E3 2005: Level Up
Next-Gen Ghost
Product: Ghost Recon 3
Company: Ubisoft Entertainment
Date: 05/28/2005
Avaliable On:

Of all the games shown so for the Xbox 360, only a few have shown any glimpse of the being truely of the next generation. Of these select few, the one nabbing the most attention is UbiSoft's Ghost Recon 3. And rightly so.

Environments show off intricate details and the visual "pop" expected from the next round of consoles. Take, for example, a segment of the video demonstration where a building is rocked by an explosion. As the building crumbles into a pile of concrete and iron, debris, smoke and dust fill the air. Characters also show amazingly life-like animations and reactions to elements in the environment. As the aforementioned building collapses, they're initially stunned by the surprise of the explosion and immediately duck and enter a ready position. Reactions also add to the already intense firefights as they duck to avoid incoming fire or peek around corners.

Ghost Recon 3 takes place in 2013 during a political summit in Mexico City where leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada are meeting to negotiate a trade treaty. Meanwhile, a group of Mexican rebels use this opportunity to attack the summit and take the President hostage. As in past games, you play as a member of the United State's Elite Special Forces Unit, Ghost Recon. It's your duty to lead the Ghosts into Mexico City, put down the uprising that has sprung up in the wake of the attack and rescue the President. All in a day?s work for a Ghost.

As with past Ghost Recon games, UbiSoft is aiming to make the third game in the series as realistic as possible. Not only will they do this through the use of more realistic animations and reactions, but they will feature no in-game cutscenes to move the story forward. Instead, your missions will interlock with each other as they move you from district to district. In addition, all narrative sequences will take place through what is being called the IWS, or Integrated Warfighter System."

Making use of the Xbox 360's ability to display multiple windows onscreen at once, you'll receive in-game commands from your higher-ups and squad members which will keep you immersed in the game's action as if it were really happening. In addition to real-time battle reports, the IWS will also give you access to satellite imagery and the use of unmanned predator drones.

Ghost Recon 3 will also include Co-op and competitive multiplayer options, though UbiSoft is remaining tight lipped as to what these options might entail. Judging from past titles, expect most of the basic multiplayer modes to show up in addition to a few new ones UbiSoft may be hiding under its hat.

While not as impressive looking as the Xbox 360 version, Ghost Recon 3 will also be make an appearance on the PS2, Xbox and PC. All four versions are tentatively scheduled for release this winter.

Starscream aka Ricky Tucker

GameVortex PSIllustrated TeamPS2