enhances the game. Seeing that helicopter come in and drop us off was amazing. More amazing still was the poignant sense of vulnerability I experienced watching that same helicopter fly off over the hills. It hauls you right into the situation immediately, viscerally pounding home the message that you are here on your own. You are suddenly confronted with the reality of being all alone in enemy territory, and that's a huge tension-builder. As such, I think it's a fabulous addition to the game.
Better yet, I think the missions in GR:IT are more challenging and, in some cases at least, more interesting than many of the missions in the original game or the first expansion pack. Again, you get combat points to spend right from the outset, but this time around you will really need them. The missions in GR:IT are noticeably more difficult right from the start. The specialists are also particularly interesting insofar as it's nice to see some familiar faces return from the original game.
What's more, some of the new weapons are bloody marvelous. I positively loved the new grenade launcher. That thing is fabulous in its ability to blow the crap out of fortified enemy positions with little difficulty. I often found myself setting other fire teams to suppress, then lobbing grenades at the enemy. That gave them a simple choice. They could either hold their position and get blown to kingdom come, or they could run away and get shot down like dogs from fire teams on their flanks. It took a while to get used to its arc of fire, but that grenade launcher alone was worth the price of admission as far as I'm concerned.
Further, it's clear to me that the developers went all out with GR:IT in terms of level of detail. As long as I keep the tree detail at medium, my framerate in the original game and GR:DS never really drops below about 40+ FPS with my current system (Athlon 1700 XP, 512 MB RAM, ATI Radeon 9700 Pro video card, etc.). That same system rarely rises out of the 25 - 30 FPS range in GR:IT because of the absolutely excessive amount of detail. It became unplayable only once (when I was looking down into a valley on a lot of enemies over a long distance), but it's clear that the engine is doing an awful lot more work than in the other campaigns.
And I don't mean that in a bad way. It's worth it. The individually rendered vegetation, the beautiful swaying trees, the fabulous textures, and all the other amazing little touches are well worth the drop in framerate. The very first mission in GR:IT tells you this expansion pack is going to be a treat right from the outset. Dropping from the helicopter into such a believable jungle is positively amazing. GR raised the bar pretty high for this genre of games, but GR:IT kicks the bar right off the posts. It's stunning.
The gameplay is also more of the same fabulous stuff. I really had to break out the big guns, grenades, rockets, and everything else to get the job done in GR:IT. The missions that required me to play against the clock were particularly gripping, but I enjoyed all of them a great deal. I know some reviewers (most notably PC Gamer) have complained that this expansion pack is incredibly difficult. To them I can say only this: you're not playing The Right Way™. I found it challenging, but it was always playable in light of my newfound approach to the game.
When I originally reviewed GR, I said it was the best tactical shooter made to date, hands down. I also said that it was a game that I could recommend highly to those not yet initiated into that genre. Having finally figured out how to play the game well, I would have to say that GR is an even better game than I previously realized. This is doubly true insofar as many of the problems I experienced have since been fixed with the various patches.
Having said this, the expansion packs are even better still. GR:DS is a whiz-bang campaign that puts you right in the middle of the desert, fighting for your life against some pretty bad dudes. GR:IT cranks up the realism a notch further, adds an absolutely wonderful insertion feature, and gives you still more great weapons, specialists, and missions to enjoy. It's not an understatement when I say that if you don't yet own the complete series, you need to fix that as soon as possible. GR and its expansion packs are must-have games.
I know this much: I'll be playing through all the missions again as soon as I can find the time.
12/09/2002