Review: At the risk of much derision, we go where we’ve never gone before. But was it worth it?
Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is a top-down tactics game exclusive to the 3DS. Yes, we’re reviewing a portable game. Yes, and shut up right now – because it’s good.
The game features a lengthy campaign, which sees your Ghost team rocking it though Khazakstan with modern weaponry and some pseudo sci fi kit that the US and – depressingly – Australian governments are currently sinking cash into. This includes battle drones and cloaking devices that add to the gameplay rather than add to the stupidity.
Since we’re on the topic of stupidity, however, the plot is positively ‘whatever’. Every time a cut scene starts we take a moment and thank the gaming gods for the ‘skip’ function. The characters are – and insert-your-deity-here, did we not roflcopter at the pure irony here – wholly two-dimensional.
We don’t care about them. You don’t care about them. The writers didn’t care about them. If they could achieve true AI they wouldn’t care about themselves. At no point will anyone refer to their names beyond ‘the assault dude’ or ‘the sniper guy’, because there’s simply no reason to learn them.
Beyond the plot is the ludicrous dialogue, which is bad enough to make you laugh, including politically correct interchanges that amount to:
Ghost dude: ‘they destroyed the drone with a drone made from US and Russian parts! But how could it destroy an AMERICAN drone?!’Khazekstani chick: ‘why should the American drone be better?!’Main dude: ‘can we keep playing now?’
Sorry, that last line was actually one of ours, but you get the idea: this isn’t Shakespeare. Then again, Roland Emmerich will try to convince us that Shakespeare wasn’t either.
But it does seem like they’re trying to teach the audience a half-arsed lesson about imperialism, elitism and some other isms. And although we believe gaming is entirely capable of magnificent storytelling and moral education beyond the abilities of any other media due to its interactive nature – even though it has yet to be achieved – GR is not the time nor the place. And that’s also a different article: ‘writers shouldn’t start teaching lessons they’re too lazy to follow up on’.
Although it may sound as if we’re displeased with Ubi’s offerings, our main gripes are simply brought to the forefront by the fact that the gameplay is so damn good.
If you like tactics and strategy you will like GR. Your team has a range of skills and it’s best to learn each unit’s strengths and work from there. And it’s not too hard since they are very clearly identified.
You have a lead assault unit, a sniper, a minigun dude, a cloaked assault unit, medic, engineer and a Khazakstani rebel whose strength lies in her range and all-round robust nature.
Your units can all be upgraded as you gain XP. The best thing is you can hand over the experience – represented by stars – to units of your choosing.
The game can thank its cover system for a huge amount of its depth. We’ve enjoyed quite a few firefights in GR now that have been so satisfying simply because we’ve sat our units behind some cover and made them hold out against all odds. That may sound formulaic or repetitive, but it genuinely isn’t. That’s how we enjoy playing, but the options here are many. Want to run and gun? Do it. Want to flank and out manouvre? Do it. Yes, we can all manooooouvre – just ask Eddie Izzard.
The game lends itself to that wonderful sense of dread and immanent doom that isn’t overcome until you hit your stride.
And boy can you hit your stride. Get your cloaked unit with your sniper and they are a brilliant team. Sniper reduces health. Cloak finishes off. It’ll take a little while to get a handle on which units work best together, but if you think about it like a genuine teamwork exercise and use your head you will be graced with many rewarding gameplay moments.
Just as an aside, we love using the assault unit with the medic. She’s equipped with a hefty pistol and its hilarious to watch her finish off enemy units with a simple ‘bang’. We like to imagine her smirking every time, and even if she isn’t, we are.
There are many more mechanics that help make the game more nail biting. Assault units can return fire when shot – even if it’s not their turn – so don’t get penisey.
The engineer can build a turret drone, which is excellent for ambushes, units can throw grenades and your assault unit can fire mortars – which in general are so awesome they will forever by associated with the classic line, “war: its faaaaaantastic!”
Another aspect of brilliance is the focus on adding one mechanic at a time. You complete a few ‘tutorial’ missions, which make up the start of the campaign, but throughout many more you’re constantly learning new things. We started the game thinking it was a gun tactics thingy, but we’ve come to respect it as a deep game with a solid replayability factor.
One problem with the game is that the RPG ‘element’ – the XP, kit upgrades, etc. – does not extend to allowing your Ghosts to die. If a Ghost dies it’s MISSION FAILED! At least no tramps or geriatric generals scream for bloody Solid Snake. Unless you do… and that’d be weird.
There’s also skirmish and multiplayer maps, the former unlocked by doing awesomely in the campaign missions. We haven’t quite gotten through them just yet, but a quick dip of the toe has us thinking that they’re not just an afterthought.
Unfortunately we haven’t tested out the multiplayer, and we’ll pretend it’s because we don’t know anyone else cool enough to own a 3DS, and not because no-one wants to play with us.
Finally, presentation. With a game like this presentation isn’t always the most important aspect, but its another area in which GR excels. The maps deliver nice textures and details, like leafy trees and bushes, plenty of stone walls to take cover behind and houses in which to take cover.
The Ghosts do look cartoonish, but the cut scenes and overall presentation don’t avoid this visual theme, which puts it in context.
As for the 3D, it’s not a gimmick. It’s not even a feature. It’s just there. And that is a huge compliment. The 3D doesn’t draw your attention, but it does really seem as if these Ghosts are running rampant inside your 3DS – like there’s a whole little world in there.
If you’re still not convinced, think of X-Com. The man behind X-Com is the man behind this and John Giloolly informs us he is seriously good at his job. And if Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is anything to go by… he is.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012