Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2
PAL region GameCube cover art
Developer(s)	Red Storm Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Composer(s)	Bill Brown and Tom Salta
Engine	PS2 and GameCube version using Unreal Engine 2.0 Xbox version using Red Storm own engine
Platform(s)	Xbox, PS2, GameCube
Release	November 16, 2004 Xbox PlayStation 2 GameCube
Genre(s)	Tactical shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 is the third console installment in the popular Ghost Recon tactical shooter video game series, published by Ubisoft. It is a sequel to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon.

The game was released in North America for the Xbox video game console on November 16, 2004, for the PlayStation 2 on November 30, 2004, and reached the GameCube on March 15, 2005. A Windows version was canceled in April 2005 in favor of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter.

The general setting for the game is the Korean Peninsula, however the PS2 and Xbox platforms feature different campaigns. The PS2 campaign occurs in 2007 (tying in with Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory), while the Xbox campaign is set in 2011. The Gamecube version also features the same campaign from the PS2 version. Ghost Recon 2 sports an updated graphics engine, the Havok 2 physics engine, new multiplayer options, voice command ability via microphone. The PS2 version generally received bad reviews, but the Xbox version was met with better reception.

Like all games involving war or conflict between North Korea and South Korea, this game is currently banned in South Korea. The game has been criticized by the North Korean government for its storyline. However, South Korea has recently decided to allow such games to be sold in the interest of freedom of speech, so this game among other games featuring war on the Korean Peninsula may become available there soon.

Gameplay

Ghost Recon 2, though very much like the original Ghost Recon, has some very key differences.

• An over-the-shoulder view has been added and players can switch between the original and the "OTS view".
• The threat indicator has been removed in favor of a radar.
• The Demolitions Class has been completely removed (by expanding the kits to include primary weapon, side arm, explosive and rocket launcher/laser designator for every class).
• Two new classes have been introduced: "Lone Wolf" and "Grenadier" (the Grenadier class is actually a splinter class; it used to be simply part of the Rifleman class).
• The XM29 OICW has moved from a typical rifleman weapon to become the new "Lone Wolf" weapon.
• The ability to choose your team and allocate skill points has been taken away.
• You can no longer switch between soldiers during a mission; as soon as you are killed, you cannot take control of a teammate and continue the mission.
• There is no longer a planning screen to coordinate each squad's movement; you only control one team, and orders are given to them via menus.

The Lone Wolf class has many abilities that other classes do not have (such as air-burst grenades, laser designator for airstrikes and gun camera), but in single player missions, he must work alone.

In the single player campaign, you play as Captain Scott Mitchell, a veteran of several conflicts and the new leader of the Ghosts. Mitchell is described as "a consummate soldier" and can pick weaponry from any class. In several missions he must be inserted in Lone Wolf mode and work completely on his own.

Storyline

The year is 2007, and amidst a time of disastrous famine and political turmoil, the people of North Korea are facing a time of great change. The government has invested too much into its military buildup and it has become impossible to preserve both the military and North Korea's infrastructure, so in an attempt to curb the damage done by the famine, the government cuts off military funding so that it may support the needs of the people. Infuriated, the North Korean military mobilizes against its government, and its leader is the brutal and charismatic General Jung Chong-Sun. General Jung succeeds in overpowering the government, and although they remain in office, Jung is essentially in control of the country. With total control over the military, Jung gains access to the country's nuclear arsenal, and makes preparations to start a war among the surrounding Asian powers. This prompts NATO and the United States to send a large peacekeeping force to shut down Jung's operations before he destabilizes the Korean Peninsula. Great Britain, France, Australia and Germany all openly cooperate with the U.S., but support from South Korea, China, and Japan remain unclear throughout the game.

The "Ghosts" are among the American contingent sent to stop Jung, and Captain Scott Mitchell heads their operations. This small team of men and women cooperate with NATO forces along enemy lines to liberate villages, cut off Jung's supplies, and to seize nuclear weapons. Throughout the game, General Jung seizes several civilian centers and attacks some of North Korea's largest cities, such as Sinpo and Hyesan. Working actively with Allied troops on the battlefield, Capt. Mitchell and his team stave off a great deal of attacks on cities and NATO bases while striking Jung's war supplies wherever they go. Mitchell also works with special forces from foreign nations who are specialized in certain combat skills needed to handle certain operations.

Throughout the game, the Ghosts must cut off Jung's supply of gas in order to deprive their combat vehicles of fuel. With each strike, Jung gets more desperate in winning the war, and in one mission, the Ghosts have to seize three nuclear warheads from a train before they reach civilian-populated areas. Within the final few missions of the game, General Jung launches a last-ditch effort to defeat the NATO forces. He invades a dam near Hamhung, and plants a nuclear warhead within the structure. If detonated, thousands would die, so the Ghosts and Capt. Mitchell are tasked with securing the dam, disarming the warhead, and pursuing General Jung before he flees to regroup his forces.

Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike is a stand-alone expansion pack for Ghost Recon 2 available exclusively on the Xbox. Summit Strike included 11 new single-player missions, as well as new weapons (such as the FN SCAR) and an expanded multiplayer game. It was released on August 2, 2005.

Characters

U.S. Army Special Forces (Ghosts)

• Captain Scott Mitchell (Team Leader)
• Master Sergeant Derrick Parker (Grenadier)
• Sergeant First Class Joe Ramirez (Rifleman)
• Staff Sergeant Alicia Diaz (Marksman)
• Staff Sergeant Mike Kim (Marksman)
• Staff Sergeant Marcus Brown (Gunner)
• Staff Sergeant Jennifer Burke (Rifleman)
• Staff Sergeant David Foster (Grenadier)
• Sergeant Nick Salvatore (Gunner)

Regular U.S. Army

• Captain Thomas, OH-58 Kiowa pilot (PS2 version)

U.S. civilians

• Major William Jacobs (Host of Modern Heroes) (Retired)

Great Britain

• Staff Sergeant Daniel Stevens (16th Air Assault Brigade)

France

• Sergeant-Chef Thierry Dubois (Marksman) (3rd Parachute Brigade)

Germany

• Feldwebel Lukas Farber (Heavy Gunner) (Luftlandebrigade 31)

North Korea

• General Jung Chong-sun (Commander of North Korean Army)
• Major General Paik (PS2 version)

Online play

• Note that online play is not rated by the ESRB.
• Online Play consists of either creating a room or joining a preexisting one. Once in a room, you have the choice to either play or to go on observe.
• The main types of games are Sharpshooter and Last Man Standing. Sharpshooter consists of respawning every time you die until a given time limit expires. Last Man standing has no respawning. The team who has the Last Man Standing wins.
• In these rooms, you have the choice of Rifleman, Gunner, or Marksman, and also, you get your choice of 4 pistols.

External links

• Official Ghost Recon Website
• Ghost Recon.net
• Ghost Recon Retreat
• GameRankings GameCube reviews
• GameRankings PlayStation 2 reviews
• GameRankings Xbox reviews
• Xbox Ghost Recon Weapons Lists
• Planet Rainbow Six: Tom Clancy Community fansite
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 at MobyGames