The Intro mission had me worried I was playing farcry: Ghost Recon addition, but once i got into the meat and potatoes of the game I was pleasantly surprised that, although they share some similarities there are some differences and those are key.

So let's talk about what I love:

Firefights - You are not a god, you are not some bullet sponge roid rage brosef out there taking on the masses, you can very quickly die, and be overwhelmed, especially on the harder difficulties. This is what I like to see.

Story- I have never liked John Carmack's quote about Story in a FPS is like story in porn, you expect it to be there, but it doesn't really matter. While taking down a drug cartel is pretty standard and generic. The setting here is ghost operatives doing things we officially aren't involved in. Knowing these operations take place in some capacity IRL, it gives it that touch of realism and serious overtone. Nothing great, but definitely not a con.

Gun Options: Now many people I have seen already are complaining that all the guns handle the same and are very generic; this may be true, I don't know, but the three gun's I have unlocked so far, Assault Rifle, Sniper Rifle, and Light machine gun, all handle differently, as you would expect. So, they got that part right at least, I love the bullet drop, and the shot placement changes the rag dolling physics. There are also plenty of options for each gun you do choose, and I like to see the variety.

Clean UI: The map does what it is supposed to, and there's a little bit about guns and ammos, no health bars, no pointless compass and constant altitude, they keep it clutter free and crisp. The way it should be

AI: This is going to be both a pro and a con, so see it both. At times the AI feels smart, they track down where bullets come from, they recognize the dead. If they arn't communicating and get sniped, they don't just find you. They will also flank and do some small tactics that really make you sweat if you get into a bad fire fight.

MISC: I love the drone range, and battery, i think it is an interesting take on the tag them and bag them. I love how they sprinkle in civilians even in the drug areas to make you always check your targets, I love that every fight you should think "Is this one worth getting into or should I crawl around?". The graphics are great, the camera feels good. The option for 3rd person shooting, while i don't personally like it, is welcome. I like that when you drive past enemies they don't immediately recognize you as a threat, but if you linger you suffer.

What I think could still use some tweaking:

The driving: UGH THE DRIVING, sometimes it feels like im on constant ice, and i get these are garbage cars in on a dirt road. But I don't feel the cars would react this way. Maybe I am wrong, and it is just a feeling, but I would like those controls tightened up. Also some options to let the AI Drive and take it slow. Now this sounds dumb I know, but I like the immersion of these games. The whole reason to play this game and not farcry or mercenaries ((Though lets be real we need a mercs 3)) is the immersion and realism. And 4 american's decked out in heavy equipment speeding down the road, ramming other cars, and trees, and flipping over rocks, isn't exactly "Realism"

The AI: As I said earlier pro and a con. For all the good that has been said about the AI. Your AI team seems dumb, and useless for the most part. Not to mention sometimes enemies just seem to freeze up and not think. Just poking their head around and not doing anything. Sometimes if I reload in the open they punish me, other times, it feels like they take the opportunity to hide, instead of taking advantage of it.

Some immersion breakers: These arn't huge, but they do break immersion for me. When pressed up against a wall it is head to change the way you are facing, same thing with shouldering your gun. Maybe there is a button for this, but it wasn't explained or shown. This makes it very difficult, and as a essential tool, it should be there, or explained more if it is. All bullets leave the same entry hole. Not a huge deal, but is my pistol, machine gun, sub machine gun, assault rifle, and sniper rifle all firing the same exact round? No? Then it should be a little different. Shooting the tires out of cars is a crap shoot. Some cars burst with one shot, some trucks seems to take 3 or 4 shots. I tested it on non moving vehicles up close, i don't feel there should be a difference here. The AI team teleport to you, this is way way way not cool. I tested some dumb physics and things just to see everything in the beta. I road a dirt bike off a cliff, and flew about 50 feet. I laid on the ground dying as i should. And someone teleports to my side, and gives me a shot to somehow save my life. NO I ABANDONED MY TEAM I DESERVE DEATH. Speaking of abandoning team, why? Arn't i suppose to feel these are my brothers and a tight group, why can i just leave them for dead in a firefight, and drive off with the objective, and still get praise? Also why doesn't anything catch on fire? I KNOW YOU HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY. if my car blows up in the middle of a grass field, I expect some fireworks.

My last con is a personal one: I feel the protaganist ((me)) my characters personality doesn't seem to match the mood. Caught in a firefight? Better yell "COCKHOLSTERS" at them. Hit a civilian and possibly blew my cover, a mighty scream of "****BALLS" will fix that, no worries. Falling to my death? Nope, going to silently resign to my fate, not gonna scream a bit. Just flew 1k feet off a cliff and broke my neck, and somehow my teammate saves my life with the modern miracle that is the life giving syringe? Better yell at him to move faster next time?


Overall?

I am glad it is not a farcry clone. It seems to have a meaty and lengthy campaign, good graphics, and plenty of guns and customization to keep most happy. I think it is worth the money, and a play through, especially if you have friends to do the co-op. I'd give it a solid 7 or 8 out of 10..