Enhanced graphical effects
We’ve recently spent some quality time checking out the new features and exploring the diverse range of maps in the multiplayer mode of Ubisoft’s latest title in the Ghost Recon series, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2).
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 builds off of the events in the first game and places gamers in control of the U.S. military’s elite fighting unit, the Ghosts. In the year 2014, the rising conflict between Mexican loyalists and insurgent rebel forces has thrown Mexico into full-scale civil war. Under the command of Captain Scott Mitchell, the Ghosts are called upon to face an imminent threat to the United States. The fate of two countries now lies in the hands of the Ghosts as they fend off an attack on U.S. soil. Equipped with the most cutting-edge weaponry and technology, the Ghosts must battle on both sides of the border to neutralize the escalating rebel threat.
Graphics & Physics
The graphics in GRAW 2 are not dissimilar to Ubisoft’s previous title in the series and locations are still shrouded with a greeny/brown veil that camouflages each and every level, giving the shooter a raw and gritty complexion. There’s the welcome return of the rich textures, stunning lighting and particle effects, multi-windowing and state-of-the-art physics that we saw in GRAW, but the real differences can be seen in the explosions and the animations of soldiers as you drop a frag into a group of a dozen rebels and watch them spray in all directions, showcasing some of the best rag doll physics effects that we’ve ever witnessed. We launched a grenade onto a bridge in co-op mode where approximately half a dozen rebels were dashing across and watched some of them fall backwards, some slump over the railings and others go hurtling off the bridge. Despite bodies disappearing very quickly after impact, the fun to be had out of watching the bloody animations was immense.
Click for larger imageDynamic weather conditions also return and are as visually engaging as ever, with war debris and foliage dripping with moisture; even the grass and tarmac of the roads glisten under your feet as you make your way up Monument Hill or patrol the streets around the Embassy.
Click for larger imageThrow a grenade towards a car where a Mexican rebel is hiding and rather than the resulting fire having an effect as if the burning mass is a solid graphical block, it mimics a real explosion where the fire is uncontrollable, moving in the wind and flickering casting it’s light and shadow on the surrounding areas. A prime example of this is on a map called ‘Crash Site’ where the fuselage of fallen planes are still burning and the reaction of burning fuel is accurately created by subtle blurring effects.
