Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (PC)

It does not work

even though it doesn't come with CD jewel case but only a cardboard encasing, it is a complete set with the manual accompanying the CD.

Belle transaction!

Great price and engaging game

Having played numerous Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon games (including Advanced Warfighter 1) and trying to get that last little bit of mileage out of my old Pentium 4, I figured that Advanced Warfighter 2 would be $10 well spent. My system exceeds the recommended specs, so I anticipated performance to be quite good, although this was not necessarily the case. During parts of certain missions, especially after completing an objective and immediately being swarmed by enemy reinforcements, there would be several seconds of severe lag during which things like reloading, switching weapons and using my weapon scope took seemingly forever. Also, the time spent watching new missions or saved games load was infuriating on a PC comfortably above the requirements for this game. That is the main cause for my frustration, although not the only one. Read on . . .Make no mistake, many of the missions in GRAW2 are quite tough, even on the Normal difficulty setting. It's fun, and the challenge of choosing the right course of action is naturally a huge part of games like the Ghost Recon series, but since this is a trial-and-error sort of affair, the slow load times are infuriating when it takes 30-40 seconds to load a saved game, followed by getting killed in 15-20 seconds. The squad AI is hit-or-miss (no pun intended) when it comes to everything from moving from simple movement to actually attacking a specified target. On one hand, my squad members often spotted and eliminated enemies that I hadn't noticed, but on the other hand, they'd often appear to get hung up - or take inexplicable detours - while navigating terrain that was cleared of enemies. I didn't dare try ordering them to climb stairs or sneak around enemy positions. Other minor annoyances include grenades that often decide to sail far over the heads of even the most distant enemies, helicopters shooting through mountains, and erratic targeting on the RPG and anti-tank missile launchers.But that's the bad news. The good news is that the game moves along at a good pace, although the single-player campaign is pretty short at only ten missions. The enemy AI is substantially better than that of the Ghost squad in most cases, putting up a fight without being unrealistically difficult. The graphics are good, especially explosions, smoke and other effects. Movement is fairly fluid, the equipment and squad member selection is varied, and the missions likewise have good variety. If anything, the maps and missions are improved over GRAW1. I was surprised that the UAV drone is employed so rarely compared to GRAW1, and usually is only available in missions where it's really not necessary. Very random, and absent in missions where it would have been most useful.In closing, this is a fun sequel to the fine GRAW1, but frustrating for a number of reasons and rather short. Probably not something that will win Ubisoft any new fans, but worth picking up from the bargain bin if you're already one.

Graphics are solid and gameplay is fairly good. It's not as well designed as Call of Duty, but it's got a certain realism. As other reviewers mentioned, the AI of your computer-controlled teammates is buggy. Actually, I found them to be mostly useless and distracting to micromanage. Some simple obstacles they can't navigate, and they'll waste all their ammo firing at a wall with an enemy behind it.On the realism, it ends where enemy targeting is concerned. An enemy sniper or assault helicopter can hit you with pinpoint accuracy from a kilometer away while they're moving. It gets exceptionally difficult in the middle, when you effectively have to take out 2 assault helicopters with nothing but a rifle and an unguided RPG. They have unlimited rockets and bullets and a single hit with their guns or rockets will end your game. You can RPG and machine gun them in easy mode for 10 minutes straight and barely damage them. Best part? No saving. If you spend 30 minutes battering away at them with a machine gun, and they get in a lucky shot and kill you (and it only takes one), you start from the beginning. I got frustrated after about 50 tries and uninstalled. It was pretty fun up to that point, but when is a commando on U.S. soil going to be expected to kill 2 enemy assault helicopters with a rifle and no air support? It's absurd, and at that point no longer fun.