Head for the Old Town
Out of all the maps played, some large, some medium and some small, my favourite was Rocky Cove, a larger map ideal for snipers. The sea provides a stunning backdrop to a map that has numerous ways to approach the enemies territory. You'll even be able to wade out into the sea and reach an excellent spot that provides a superb view of the mainland, and the enemies spawn point. The zoom feature becomes even more important on these larger maps. Everytime you zoom in on a foe you'll notice some slowdown, your soldier moves as if he's just taken a shot of morphine. It makes you an easier target as you can't dart to the safety, but makes the game more tactical and enemies are also easier to hit, plus it stops you from running around attempting to blast enemies to shreds. Because the map is well lit it's easy to be spotted, so keeping low is a must. There is a new feature which allows you to dive into a lying down position, you'll be using this more often then not on small maps. Just click on your left stick and you'll be in a much better position to take the enemy out. The rolling from side to side, seen in GR2 and Ghost Recon Summit Strike has been removed.
Click for larger imageWe also played a single player campaign on Old Town. We couldn't really hear what we were supposed to be doing due to playing the console in the open air, but the mission pointers on the map indicated which direction to head. The enemy A.I is excellent and fans will be glad to hear it's not as hardcore as the previous two Ghost Recon games. Enemies used to be able to sniff you out from miles away or hear you when you sneak past. You could fire off a sniper shot and the enemy would immediately know your position, but now it seems to be more balanced, sometimes they'll suss your position, and other times they won't. All in all it adds to a more unpredictable experience, just like real war! The friendly A.I however, were acting rather strangely. Whilst our group were firing at oncoming foe, one of our A.I teammates decided he would rather look at a wall for a few minutes rather than joining in, charming. We did only play one mission so it's hard to know whether this will be a common occurrence throughout the game, the bug may well be fixed before release.
Click for larger imageThe mission was difficult, but the whole feel and look of the Old Town was just amazing.
