So what happens when you have a squad of war-mad ghosts who have just taken down an ultra-nationalist communist movement but still have and itchy trigger finger? You do what any good American would do and send them into Cuba! Ghost Recon is now back and reloaded for the follow-up to its smash original smash live hit. Titled Island Thunder, this new game pits you against the scum-bags of Cuba after the death of Castro as you fight to bring this impoverished country some of the things all Americans have been enjoying for years, like hour long lines at poll places and months of being assaulted with political propaganda! They should only be so lucky!
Well, the truth behind the matter is, you wont give half a thought to the games plot. At one point I was shooting Ethiopians and had no idea why. Last I heard Sally Struthers was still sending them food. Not a lot of people bought the original Ghost Recon for its involving plot and offline play, and chances are even less will buy this one for the same reasons.
Island Thunder is a glorified expansion pack that features a new set of maps (8 new maps and 4 from Ghost Recon) and a few new weapons (including the SOCOM and a really fun automatic grenade launcher). Cool? Definitely. Frustrating? Beyond a doubt. The guys over at Red Storm had promised us downloadable content before Ghost Recon had even hit the shelves. They spoke of such things as downloadable maps and downloadable weapons. But I suppose instead of giving it away for free they may as well package it up and market it as a new game, charging an amazing 40 dollars for it. Honestly I sat there in the store holding the game and thought are a few new weapons and maps really worth 40 dollars? The answer was of course no but I bought it anyways, as I knew I would probably get my moneys worth in the long run. Unfortunately I dont believe a lot of people are going to see it this way and that might hinder the sales.
As I said before and I will continue to say until the end of this review, gameplay is where it is at. Island Thunder offers an experience much different to the gun blazing rampage games out there such as Unreal, Mech Assault and many other shooting games. It offers a fairly realistic wartime experience to people without all the inconveniences of bullet wounds, battle fatigue syndrome and death. Not all people go for this type of action, as one bullet will more often than not take you down completely. If you are the person who prefers subterfuge to flagrancy and would rather stealthily move around the map waiting for that perfect kill, then this is your game. More often than not you arent going to be charging in somewhere with your gun blazing, or youll end up dead like you would in real life. This game will also require immense team strategy if you plan on playing it competitively on live with your friends. Some of these maps are huge with all sorts of choke points and sniper perches, so coordination is a must. Of course you also need to remember that if you didnt really like the original Ghost Recon, then you arent going like this one and shouldnt even bother. Everyone else who loved Ghost Recon on Live, go buy this, even if it is overpriced for what it actually is.
Will Xbox One allow players to play used games or not? Will there be fees to do so, and how much? While not having all the answers, Microsoft’s Major Nelson made an official statement on his blog that at least provides hope of a reasonable solution.
Unfortunately, while your Gold Membership will carry over to Xbox One, your Xbox 360 Headsets, including your fancy surround sound Turtle Beach or Tritton cans, won’t, at least not without some sort of adapter.
It’s now been clarified that Xbox Live Gold Memberships will not only transfer back and forth seamlessly between Xbox 360 and Xbox One, they will also allow multiple users on the same Xbox One to share one account -- perfect for family scenarios.
15 games are coming to Xbox One in its first year, and 8 of them are exclusive to the Xbox One platform. Of course, there are many more in the works.
Come one, come all (unless you are Friend #1001)!
While it’s unlikely that most people will be able to afford TWO Xbox One consoles at launch, the possibility of starting a game on one console, pausing and then moving to another console to continue playing it will be possible, thanks to "The Cloud".
It also can read your heart rate and your emotions, see your body in high definition (even your fingers) and even recognize you based on voice alone, among other cool things. The potential of Kinect-enhanced gaming just got real.
