Boys:
Picked up Ghost Recon Island Thunder last night, and it's a keeper.
Yep, the gameplay is identical to the original Xbox game. But the new maps, based in Cuba, are really, really good.
There are two maps that are "instant classics."
One is a map in which you're spawned in tall sugarcane fields next to a beach. Paths are cut in the sugarcane fields, so it's like a giant maze. When you exit the maze, there is a big hill to scale, where you can get a great vantage point -- snipers' paradise! -- of everything. And there are some fantastic caverns on the inside of the mountain you can access in one spot.
The other is called "Polling Place." It's an urban map, presumably Havana. Tons of hiding spots, posts, columns, alleys, etc. Makes the "Embassy" from the original GR look pretty tame.
The only innovation I could see in about 2 1/2 hours of combined offline and online play was that the speaker is identified when talking online. A small walkie-talkie icon with the speaker's Gamertag appears at the bottom of the screen when someone talks. Great feature, as I always was stumped when a teammate said, "Hey, follow me" in GR, and I had no idea which teammate was talking, especially in games with dudes I didn't know.
GR Island Thunder is a damn good purchase at $39.99 if you're looking for a fresh take on the GR franchise or if you've never played GR before. Very fun offline and online, especially on XBL.
Take care,
PK
Picked up Ghost Recon Island Thunder last night, and it's a keeper.
Yep, the gameplay is identical to the original Xbox game. But the new maps, based in Cuba, are really, really good.
There are two maps that are "instant classics."
One is a map in which you're spawned in tall sugarcane fields next to a beach. Paths are cut in the sugarcane fields, so it's like a giant maze. When you exit the maze, there is a big hill to scale, where you can get a great vantage point -- snipers' paradise! -- of everything. And there are some fantastic caverns on the inside of the mountain you can access in one spot.
The other is called "Polling Place." It's an urban map, presumably Havana. Tons of hiding spots, posts, columns, alleys, etc. Makes the "Embassy" from the original GR look pretty tame.
The only innovation I could see in about 2 1/2 hours of combined offline and online play was that the speaker is identified when talking online. A small walkie-talkie icon with the speaker's Gamertag appears at the bottom of the screen when someone talks. Great feature, as I always was stumped when a teammate said, "Hey, follow me" in GR, and I had no idea which teammate was talking, especially in games with dudes I didn't know.
GR Island Thunder is a damn good purchase at $39.99 if you're looking for a fresh take on the GR franchise or if you've never played GR before. Very fun offline and online, especially on XBL.
Take care,
PK
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