Graphics, Sound

Definitely not the same engine

While there are similarities in interface and general style, Ghost Recon has about as much in common with Rainbow Six as Quake III: Arena does with Quake. The general feel and style are familiar, but the underlying framework is completely different. For one, there are the rather impressive outdoor settings, full of lush trees, patches of tall grass, shrubs and debris. Next, we take a look at the detailed and painstakingly textured character models - friend and foe. These have a smoothness of animation and range of movement impressive even in this day and age. Whether walking, crouching, crawling, limping or dying – they look the part.

There’s not much to be said for special effects in the game. Things generally don’t get blown up, nor are bodies dismembered (a la Soldier of Fortune). There are tanks, but they are not too impressive or cool looking, nor can they be taken control of as in Operation Flashpoint. All in all, Ghost Recon is rather plain in these respects. It does, however, handle long-distance details and view ranges quite well. Objects tend to retain their shape and detail at a distance, though they are somewhat obscured by ‘fog’.

Rocket

Boom! hehehe

Can't lose your demo man

However, all this detail comes at a price – a far too expensive price for the package offered. At 800x600 resolution with only most of the options enabled, the game became unplayable at 32 bit color. A switch to 16 bit resolved the issue, though the framerate was far lower than it should be on the fairly capable review system we used. Return to Castle Wolfenstein certainly ran much better.

We’re particularly disappointed in the performance given the limited number of character models and combinations. Rogue Spear and Rainbow Six offered almost limitless customization of characters, armors and weapons, while Ghost Recon forces the player to choose from four generic kits per character. All demo men have the same four kits, and all snipers have the same four, and so on.

5/5/5 - perfect shooting!

Alright men, assume the position

Not a happy russky

This is Charlie Echo I Forgot My Codename

Sound effects play a huge role in today’s games, particularly those oriented around stealth, like Ghost Recon. Unlike a Quake, Unreal or other typical action shooter, the sounds aren’t there to get the blood pumping and stimulate the action. Rather, the sounds add realism through ambience and accurate gun effects. They help gameplay by alerting the player to nearby enemy movement or fire, or getting voice reports from teams or squad members.

Thus, you can hear tanks rumble by, bullets hit the ground, wood or stone near you and ambient effects lend atmosphere. The effects are as good as those of any other game available. The ambience could use a little work, but there’s nothing to complain about and everything to be happy about – that so many games have such great sound effects.