Ghost Recon Future Soldier : Review [X360]

• Genre: First Person Shooter
• Rating: 4/5
• Studio: Redstorm Entertainment

Ghost Recon Advanced War fighter set the benchmark for graphics and gameplay for the Xbox 360 when it was released back in 2006,it was innovative, beautiful and took large numbers. Ghost Recon Future soldier sets out on its own venture to make a difference in the long line of ghost titles and it has to an extent made few exceptions in the game. Its initial reactions were neutral when it was shown at E3 2010; also it has certain qualities that set it apart from heavy weights like Call of Duty and Battlefield 3.The game challenges you to play differently and tactfully. The game has a lengthy 13 Hour campaign and few distinct co-op and multiplayer modes making a great game overall. Read on for an in depth analysis.

Graphics

The Game is based on the heavily modified YETI engine, a proprietary game engine developed by Ubisoft. In nutshell Ghost Recon Future Soldier is a beautiful game to look at, the details are sharp and the surroundings seem realistic, the characters look lifelike, explosions feel intense and muzzle flashes look deadly. The slight haze created by the water drops in few of the levels looks realistic and has a nice aesthetic to it. There are few issues that are minute but could have been improved like facial expressions at times of emotive situations. The game surely has a distinct appeal. The in game cut scenes feel cinematic and pave a steady way for situational awareness.

Gameplay

The game has a lengthy 13 hour campaign that is intense and has a thick plot revolving from Africa to Russia. You start off as a basic locate and extract and gradually the plot thickens and has a lot coming its way, the missions are varied and unique, The gameplay is smart, tactful and rewarding. This game forces you to think before making the move on the enemy, Play this game like the Battlefield 3 or Call of Duty and you will be punished by enemy fire in an instant, the game lets you take advantage of the few against impossible odds. The game is designed to be played using discreet methods like stealth and team play .Unlike previous Ghost Recon titles this game does not let you micromanage the squad instead it relies on a “Synchronous Kill method” or “Sync Kill” this method lets you tag enemies for your teammates and lets you kill simultaneously for thinning the opposition with precision, it is a great way to kill stealthily and effectively. There are various array of technologies and gadgets at your disposal like staying in crouched mode keeps you cloaked that makes you invisible, you also have access to a mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicle that can swoop in undetected and tag enemies and provide forward situational awareness for kill or sync shot planning. The UAV can transition between ground and air modes. There are various types of grenades for different situations, Like an EMP grenade disables all electronic and surveillance, The weapons have a vast possibility of customizations and a player can make over 20 million combinations like barrels, supressors, ammo, stock and so on, this feature can be linked with the 360’s kinect attachment and the same creation process can be done hands free. In addition to these there is also a new discreet weapon that I will leave as a surprise for the players to witness and field test it themselves.

Sound

Sound is an important aspect in ghost recon future soldier and intensifies the gameplay experience. The audio feels great and adds to the action on screen, the dialogues are intense and I would recommend turning up the volume as it would be a great immersive experience, A lot of R&D has been done for future soldier as the guns actually sound as they should in the real world, the supressed sounds feel muffled and have a auditory indication of a kill when the trigger is pulled, the background score is inspired by the levels and their respective backgrounds and range from tribal electronic beats to orchestral based background score. I would recommend playing with a pair of nice surround headphones as it would be an overall immersive experience.

Multiplayer

Future Soldier’s multiplayer, however, is extremely addictive and highly rewarding, offering a class-based system that focuses more on completing objectives as a team than racking up the best kill-death ratio. There is no standard deathmatch option available. While there are only four multiplayer modes in total, they each offer a pleasing variation on the team assault theme.

Conflict: Objective-based team deathmatch.

Decoy: Attacking team must secure three objectives, 2 of which are decoys. Upon discovering the true objective, a last and final demolition objective will be revealed.

Saboteur: A bomb located at the center of the map must be acquired and brought to the opposing bomb site, typically located near the enemy’s spawn, and must then be detonated. This is essentially a reverse tug-of-war between the two opposing teams.

Siege: Based on the classic Ghost Recon game mode, Blind Siege, but less “blind” due to the Intel Loop feature included in Future Soldier. Attacking team must capture the defenders objective while the defenders must protect it to the death. No re-spawns.

Out of all the modes, decoy is the best mode and the most fun mode in the game, as you are uncertain as to which is the actual target

In total, 10 maps will be available while each game mode will be playable across all 10 maps

Private matches will be present in Future Soldier with an entire squad system set up as well. Private matches will also allow players to unlock all weapons right off the shelf as well as let players set up asymmetrical matches. For example, a squad of 4 could test their wits against an enemy team of 8. Communications and intel benefits will contribute to the entire team while certain functions, like spawning, are limited to Fire Teams.

Multiplayer offers three classes to choose from –

1) Rifleman: your standard soldier with balanced modes focused on cover and kill. The weapon options will be assault based. Assault rifles like the TAR-21 is a very good selection for the rifleman class.

2) Engineer: The battlefield technician has the ability to tackle a vast array of gadgets. The engineer class is suited to the SMG’s like MP-7 and AK-74.

3)Scout: The long range interception class, is the best for quick covert kills, has very limited health and is prone to quick deaths if exposed in the open. The MSR sniper rifle is a good choice here.

Rounding out the play modes is Guerrilla, Future Soldier’s take on Gears of War’s extremely popular Horde mode. Here, up to four players silently take over an enemy HQ, then try to survive wave after wave of militants who’d like very much to take it back. It’s nothing new, but it is a well thought and welcome addition to the game. And it’s a challenge; surviving all 50 waves will require some serious team coordination and synchronisation.

Overall the multiplayer is fun, balanced and a great addition to the package. In Nutshell the competitive multiplayer or the Co-op modes are highly addictive and extremely rewarding.

Conclusion

Overall the game is great; it sets out differently from the recent heavyweights like Call of Duty and Battlefield 3 This game gives us a hypothetical scenario of what war in the future would be like, some of the technologies demonstrated in the game are actually being used by various defence forces around the world. Aside from the few glitches he game feels great to play, the campaign is good and satisfying and the multiplayer is engaging and rewarding. Ubisoft has done it just right. Hence a must Buy.

(It is recommended for older xbox users to install the game to the Hard Drive for enhanced performance).

The Good

• Superb and lasting campaign
• Great dialogue
• Beautiful Presentation
• Varied Gameplay

The Bad

• Few Minor Graphical Glitches

The Ratings

• Graphics: 4.5/5
• Sound: 4.5/5
• Gameplay: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

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