Video Game Review: Ghost Recon Wildlands

Developer Ubisoft Paris
Publisher Ubisoft
Distributor Megarom
Where we got our copy Megarom
Genre Third-Person Shooter
Game modes Single Player, Co-op
Players 4
Reviewed on Xbox One

Available on PC, Playstation 4

MJ Khan

Published March 27, 2017

Ghost Recon Wildlands is ambitiously huge, and while I found the overwhelming amount of missions, side-quests and distractions daunting (while at the same time appreciating the ‘value-for-money’), I couldn’t binge on it and play for more than three hours at a time. I reflect on my marathon 8-hour Witcher 3 sessions, and while arguably they are different genres, the common denominator is the amount of time I would plonk into a game in one sitting (modern games are increasingly competing with other media/activities for attention, and a mark of a great game is often illustrated by the level of immersion).

Open worlds are often let down by little details, and Ghost Recon Wildlands is full of immersion-breaking moments. Leaving your car idling on a street stops non-playable drivers behind you completely. No one drives around you ala GTA, Mafia, no one hoots or reverses. It almost feels like the Truman show where the world revolves around you and nothing has agency outside of you. This happened often and became infuriating when I initiated a firefight and instead of getting the hell out of the area, the civilians just sat in their cars lifelessly (like the bodies you control in Inside). This made it difficult to use mortar attacks as collateral damage brings up a game over screen (not that I would encourage killing civilians). My squad and I (you are allocated three AI team members if playing single-player) parachuted into a prison in one of the earlier missions, and two of my squad landed about two metres away from an enemy and proceeded to squat there, waiting for my command. Not only did it not register in the narcos mind, my guys just chilled there and treated him as if he was an inanimate object like a lampshade. Grand Theft Auto 5 was chock-full of little details, and it all contributed to a better experience. 1998’s Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time stitched together little details to make Hyrule come alive and Far Cry 3’s crocodiles would grab deer that strayed too close to the water. The latter example is more telling as it’s an Ubisoft game. I’ve read reports of journalists playing as female characters and hearing audio from male squad members (even though they were only two people in the vehicle).

One thing I really liked about the game is that every side mission, interrogation and convoy disruption contributes towards taking out the main boss, El Sueño. Eating an elephant, bit by bit. There are sufficiently varied skill trees that incentivise players to do side missions, although I found the gun upgrades to be less rewarding. There was no reason to ditch my sniper/ assault rifle loadout for a shotgun, versus a game like Gears of War 4 where you’re encouraged to experiment with different weapons.

The game boasts solid sound design, with sound effects and bullets providing sufficient oomph (not to the level of Battlefield 4 but better than lesser shooters). There is not a lot of variety in the audio and it didn’t take long to hear the same radio inserts over and over.

I imagine that Ghost Recon is infinitely better when played with friends, and while none of my friends have it (they are still obsessed with Overwatch), I pushed on with online. The drop-in, drop-out is commendable and I while I had a few enjoyable sessions, most strangers didn’t respect the game and opted for a Just Cause 3/ Sunset Overdrive type approach. Needless to say, I need to make new friends or keep experimenting with online until I find a like-minded person to play with.

I recently binged on Narcos, which is essential viewing before immersing yourself in this world of cartels and violence. I longed for the narrative complexities presented in the show, as opposed to the reductionist ‘you bad guy, I kill you’ mission structure. I admire Ghost Recon Wildlands landscape and sandbox ambition, I just wish the developers put more effort into creating a more meaningful narrative experience. You can have your cake and eat it. It’s called The Witcher 3. I would have loved to spend time with complex characters like the Bloody Baron – evil, yet sympathetic, but instead I just jump from mission to mission without feeling much. Even with the rebel angle, it was not enough to keep me invested in the story.

I’m a big fan of Tom Clancy franchises, and I enjoy Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six (the notable exception being H.A.W.X) and while I appreciate the innovation and think it’s a move in the right direction, Ghost Recon Wildlands is more tech demo, less game (in the same vein as Assassin’s Creed). I am optimistic that the next entry in the series will crack it and push the genre forward (ala Assassin’s Creed 2).

I recently visited Thailand and spent some time at the MBK mall in Bangkok. A sprawling seven-level structure, chock-full of department stores and flea-market stands selling a similar range of goods, peppered with multiple Burger Kings and the like (I counted 6 individual Burger Kings in this one building). Ghost Recon Wildlands is a lot like this mall – overwhelming and a little thrilling at first but you do tire of it after you’ve walked a few floors. Sure, there’s a hidden gem here and there, but you have to trudge through so much monotony that it’s hardly ever worth it. Having said that, I do think you should only consider my score if you are going it alone as I have no doubt the game is much more enjoyable when played with friends (or strangers that aren’t jerks)

The tenth installment of Ubisoft’s squad-based military shooter discards the future setting of its predecessor and opts for a modern-day fictional conflict, between Ghosts (a Navy-Seals type outfit) and an enterprising Bolivian-based drug cartel. This is the first non-linear entry in the series and presents gamers with a vast sandbox that rivals the size and scope of classic open-world titles like GTA 5. There are a myriad of environments to devour and if the landscapes were more diverse, David Attenborough and the BBC Earth team would set-up shop in this country and shoot Planet Earth 3 exclusively using its vistas. While no Uncharted, Ghost Recon Wildlands provides a fair amount of current-gen shine to draw you in, with impressive draw distance and explosions. Your team is sufficiently detailed; however the same cannot be said for the somewhat generic cannon fodder enemies you mow down. A few more character models would have done the trick. Ghost Recon Wildlands is ambitiously huge, and while I found the overwhelming amount of missions, side-quests and distractions daunting (while at the same time appreciating the ‘value-for-money’), I couldn’t binge on it and play for more than three hours at a time. I reflect on my marathon 8-hour Witcher 3 sessions, and while arguably they are different genres, the common denominator is the amount of time I would plonk into a game in one sitting (modern games are increasingly competing with other media/activities for attention, and a mark of a great game is often illustrated by the level of immersion). Open worlds are often let down by little details, and Ghost Recon Wildlands is full of immersion-breaking moments. Leaving your car idling on a street stops non-playable drivers behind you completely. No one drives around you ala GTA, Mafia, no one hoots or reverses. It almost feels like the Truman show where the world revolves around you and nothing has agency outside of you. This happened often and became infuriating when I initiated a firefight and instead of getting the hell out of the area, the civilians just sat in their cars lifelessly (like the bodies you control in Inside). This made it difficult to use mortar attacks as collateral damage brings up a game over screen (not that I would encourage killing civilians). My squad and I (you are allocated three AI team members if playing single-player) parachuted into a prison in one of the earlier missions, and two of my squad landed about two metres away from an enemy and proceeded to squat there, waiting for my command. Not only did it not register in the narcos mind, my guys just chilled there and treated him as if he was an inanimate object like a lampshade. Grand Theft Auto 5 was chock-full of little details, and it all contributed to a better experience. 1998’s Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time stitched together little details to make Hyrule come alive and Far Cry 3’s crocodiles would grab deer that strayed too close to the water.…

Video Game Review: Ghost Recon Wildlands

2017-03-27

MJ Khan

Like Gold Reef City, better with friends

Total - 7.3

73 7.3

An admirable and serviceable effort to push the genre forward, but is ultimately let down by repetitive missions and immersion-breaking moments

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MJ Khan

Gaming / Entertainment Author at Geek Node

A veteran gamer and award-winning strategist, MJ enjoys eating chocolate eclairs and watching WWE. He completed his Masters coursework on videogame theory and enjoys writing about representation in games.