100 Point Review For Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon

Game: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Makers: Ubi Soft

My Reviews Are Rated as Follows:

100 total points are possible. There are ten categories, ten points available for each.

1. Introduction/Opening
2. Storyline
3. Graphics
4. Originality
5. Soundtrack
6. Individualistic Characters
7. Replay Values
8. Difficulty
9. Excitement Factor
10. Controls

The Scale:
100-85 – Excellent, worth a pre-order.
84-70 – Average, worth it once the price goes down.
69-55 – Below average, buy it Used
54 and Under – Rent it or avoid it.

What else would a Tom Clancy game be than an action shoot-em-up adventure? Ghost Recon is about a special team of people who go in first, and come out last, often remaining unseen by the enemy, hence the title Ghost. Part stealth, part guns blazing action, Ghost Recon is an excellent addition to the Tom Clancy series.

Introduction/Opening
The opening explains what the Ghosts are and what they do. It also tells you that there's been an uprising and who else has to save the world? Good job. You do. It helps pull the player into wanting to play and finish the game and gives you a real good sense of what you'll be going up against.
The opening receives a 9 out of 10.

Storyline
Somewhere in the near future, there is civil unrest in Russia which leads to rebels wanting to rebuild the iron curtain, so to speak. This is only the first half of the game. The second half, Desert Siege, deals with an Ethiopian general who had engaged in arms deals with the Russians. So basically you’re fighting terrorism on two fronts. Not to fret, the Ghosts are armed with some of the most technologically advanced equipment out there, and they intend to use it.
Storyline receives a 9 out of 10.

Graphics
While they can be a bit spotty at times, they're usually excellent. Most of the terrorists look the same, but other than that, the landscapes, buildings, trees, and everything else are well drawn.
Graphics receives an 8 out of 10.

Originality
While Tom Clancy games have been around for a while now, it holds it's own in this field. Instead of using the whole 'one-man army' deal, you have two teams: Alpha and Bravo, with three men on each team. What's more is you can readily switch between each member of each team. When not using a team, you can command them to go to a certain area, while at the same time giving them an order to fire-at-will or be silent. Also unlike most others, your teamates don't just stand around, and aim just as well as you can (provided you can aim well.) Before the start of each mission, you set up your team with members you choose, the weapons you want them to use, including assault rifles, pistols, grenade launchers, the works. If you get injured, you really get injured. If you get hit in this one, you're slowed down. If you're near death, you'll barely be able to walk.
Originality receives a 10 out of 10.

Soundtrack
So the soundtrack may not be perfect. The guns sound alright, but then there's that annoying music. Whether you're in danger or not, every so often this eerie 'you're going to die' music plays, effectively creeping you out right in the middle of your mission. Of course you can disable this in the options menu, but where's the fun in that? The voices are done pretty well too. Of course, most of them are in Russian, but hey, you have to draw the line somewhere.
Soundtrack receives an 8 out of 10.

Individualistic Characters
Here's a sight to see; not all the same grunts! On the Ghosts, there's a team member for everyone. Each man and woman has their own credentials and background as well as their specialty. (Which includes rifleman, assault, demolition, and sniper.) Each character has their own experience points, if you will. With each completed mission, depending on the job well done, you get points to use to upgrade things like your teams' stealth, aim, etc. So even though your six team members may seem similar, they're all very different.
Individualistic Characters receives a 10 out of 10.

Replay Value
There isn't much, unless you're in two-player. In single-player mode, you basically beat the missions, and you're done. If you beat the special mission requirements, you unlock new characters and such, but other than that, nada. In two player, however, there's of course, deathmatch, co-op, and others. Actually, now that I think about it, there are other single player modes. So there is more replay value. You've got three mini games, I guess you could call them. There's a 'Kill-Em-All' game, and a 'make it from point a to point b' game', so it may stay interesting for a good, long time.
Replay Value receives a 10 out of 10.

Difficulty
Difficulty can be a little too easy. Unless you get shot in the head, you can usually take your share of bullets (depending on the characters 'Endurance' level, which is another exp. point bar). They don't make it too terribly easy, as after you take your shot, enemies duck and hide. If you get close, they get restless and seem to fire everything you've got. There is one problem that may prove very difficult for you as the player. If you run out of ammo, you're screwed. Luckily for you, you've got six people, so it shouldn't be too hard.
Difficulty receives a 9 out of 10.

Excitement Factor
To be excited by running around dodging bullets and ducking for cover? No, never. The game can go at any pace you want it to, and often does. Well, you do have a limit, of course, but other than that, you can sneak all you want, but sooner or later, you're going to have to engage in battle one way or another, and with all the weapons put at your disposal, it'll keep your adrenaline pumping. That is, unless you get shot of course. Getting shot is bad, as you may have guessed.
Excitement Factor receives a 10 out of 10.

Controls
The controls may take a little getting used to. Unless you're playing it on easy, you're going to have to keep an eye on your ammo and learn when to reload, which you must do manually. Then, there's also zooming in and out, and of course, the three positions you can change. Standing, crouching, crawling. You'll need to master all three to succeed, but luckily it's not that complicated.
Controls receives a 10 out of 10.

Though it may seem out of date now with all it's sequels already out, Ghost Recon will always remain a good game, and with it's reduced price, it's definitely worth the buy.

Total Score for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: 93