Over the years we have seen the popularity of tactical stealth games grow and grow and none more so than the Tom Clancy series and it’s no wonder especially with quality titles such as Rainbow 6 and Splinter Cell. Now the man himself Tom Clancy has launched his newest addition to the series ‘Ghost Recon – Jungle Storm’ but will it receive the same status and prestige as his previous titles.
The first thing that you will notice about Ghost Recon is the fact that un-like its older brother Splinter Cell it’s a true conversion of the PC version.
I still can’t forget how disappointed I was when I first loaded up Splinter Cell for the N-Gage only to find that it was in actual fact a 2D platform game in a similar style to that of Rayman and nothing like the 3D console version. But thankfully Ghost Recon-Jungle Storm has remained the same in its true 3D mode; and so for the first time on the N-Gage we have a proper Tactical Stealth Action game…Thank You!
The year is 2009: And the countries leader Castro has died leaving a power vacuum in Cuba, and a Colombian drug cartel wants it all. The island's first free elections are under threat until the U.S. sends in the Ghosts, an elite team of Army Green Berets, as part of a UN peacekeeping force to subdue the warlords and secure the elections.
Gamers will have to guide their Ghost Force through a series of missions and completing objectives ranging from rescuing hostages, setting demolitions and search and destroy missions.
You take 4 members of the team on each mission selecting them by which of their specialities will best suit your missions. In addition to this you will also have to select which equipment you want them to take which again depends on the mission objectives. In the missions you control the team leader but are able to select and play as any member of your team at any point just in case you need a sniper to take out a pesky guard in an observation tower or destroy a train with the squad member that is carrying the rocket launcher.
There are 8 missions to complete with each containing up to four objectives and there are also 4 levels of difficulty. The first of these missions guide the player step by step through the control layout which can sometimes be very annoying in games; however I believe this to be a well needed feature in the game due to the complexity of the controls used.
As with all the Tom Clancy games there are so many controls and only just enough buttons so don’t expect to master them all straight away. Your sight and aim is controlled by the directional pad and your motion, change weapon, change character, fire, strafing, zoom, reload, crouch, throw grenade, view map and team commands are all controlled by the right hand keys so expect plenty of thumb ache. Once you have mastered these controls you will be able to successfully execute great team tactics such as cover of movement, head shots and stealth which are all essential for completing the game, and completing it in style. If that isn’t enough for you there are also extra missions which are unlocked as you complete the campaign missions. These help to add longevity to the game which makes it very good value for money.
The graphics of Ghost Recon had a lot to live up to (after the dismal attempt at Splinter Cell) especially as they would be compared to other first person shooters on the N-Gage such as Ashen. And live up to them they do, the graphics in play are amazing for the N-Gage and the attention to detail is just phenomenal. I was worried that because of the N-Gages constraints it would be very unclear and choppy but in actual fact it is very smooth and clear, you can easily identify what weapon a team member is holding and there is even glare from the sun when aiming high, something that I never even saw on the PS1. The special effects are very good and accurate; the game employs effects such as the rain, fog, night vision and large realistic explosions. The backgrounds are realistic and the terrain contours have been crafted very well. The character animations are varied, the enemies and hostages look very good but when you turn to look at your fellow team members they are very blocky and pixilated which is a great shame and in my opinion is the only thing that lets the graphics down.
The soundtrack has been composed by Bill Brown who is responsible for such soundtracks as Rainbow 6 and other titles in the Ghost Recon series. If you are familiar with these titles you will know what to expect from the soundtrack for Ghost Recon – Jungle Storm. If you are unfamiliar with these older titles then expect a thumping, eerie and well suited soundtrack that highly complements the games atmosphere.
Attention to detail was obviously high on the agenda when the sound FX were being developed because there is little that has been left to the imagination. To help create a realistic environment Ghost Recon includes sound effects of crickets chirping, the splattering of rain, birds, footsteps which relate to the surface under foot, planes flying over head and a lot of other random sounds that you would associate with the great outdoors. The weapons too have had a lot of thought put in to them; with a very different and realistic gunshot sound for each weapon and even a realistic reloading effect. The characters have also got some great effects with recognizable yells of ‘He’s history’ and ‘Man down’.
Ghost Recon-Jungle Storm has very few features other than its impressive ability to play 1-8 player multi-player games thanks to its wireless Bluetooth technology. There is the ability to play co-operative multi-player games as well as 8 player death matches and team death matches.
In my eyes this game is a true masterpiece, The game is so in-depth, well presented and yet still maintains the great game play that so many Tom Clancy fans have become accustomed to, it seems almost impossible that the games developers Game-loft have managed to squeeze this all on to a single MMC card the size of a stamp. Truly remarkable. Get your camouflage gear on, apply your face paint and lock and load……
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