Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

(Ubisoft for Xbox 360)
By Mike Delano

The Ghost Recon series has always been a reliable alternative to hectic shooters like Call of Duty or Halo, demanding a careful approach that rewards planning and strategy while still delivering an intense action experience. Since there hasn’t been a new entry since 2007’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, though, the series hasn’t been able to take advantage of the many advancements made by this generation’s games, until now. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier does an excellent job of reestablishing the name in the modern shooter landscape. Most importantly, the gameplay is polished and refined, enabling you to move your soldier with a confidence and finesse that recalls Splinter Cell: Conviction, which makes playing the multiplayer online modes or the Horde Mode-variant Guerilla Mode an addictive blast, even when you’re on the losing end. The visuals have a sleek, clean look, and while the varied locations are impressively realized (remote arctic compounds, chaotic Middle Eastern streets), the real star of the single player campaign is the level design. The multi-part objectives strike just the right balance between huge action set pieces and quiet reconnaissance, and the missions give you both the sensation of an elite operative that has a huge advantage over his enemies and one that is in way over his head should he make one wrong move. In balancing all of these elements so well, Future Soldier achieves a subtle, cool vibe that distinguishes it from the competition.
(www.ubisoft.com)