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Gear Up To Enter the Stealthy World of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon with Producer Vincent Greco

By Michael Lafferty

 

“The Tom Clancy novels are all about realism and Ubisoft’s Clancy games mirror that realism”

 

It is the future, but much like the present, little has changed in the political turmoil that embraces the world. Nations teeter on the brink of revolution, and with arsenals full of deadly weapons, those weapons in the wrong hands could have devastating consequences.

 

When Fidel Castro passes away, the island nation of Cuba is suddenly thrust into a country in which power-hungry factions vie for control. The drug trade flourishes and the administration is so close to being replaced in a coup, that something must be done to guarantee the safety of neighboring nations.

 

Perhaps there is a covert way to infiltrate the island and remove some of the major roadblocks to the island’s future as a free-will democratic society. But such an operation would require extreme stealth, almost to the point of being ghostly in nature.

 

That is where the Ghost Recon unit comes into play in the form of Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Jungle Storm. This title breaks away from the others in the series in that it does allow, for the first time, online play. The first ever online Ghost Recon experience, Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm features 31 multiplayer maps and online statistics tracking and ladder ranking.  Players direct their multiplayer squad mates with full voice chat capabilities via the Sony PS2 Voice Communicator.

 

But for a look at that and other game-related topics, it’s best to go to the source. Vincent Greco, producer of the game, was kind enough to take some time to chat with GameZone about the title.

 

 

Question: The game takes place in a Post-Castro era in Cuba in the year 2009. While a Cuba without Castro is bound to have some change associated with it, certainly in five years, there are likely to be other changes. Does the time frame have any bearing on the game, or was it selected for situational reference?

 

Vincent: The Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon games take place in the near future. This is because it allows us to have fictional situations that are closely linked to what actually happens in the present.

 

Q: What elements do you think will set this title apart from others in the series? And what aspects do you think are vital and that players have come to rely on?

 

Vincent: First of all, GRJS’s online capabilities. This is the first PS2 Tom Clancy game online so it doesn’t hold back in trying to please the fans. 

 

This is also the first PS2 Tom Clancy game to feature the headset support (voice order offline and voice chat online).

 

The team tried to take into account all the feedback we received about the previous versions so Jungle Storm includes the best features from the prior Ghost Recon games. For instance, Jungle Storm has quick order in which you ask your teammates to go to the point you are currently aiming at. This was a new feature introduced by the previous PS2 version. Another example is the weapon zoom on the R3 analog stick, which is similar to the Ghost Recon Xbox version.

And I have to mention that the Jungle Storm campaign offers 8 news missions exclusive to PlayStation2.

 

 

Q: Tom Clancy is known for writing taut thrillers. How does this title live up to the brand name?

 

Vincent: The Tom Clancy novels are all about realism and Ubisoft’s Clancy games mirror that realism.  When playing GRJS, players will feel that realism, tension and intense action, whether it’s the “one shot, one kill” play or the immersive storyline.

 

Q: What graphics engine does this game use?

 

Vincent: GRJS uses the same graphics engine as the original Ghost Recon.  Improvements have been made to the graphic quality by tuning the data (enhanced character models, textures, lights) but it is not a new engine. 

 

Q: For those who may not know, how much of this series is based on reflexive shooter gameplay, and how does the tactical elements come into play?

 

Vincent: Ghost Recon rewards strategy and tactics above shoot-em-up. However, there will be plenty of instances of intense firefights. It’s up to the player to choose the way he wants to play the game. You can attack directly or you can observe and then approach more quietly.  Also, by changing the Rules of Engagements of your teammates, they will react accordingly.

 

The game is being released on PS2; is there any chance it will be ported to another platform?

Vincent: Right now, there are no plans to port GRJS to another platform. It will be available on the Nokia NGage.

 

Q: What do you consider to be the biggest challenges in creating a Ghost Recon game?

 

Vincent: A Ghost Recon game on console is a balance between a challenging gameplay to satisfy the fans and an intuitive interface to allow new players to the franchise to have fun quickly. I believe Jungle Storm succeeds in reaching that balance.

 

 

Q: The genre of tactical squad-based shooters is definitely sporting amazing titles, not only in the Ghost Recon series but also with other titles such as SOCOM II. Can this genre get better, and if so, what do you see as the next step in the progression to take it to the next level?

 

Vincent: The next steps will probably be more immersion by giving the player further interaction with the environment (physics), improving the use of the headset (and using new peripherals) and having an even more realistic AI than what has already been done.

 

Q: Does this game support multiplayer gaming?

 

Vincent: Definitely!  GRJS has Deathmatch, four Co-op modes in addition to the 16 single player missions in 2-player split-screen format. 

 

Online multiplayer fun has the four co-op modes mentioned above, five Team modes, and four Solo modes available on 31 online maps. In team games, you create a team with other online players and battle against another created teams. There are no AI enemies to worry about. Solo games put you against other players, none of them your allies. 

 

Needless to say, plenty of hours of fun multiplayer gaming!

 

Q: Does the game feature anything - aside from the storyline - new? Has the interface changed, or the essence of gameplay?

 

Vincent: The controls have been improved. For example you can now press the right analog stick to use the zoom of your weapon, which is more intuitive. The "quick selection" allows you to select the teammate you are currently aiming at by pressing the Select button.

The interface has also been changed. We added some consistency by assigning each team one color, so that you always know which team you are controlling. And last but not least, the radar of the previous version has been changed into a threat indicator (you do not have the red dots indicating the enemies any more) to keep the challenge of the gameplay very high.

 

As far as the gameplay is concerned, you will see while playing online that the "Mouse Hunt" mode is an improvement of the "Cats and Mouse" mode that can be found in the previous online versions of Ghost Recon.

 

I will let your discover on your own the other improvements to the game.