Rating: 
Summary: Good fun but could be much better
Review: As far as first person shooters go, this one is as mixed a bag as any. I will not address the numerous mods there are for this game that may fix many of the issues I take with this game. This is an out of the box and into your computer review. Lets start with the story line: Pretty damn lame, nothing original in here. But as former 24 year verteran of Ranger/Delta Force /and Special Forces Master Srgnt. Stan Goff states, Tom Clancy is and always will be, full of sh*%.
This is a squad based combat simulator and as for that part, they pretty much fail. Your companions are practically worthless. They will be killed by enemies right under their noses, and almost always blow carefully crafted ambushes, even when you've ordered them all to hold their fire. If you are looking for a game where you can actually control your men a bit more, seek Operation Flash Point.
The maps are pretty cool, but not nearly as open and expansive as they are in Operation Flashpoint, which allows a player some serious ground to play with. I mean come on...how fun is it to be a sniper with your squad under fire, seeking high ground to send the hell down range, only to find that you can't climb the hills in the game? Pathetic. I mean come on, these highly trained SF commandos can't crawl up a hill that is less than 45 degrees? Gives the game an arcade feeling rather than a bonafide simulator feel. Limits strategy severly. Again, seek Flashpoint where you can walk as far as you need to and go pretty much where ever you want to find your tactical advantage--een if you have to jack a Yugo to do it.
Weapons-really, I have only a few beefs with the weapons. One--unlike most first person shooters, you cannot see your own weapon. And the weapon sight is this huge yellow obscenity that takes up a lot of the screen. I mean come on, what are these SF guys wearing, a helmet mounted HUD? Stupid. Again, Operation flashpoint has by far the best sighting system. I OFP When you zoom in to engage targets in the distance, you actually look through the weapons iron sights or scope. Much cooler. In GR, you can't see your weapon belching fire and spitting brass. What a buzz kill. What they do is simulate the weapons sounds well. Each weapon sounds pretty authentic, and a with great many weapons to choose from. There are some gliches. Where is the ammo on the FN MAG? And it appears to have this huge scope on it, but do you use it? No.
Weapons ballistics and sounds is one of the games strong points. But they do fail in some pretty simple ways. For instance--when outfitting your character, you are limmited to totally generic kits. You can't mix and match things which can be very frustrating, and just down right stupid. Does anyone remember the very early PC game called SEAL TEAM made by electronic arts? You could put whatever you wanted on your guy, as long as you were conscious of wight. You could load him down so much he could barely move with whatever combination of weapons you could think of.
Funny how simple games with basic graphics got the details right. Now it seems new games with fancy graphics expect to dazzle you with scenery and expect you to forget about realism. Say you are going on an op where you want to carry a suppressed pistol. Well, you can't carry demo charges, claymores, or even grenades?! Take a pistol, leave your grenades. Take your grenades, leave your pistol. Riiiiigghht. I mean, that kind of crap always baffles me. And unlike Flashpoint, you cannot place and detonate your own demo charges. If the mission calls for them, you place them and the mission ends without you getting to set them off! Forget sitting in hiding, watching a huge column rumbling into sight, knowing you are going to cook off some serious fire workds to start your ambush. Again, for this, see Operation Flashpoint.
And what about the claymores in this game? Even if you are carying three of them, you can't place more than one at a time. You place one, then you must detonate it. This limits their use drastically, and is also very unrealistic. You should be able to place them all if you want and fire them either at the same time, or one after the other.
And the enemy AI has its bad points when it comes to combat. The enemy will have amazing aim, often killing you with one shot, standing oblivious to your team mates (If they deserve that title) blasting away at them. Fire and maneuver? Forget about it. Cover fire does not keep the bad guys heads down in this game. Break cover to run forward and cover your mates so they can move up and you just get shot down, even if the dumb AI squad members do remember to fire their weapons. And even if you wound the enemy, they may stagger for half a second, then turn and shoot you with one shot from a few hundred yards away with an AK. As some one who as seen people shot before, I can say with some certainty that you'd have to be one tough mother to take a bullet and stand up and shoot perfectly only a second after being hit.
And its also pretty classic to see an AT-4 round kill a T-72 with one shot every time. Possible? Sure. But not that likely unless you hit the perfect spot. What would have beem more realistic is if you called in for TAC air in when faced with armor. I do have to say, that although there is no sighting system except Kentucky Windage for grenade launchers, their affects and explosions are very realistic looking, as are the grenades. This is refreshing. This is something that many games get wrong. Hand Grenades and 203 bombs kick up a lot of dirt, but you don't see the big Hollywood Propane explosions, complete with blinding blast and mushroom cloud. Flashpoint does well in this simulation, and SOF II is terrible. And what about that futuristic super gun with the 20mm grenade launcher mounted under the HK 5.56? You are supposed to be able to program the rounds to explode where you tell them to. This game leaves out this feature, which is one of the main attributes to this weapon system. So my question is? Why put the gun in the game if you can't even use what makes it special?
Ballistics for the most part in the game are pretty good, except for the suppressed SR25--it has the same range as other sniper weapons that are not suppressed. Also, your snipers may be wearing a lot of personal cammo, but it really does not hide them from our super markesmen bush guerillas.
Play this game enough and you'll find that its good points do shine through and it can be a lot of fun if you are not too critical. But play it long enough, and you'll definitely end up wanting more.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe it's cause I'm a newbie to the genre . . .
Review: but I LOVED this game! I had never played a squad-based first-person shooter before, and I saw this for $15. Game of the Year, 2002? How bad could it be?I then found myself spending the next month slogging through 30 delicious missions of special forces fun. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not perfect. I ran into some pathfinding problems (guys getting stuck in stairwells, or jumping off a 6-inch drop, rather than taking a ramp, and breaking their legs no less), and it is annoying that my guys never used their grenades. But they were certainly quick on the draw, regularly taking out enemy soldiers before I could even spot them, let alone draw a bead. Maps are nicely varied and large, graphics and sound are solid, and the control scheme is not nearly as difficult to learn as I thought it would be (although it does take some practice, and the tutorial is kinda stinky). But the thing that amazed me most is that just about every mission contains a lot of NOTHING happening. You're moving soldiers into position, looking around for the bad guys, wondering if you should take the high road or not and then BAM! BAM! RAT-A-TAT-TAT! The sudden (usually short) bursts of violence just mde the lack of action unbelievably intense. Odds are pretty good that if you're a fan of the genre, you've already played this one. If not, cough up the $15 and buy this right now. I'm already dreaming of replaying it as soon as possible.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe it's cause I'm a newbie to the genre . . .
Review: but I LOVED this game! I had never played a squad-based first-person shooter before, and I saw this for $15. Game of the Year, 2002? How bad could it be? I then found myself spending the next month slogging through 30 delicious missions of special forces fun. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not perfect. I ran into some pathfinding problems (guys getting stuck in stairwells, or jumping off a 6-inch drop, rather than taking a ramp, and breaking their legs no less), and it is annoying that my guys never used their grenades. But they were certainly quick on the draw, regularly taking out enemy soldiers before I could even spot them, let alone draw a bead. Maps are nicely varied and large, graphics and sound are solid, and the control scheme is not nearly as difficult to learn as I thought it would be (although it does take some practice, and the tutorial is kinda stinky). But the thing that amazed me most is that just about every mission contains a lot of NOTHING happening. You're moving soldiers into position, looking around for the bad guys, wondering if you should take the high road or not and then BAM! BAM! RAT-A-TAT-TAT! The sudden (usually short) bursts of violence just mde the lack of action unbelievably intense. Odds are pretty good that if you're a fan of the genre, you've already played this one. If not, cough up the $15 and buy this right now. I'm already dreaming of replaying it as soon as possible.
Rating:
Summary: 3 of the best Tom Clancy games all together dont miss this!
Review: For those of you who haven't experienced Ghost Recon it's time to cash in. You can get Ghost Recon, Ghost Recon Desert Siege and Ghost Recon Island Thunder for $39.00 what a bargain. In all the Ghost Recon games you will play as an elite Green Bureau soldier. Your Missions will take you from Eastern Europe, to Southern Africa, and to Cuba. You jobs in the missions will range from stopping rebels and terrorist, to rescuing hostages and blowing up bridges. The Game never gets old especially with all 3 games in one; there is over 100 hours of game play. Once you have beaten all 31 single player missions (good luck) you can fight on line for even more action and suspense. The Graphics are a little out dated but who cares; this is one of the best tactical army shooters out. Each expansion keeps adding on new items, weapons, and missions. Ghost Recon Gold Edition should definitely be on you shopping list. P.S. This game only requires a Pentium 2 proseser, 450MHz, and 128 Ram; so even if you have a bad computer you should be able to play this game.
Rating:
Summary: An original game destined to be a classic...
Review: Ghost Recon Gold Edition is a must have for any fan of First Person Shooters (FPS). These three games are unlike any other because of the realism. All three are very challenging and Island Thunder is by far the most difficult. The Gold Edititon consists of the original, which takes place in western Asia, Eastern Europe; Desert Seige, which is set in northeast Africa; and Island Thunder, which is set in the jungles of Cuba. The games themselves are addictive and I usually find myself playing them until the wee hours of the morning. This game will scare the pants off of you and make you break into cold sweats because of all of the tension. The enemies in this game are very intelligent and will sneak up on you and flank you if you do not pay attention. The graphics and sound are great and the controls are challenging at first, but are easy to master. I can honestly say there are no shortcomings. The single player missions are very dynamic and the choice of how to achieve the mission objectives is usually left up to the player. To me, it doesn't get any better than Ghost Recon.
Rating:
Summary: Great game, too easy.
Review: Great game - to the lone doubter who claimed the camoflage didn't work, he obviously didn't use the mods to improve the 'stealth' attribute as he played the game. Your snipers are plenty stealthy enough until they open fire - and you don't really think the bad guys would just sit there and not fire back ? It's good, however: Not difficult enough (even on Elite level) once you've figured the interface out, and your teams opening fire (and getting toasted) even when you've told them not to gets a bit annoying. Also, the last episode (Island Thunder)felt really short. Great fun though.
Rating:
Summary: Could be so much better
Review: I have to laugh at the comments made by the one person who gave the game less than four stars. I laugh becasue he is right in every way. The long range AI breaks this game where it could be made. The long range AI is very weak. And another thinks this complaint has something to do with the game being too hard. It does not make it too hard, it just makes it too predictable and a bit boring to say the least. Yes, you can use your snipers and other team members with stealth, keeping very low and leap frogging for ground while covered, both by terrain and your team mates. Do this and you will be successeful. Fire and manuver. But as the other said, when the shoothing starts, if you don't have the complete drop on them, far or near, they can shoot those AKs with accuracy that is totally unrealistic. And they are oblivious to cover fire as he said. You would think someone blasting away with an M60 would make you scramble for cover...no, not these guys, they are super rebels that have no fear and tracers wizzing by their heads? Only makes em shoot steadier. Empty the mags towards the enemy position, they don't even flinch, rather they take aim and blast you between the eyes. Sorry, but I find this hard to believe. To be successeful at this game, you must patrol in a stealthy manner to always see the enemy first. A good idea in all respects, but when the element of surprise is compromised, (creating moments that most people probably want to experience in a game like this)the AI plain sucks. Running through a jungle, as your team mates cover you, dive down, turn around and cover your mates, emptying the mags...turn and run like heck while they cover you? No, not in this game. Very simple weapons exchanges. Lots of bang, they are dead, or your or your teammates are dead. Not much in between, which makes this game suck. If you came looking for protracted gun battles, heavy fire comming both directions, tracers wizzing by...look elsewhere. Which is very frustrating, considering the things this game has going for it. Interesting maps, very good character modeling, including weapons (which in this game, there are a TON of, which is awesome). The sound of the weapons is first rate, perhaps not loud enough, but good. And special forces patrolling with helmets? I doubt it. Maybe doing advising, where there is an image to uphold to an anal commander, and the press, but other than than, we'd ditch the helmets. I can only hope for the junkies that the multi player is where this game really rocks. I bet it does. Oh yeah? Your team mates? These battle tested Spec Operators? Chopped to bits by third world tangos if you don't baby sit them like they are todlers. This game could be great. But Tom Clancy always was a pretender and this game is a pretender's attempt at doing something worthwhile but not following through with attention to the details that really make a game. Yes, the Socom M4, beautiful, the variety of weapons, the sounds, the environment...very text book perfect. You were always good at that side of things Mr. Clancy, cataloging military factoids for the geeks. What a surprise that when it came to combat, the Clancy game falls to pieces. Operation Flashpoint is WAY better, with tons of MODs for more weapons, units, etc. Also, if you want fire fights, check out Soldier of Fortune II. It has its issues, too many to count, but succeeds where GR fails mireably. The advisor for that game was a combat veteran and it shoes. Realistic violence
Rating:
Summary: Could be so much better
Review: I have to laugh at the comments made by the one person who gave the game less than four stars. I laugh becasue he is right in every way. The long range AI breaks this game where it could be made. The long range AI is very weak. And another thinks this complaint has something to do with the game being too hard. It does not make it too hard, it just makes it too predictable and a bit boring to say the least. Yes, you can use your snipers and other team members with stealth, keeping very low and leap frogging for ground while covered, both by terrain and your team mates. Do this and you will be successeful. Fire and manuver. But as the other said, when the shoothing starts, if you don't have the complete drop on them, far or near, they can shoot those AKs with accuracy that is totally unrealistic. And they are oblivious to cover fire as he said. You would think someone blasting away with an M60 would make you scramble for cover...no, not these guys, they are super rebels that have no fear and tracers wizzing by their heads? Only makes em shoot steadier. Empty the mags towards the enemy position, they don't even flinch, rather they take aim and blast you between the eyes. Sorry, but I find this hard to believe. To be successeful at this game, you must patrol in a stealthy manner to always see the enemy first. A good idea in all respects, but when the element of surprise is compromised, (creating moments that most people probably want to experience in a game like this)the AI plain sucks. Running through a jungle, as your team mates cover you, dive down, turn around and cover your mates, emptying the mags...turn and run like heck while they cover you? No, not in this game. Very simple weapons exchanges. Lots of bang, they are dead, or your or your teammates are dead. Not much in between, which makes this game suck. If you came looking for protracted gun battles, heavy fire comming both directions, tracers wizzing by...look elsewhere. Which is very frustrating, considering the things this game has going for it. Interesting maps, very good character modeling, including weapons (which in this game, there are a TON of, which is awesome). The sound of the weapons is first rate, perhaps not loud enough, but good. And special forces patrolling with helmets? I doubt it. Maybe doing advising, where there is an image to uphold to an anal commander, and the press, but other than than, we'd ditch the helmets. I can only hope for the junkies that the multi player is where this game really rocks. I bet it does. Oh yeah? Your team mates? These battle tested Spec Operators? Chopped to bits by third world tangos if you don't baby sit them like they are todlers. This game could be great. But Tom Clancy always was a pretender and this game is a pretender's attempt at doing something worthwhile but not following through with attention to the details that really make a game. Yes, the Socom M4, beautiful, the variety of weapons, the sounds, the environment...very text book perfect. You were always good at that side of things Mr. Clancy, cataloging military factoids for the geeks. What a surprise that when it came to combat, the Clancy game falls to pieces. Operation Flashpoint is WAY better, with tons of MODs for more weapons, units, etc. Also, if you want fire fights, check out Soldier of Fortune II. It has its issues, too many to count, but succeeds where GR fails mireably. The advisor for that game was a combat veteran and it shoes. Realistic violence
Rating:
Summary: Best Multiplayer
Review: I regularly play multiplayer games with my game clan friends online. Up until recently we were all playing Battlefield 1942 and Warcraft III Frozen Throne. Then one of my friends got this Gold edition of Ghost Recon and then we all ended up getting it once we found out all the maps and weapons available in this edition. I had the original edition for some time but I hadn't played it much recently because only one other of my friends had it. The Gold Edition adds so much more to the game with the Island Thunder and Desert Siege maps and the additional weapons you can use in Multiplayer. I paid at least as much for just the regular edition as what the Gold Edition is now selling for here. Don't pass this one up. If you like to play by yourself you will love the single player campaigns and quick missions. If you enjoy multiplayer you will rock with your friends doing recon, defend, firefight, or missions on all the great night and day maps. What started as two playing the regular version went to eight of us playing this gold edition almost nightly after about a month.
Rating:
Summary: Ghost Recon - The greatest tactical shooter EVER
Review: If you're tired of "Twitch" games and fairy tale combat featured in the likes of BF1942, Medal of Honor, and RTCW, then Ghost Recon was made for you. PC gamer called Ghost the "Greatest Tactical Shooter EVER" when it came out - and they were dead on. This game is the most perfect blend of realism and playability I have ever seen in an FPS style game...PERIOD. The single player missions are well designed, with increasing levels of difficulty. But it's Multiplayer that really shines here. No other game forces you to think and react as you would in real life. Running through open fields, guns blazing is a fast ticket to "Game Over" here. Instead, you have to consider each move and try and out think your opponent. A true credit to the Rising Storm family, Ghost Recon is the LAST shooter you'll ever buy...until Ghost Recon 2 comes out anyway.
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