Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (known as GRAW2 from here on) is the latest installment in Ubisoft’s cashcow franchise and its first appearance on the Playstation 3. Spanning across several games and damn near every continent on the globe, the Ghosts have been console gaming’s crack counter-terrorism force since the original title appeared on the Xbox in 2002. Following a phenomenal release on the Xbox 360 a few months ago, Ubisoft is back with a surprisingly competent port. You may initially be underwhelmed by GRAW2 as a next-gen game, but it’s important to remember how much of an impact GRAW had. It’s hard to top the amazing graphics that were first demonstrated with its predecessor, but GRAW2 manages to slightly improve on almost every aspect of the original, making this a must own title for fans of the series or just action games in general.

GRAW2 is a third-person tactical shooter, and I really must stress the word “tactical.” Players thinking that they can use the same tactics as in Resistance or Call of Duty 3 will quickly end up with their character’s dead body baking in the hot Mexican sun. The controls are fairly straightforward (considering how much there is to do), and players familiar with Gears of War’s cover system will feel right at home. Entering and exiting cover is fairly easy, and your abilities to move and aim are quite flexible. In addition to worrying about your own hide, you’ll have several squad mates to keep safe as well as a few other goodies to manage (like UAVs and vehicles). The UAV is a particularly useful device, allowing you to look ahead and plan a route to your objective with the least resistance. Since it doesn’t take many bullets before you’re killed, cover is essential and knowing your enemy’s location makes it infinitely easier to progress. GRAW2’s levels can be quite large and give you several potential paths to the objective. By using a UAV to scope out the area first you’ll be able to generate the most effective plan of attack and flank your enemy.

While playing through the campaign, you’ll find a wide variety of gameplay segments. Besides the on-foot sections, you’ll also find yourself in the gunner position in a HUMVEE and even a Blackhawk helicopter. These levels are a blast to play and provide an excellent change of pace from the infantry levels. The infantry combat levels are all well designed and do a great job of throwing enemies at you from varying locations. The largest hurdle will be managing your squad mates, which like most AI buddies in tactical games, tend to act a little erratically at times. The majority of the time they’ll react to fire and search for cover accordingly, but every once in a while you’ll be left scratching your head as you watch a squad mate try to run out and hug an enemy, only to be shot in the face as soon as he exposes himself. Minor AI problems aside, the single player campaign is fantastic rollercoaster ride (albeit a little short) that is well complemented by the co-op missions. Speaking of co-op, GRAW2 ships with a wide variety of multiplayer modes that provide some of the best gaming possibilities yet with the Playstation Network. With support for up to 16 players in deathmatch, capture the flag, and the previously mentioned co-op modes, GRAW2 more than makes up for the abbreviated campaign with its online potential.

Though it doesn’t seem to perfectly match the Xbox 360 version, GRAW2 on the PS3 is a visual treat. When compared to the original GRAW, everything about the world appears more detailed, and the fantastic lighting effects from the first game appear even better here. At times the lighting can seem a little intrusive to the gameplay, but hey if you’ve got it, flaunt it. Particle effects and explosions look great, courtesy of a combination of both Havok and Ageia physics technologies. The player models are extremely detailed, and the level design does a good job of portraying its environment. The only real jarring issue with your surroundings is the distinct lack of civilians running around. The world seems extremely sparse, but it sure makes it easier to kill the bad guys when you know everyone else around you needs to die. The PS3 version seems to have toned down the bloom a little bit, and the frame rate isn’t always as stable, but it’s still a very pretty game.

GRAW2 is definitely a game that will make you appreciate a quality sound system. The music is hardly noteworthy, the sound effects are amazing and will have you grinning ear to ear as you unleash the pain on the enemy. Every weapon has a distinct sound, and the sounds of combat may get you flinching when under heavy fire. The game’s dialogue isn’t the most well delivered script out there, but it’s almost as if the actors knew they weren’t taking it seriously and just don’t seem to care. It’s not bad enough to be distracting, but in the future it would be nice to get some quality voice actors on the job.

If you’ve been missing out on the GRAW series on the Xbox 360 or PC but were always a little curious, you owe it to yourself to give GRAW2 a look. Practically every PS3 owner should give this one a spin, as the PS3’s sparse lineup seems desperate for a winner. GRAW2 may be a few months late but the wait was definitely worth it and patient PS3 owners have been rewarded with one of the best titles for the console yet.