Something extra for the few

Like the original title in the series, GRAW 2 can optionally make use of an Ageia PhysX-based physics accelerator (although the PhysX API and drivers must be installed even if you don't have a PhysX-based card). There is a demo level - "Ageia Island" - which is available only to those with the necessary hardware. Even though Ageia are adamant that this level isn't a tech demo, it's hard to believe otherwise (and the name is sort of a dead giveaway). The game's story is complete without a romp on the fully breakable Ageia Island, so non-PhysX users aren't missing out. I can't evaluate this aspect of the game, because I haven't yet plunked down the nearly $200 USD for a PhysX accelerator. There are other titles (and engine developers) who've signed on to support the PhysX API, but at this moment the cost is not justifiable for some extras debris and breakable scenery in a handful of games.

No discussion of a Ghost Recon title is complete without mentioning multiplayer. All of the usual modes are here, including deathmatch and team deathmatch, as well as two less-popular modes titled Hamburger Hill and Siege. Hamburger Hill offers a few takes on king-of-the-hill gameplay, and Siege rewards the team that can successfully assault or defend a base before a pre-set time limit runs out. New to GRAW 2 is Recon vs. Assault mode, which pits a team of Recon'd ghosts (albeit with reduced CrossCom abilities) against a team of Assault rebels. It's a fresh take on deathmatch which suits the game's unique traits, but I suspect that team deathmatch will remain very popular. Be warned, though: a Gamespy account is required to browse for Internet games, so be prepared to jump through a few hoops if you're not already set up with an account.

Innovate or Stagnate

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is a very capable follow-up to a great title. You won't find any earth-shattering gameplay concepts or a multi-faceted story, and at times the game feels more like an expansion pack than a full-fledged sequel. Sure, there are new CrossCom capabilities and a new multiplayer mode, but even the story is a brief continuation of the original GRAW narrative. It's a solid Tom Clancy title with some fun elements, and some more polish and attention to detail would make the game shine. Even so, the series feels drab, and we can only hope that the next (and inevitable) Ghost Recon title does a more compelling job of placing us on a battlefield of the future. Until the next terrorist faction takes the world hostage with a superweapon, it's Recon Mode: On for me.

Summary of YouGamers Hardware Testing

The publisher of this game state the following specifications for their minimum and recommended requirements:

Component	Publisher's Minimum	Publisher's Recommended
Processor	2GHz Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon Equivalent	2.8Ghz Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon Equivalent
Memory	1024 MB	1024 MB
Graphics Card	128MB DirectX 9.0c-compliant Shader Model 2.0 card	256MB DirectX 9.0c-compliant Shader Model 2.0 card
Graphics Card Example	ATI Radeon 9700-9800/x700-1950 or NVidia GeForce 6/7/8 Series	ATI Radeon 9700-9800/x700-1950 or NVidia GeForce 6/7/8 Series
Free Disk Space	5 GB	5 GB
Net Link	Not specified	Not specified

To learn more about how YouGamers performs its hardware testing, click here. Through our extensive gameplay and hardware testing across the full spectrum of PC configurations, YouGamers suggests that one should use the following guidelines for an appropriate minimum and recommended setup:

Component	YouGamers Minimum	YouGamers Recommended
Processor	AMD Athlon 64 3800+ / Intel Pentium 4 670	AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ / Intel Core 2 Duo E6300
Memory	1024 MB	1024 MB
Graphics Card	ATI Radeon X800 128MB / NVIDIA GeForce 6800 128MB	ATI Radeon X1800 256MB / NVIDIA GeForce 7900 256MB
Free Disk Space	5 GB	5 GB
Net Link	Broadband	Broadband

Scores

To learn more about our scoring methodology, please click here.

Gameplay	75	Building on the Ghost Recon formula, gameplay is stealthy fun but heavily favors the player. The CrossCom makes missions a tad too easy, but the squad controls are easy to use. Improved unit AI brings the team to life, but enemies are both stupid and quick to die.
Graphics	68	Adequate, with no real deficiencies. Then again, this is 2007 – year of the “next-gen” - and there's a decidedly last-gen flavor to the graphics.
Audio	90	Excellent across the board. Professional (and useful!) in-game voice acting, subtle yet effective music and cinema-grade sound effects.
Technology	65	PC gamers have a lot of processing cycles to spare, so why not pretty things up for the PC crowd? PhysX support is nice, but who owns one of those cards anyway?

OVERALL

If you played G.R.A.W. and enjoyed it, then you'll likely enjoy G.R.A.W. 2. Just don't come with misplaced expectations; you won't be blown away by any aspect. It's a full game which feels like an expansion pack, but that's not necessarily bad considering its pedigree.

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