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'G.R.A.W.' easily defeats 'The Outfit'
By AIMEE HATFIELD / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Mar 24, 2006 - 12:01:29 am CST

I’ve never really been a fan of the Tom Clancy games. It has nothing to do with the games themselves, I’m just not that interested in tactical shooters.

That said, I had a lot of fun with “Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter.”

For starters, “G.R.A.W.” is absolutely gorgeous. Textures pop out at you, and when you blow up vehicles, the fireballs are just amazing. Lighting is highly contrasted, with bright sunlight beaming down on you (and into your rifle scope) during the day and city streetlights at night. During helicopter rides, Mexico City spreads out below you all the way to the horizon.

But besides the graphics, which highlight the power of the Xbox 360, the gameplay itself was enjoyable.

The campaign mode tells of a coup attempt in future Mexico, and as Scott Mitchell, a member of the elite Ghost team, you must infiltrate enemy zones and rescue VIPs, including the Mexican and U.S. presidents.

Sometimes you’re alone, and sometimes you command three other squad members and/or various vehicles. While the teammates aren’t always the brightest, you can easily command them to move to specific spots or attack certain things.

Aiming and shooting is pretty solid, and you can flatten yourself against walls and peer around corners for more protection (though your accuracy drops). And considering the urban environment, you’ll want to make plenty use of those walls.

Speaking of the urban environment, one thing stuck out — the streets are completely devoid of civilians. Yes, a coup attempt is going on and, yes, radio broadcasts in the streets clearly tell people to stay inside, but there should be something else going on. A few cars driving, people moving around or even animals. It’s a ghost town, pun intended. At least there were never any problems knowing who to shoot — everybody you encounter is the enemy.

I also had problems with some areas being too dark, but I’m not sure whether that was the game’s dramatic lighting or my television (I’ve heard that some HDTVs have a problem with making things too dark. I just don’t know if mine is one of them.).

Once you make it through the single-player campaign — which will probably take about 10 hours or so, unless you die excessively — there’s plenty of online multiplayer on Xbox Live to which to turn.

I ended up playing through the entire one-player campaign in just a couple of days because I was having so much fun, which surprised me because of my interest in the genre. So that tells me if you’ve got an Xbox 360 and you like tactical shooters, this one definitely won’t disappoint.

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter

Ubisoft, for Xbox 360 (also available on Xbox)

Rated: Teen

Cost: $59.99

Grade: A-

If you’re at all interested in military shooters, you probably will be faced with a decision: “G.R.A.W.” or another new 360 game, “The Outfit.”

I’ll tell you right now: The one to pick should be “G.R.A.W.”

“The Outfit” is OK, but it’s nothing stellar, and it has some problems with … well, being boring.

You play as an elite group of soldiers during World War II, on the hunt for an evil Nazi commander who burns churches with women and children locked inside (Hello, can anyone say “The Patriot”?).

I will say that I love “The Outfit’s” Destruction on Demand feature. Basically, by hitting the Y button, you call up a menu of soldiers, vehicles and guns that you need and can “purchase” them with points you earn by killing Nazis and blowing up their bases. When you purchase something and pick a spot for it, a plane comes along and literally drops it in that spot. Way cool, though be careful not to stand in that spot when the item is dropped; it will kill you instantly. Uh, not that I did that.

The biggest problem is that the game quickly devolves into the same thing over and over: Run to an area, clear it of Nazis, run to the next area. Rinse and repeat. Add to this the fact that many of the vehicles are a pain to drive and that aiming weapons is more difficult than it should be, and you end up with a so-so mix. There are bright spots, but overall I just didn’t feel compelled to keep playing.

There is a pretty fun online component, though, including co-op play to liven up the campaign mode.

If you’re the type of gamer who lives for Xbox Live, go ahead and give this one a go. But if you’re buying it just for single-player, I would think twice. It’s fun for a while, but it gets old pretty fast. You can download a demo on Xbox Live. I suggest you try that first.

The Outfit

THQ, for Xbox 360

Rated: Mature

Cost: $59.99

Grade: B

Reach Aimee Hatfield at 473-7326 or Aimee.Hatfield@lee.net.