The Good
Different people have different preferences for games and handhelds tend to attract certain gamers. It doesn't surprise me that this title was (and still is) practically ignored by many people. It has garnered solid reviews on multiple game sites for good reason. This game is a great title. GR:SW is a turn-based strategy game in which you control a squad full of "ghosts" or combat experts. There are six different classes and each has RPG-style upgrades for weapons and armor. This is pretty minimalist in that you can choose between two options for each of three categories (primary weapon, secondary weapon, and armor) at any given time and you spend "stars" after each mission to upgrade any ghosts that participated in said missions. The limit is two upgrades per ghost per mission. I've only played about 15 hours and it looks like there are 30+ upgrades per ghost, but many just improve existing equipment. This isn't an RPG remember, and so I think the minimalism here serves the game well, making it mostly about the combat. Each ghost has access to a "super" power that can be activated when a meter fills up. The meter is influenced by map pickups, shots taken, and damage dealt and is most frequently increased when a ghost scores a kill. Its a nice added tactical touch that gives you something else to reason out. Some ghosts can also do response attacks to enemies that fire on them or allies, making positioning an important aspect of the game. The ghost classes include Sniper, Heavy Weapons, Medic, Tech/Mechanic, Stealth, and Leader (for lack of a better term). The Leader is overall balanced and has a rocket launcher, the Heavy Weapons is a tank, can do great damage, and does response attacks at full strength, the sniper has long range attacks, the tech guy can setup a powerful turret and has anti-vehicle weapons, the medic heals but is also good at close-quarters fighting, and the Stealth character is invisible unless the enemy is adjacent and has powerful melee attacks. Each can be used well in any mission but some are clearly better than others (see below). They each also have their own limitations. During missions you have classic turn-based objectives like (guard this, kill this, activate this, make sure X survives, do this in X time). You move on an isometric grid and each ghost has different movement, weapon range, weapon damage and special skills. The game does a great job of training you how to access information, not only for how far your ghosts can move and shoot, but also weapon and movement ranges of enemies and terrain features. Another great added feature is a "capture-the-flag" style of gameplay in which ghosts can capture flags to generate "command points" that can be used to increase the power meter of all ghosts, "reactivate" a ghost to go twice in one round, and call in an "airstrike" to damage a big area. The game looks wonderful for a handheld and has turned me into a 3DS Fanboy. These are console level graphics, IMO. The 3D is compelling and actually useful to understand terrain level distances. You don't need it to play the game and most of the time I have it off anyway to conserve battery. I didn't buy a 3DS for the 3D but the 3D does look good in this game. Generally, DS games kind of look like a joke in comparison. I'll still play my top DS games because I think gameplay should always win out over graphics, but the future looks bright for the 3DS. There are a few rough textures but nothing to get in a Gamer Tizzy Fit(tm) over. The game does have several "video" cutscenes. Sounds and music match the quality of the visuals. They are clearly standardized to save card space as with any handheld but I'm still hearing new sounds every few missions. Its fun to hear frogs and birds chirping in nature scenes and more realistic water sound effects. The game will last quite a while as there are three difficulty levels for each campaign mission. I've started on veteran (the middle one) and found many missions a tad too easy but still very enjoyable. Adding to the overall difficulty is the fact that all ghosts must survive the mission. No deaths are allowed. I failed the first Elite mission I tried so it definitely will require greater effort/less intellectual laziness on my part. I will enjoy going back to attempt all of them on Elite. The game also has many skirmish modes that unlock as you play the campaign that are simply just variations on different challenges using the ghosts and enemy fighters under different terrain and victory conditions. You can save the game at any point during a mission. Save often, but at the same time save strategically. You don't want to save right before you get wiped out and can't do anything about it.
The OK
Some cutscenes are static images of conversations, a mainstay of handheld gaming that seems out of place here given how well everything else is done. This title is clearly made for the Advanced Wars/Tactics Ogre crowd. Some people may be slightly put off in that it is really just classic turn-based gameplay done really well, there isn't much new that you haven't seen in other games, but this brings it all together. The story is in no way compelling or interesting, but I can lose that given that it isn't an RPG and is about combat, first and foremost. There is imbalance in the ghosts evident to a seasoned gamer. The Stealth character is borderline broken, in my opinion, if used properly. My opinion of this might change when I play missions on "Elite" status. Fifteen hours in I can't find a single compelling reason why I would choose the sniper unless forced to do so. His "long range" attacks really aren't that much greater than other characters. He does get some movement bonuses through certain terrains as you progress, but so do some other classes. His added range (movement and firing) does not make up for the abysmal stopping power of his rifles. Maybe I just don't "get" him yet but he is definitely the oddball. The game does have "multiplayer" but it a "pass the system" style where you hand your system to the next player and is arguably the greatest problem with the game. This game would be a blast over the internet or even system to system. Finally, some people have experienced crashes for this game. I have not. I have heard that a fix is to turn WiFi off during play and I have done this when I have remembered. Sometimes I forgot and I still had no issues. I have not gotten to Chapter 6 yet. I did start playing the game AFTER the July 2011 firmware update to the 3DS so perhaps that fixed many issues as my 3DS has not crashed at all.
Final update: I have now finished the first mission of Chapter 6, one that was reported to have crashes. The game did not crash for me.
Summary:
If you are a handheld turn-based fan and have a 3DS get this right now. You won't be disappointed. It even just got a price break! Even if you are not crazy about turn-based strategy, the game is a solid title that may actually change your mind!
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Videos
Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1
Videos for this product
1:10
Click to play video
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Shadow Wars 3DS--Trailer
Merchant Video
Reviews with images
Good, turnbased fun
I was surprised when i played this game. Thinking it would suck, I popped it in and, WHOOSH! A great, turnbased strategy game.
