All modes are playable across 10 maps, drawn from the campaign locations, and they're a naturalistic bunch. More in the vein of Battlefield's open-plan settings than the tightly controlled flow of a COD map, these are stages designed to be explored and learned, full of useful tricks and shortcuts that become evident through repeat play.
Player progression is decent enough, if unoriginal. There are three classes - Scout, Engineer and Rifleman - and each offers two upgradable characters, one for Team Ghost, the other for bad guys Team Bodark. New weapons, attachments and gadgets unlock at predetermined ranks, at which point they can be purchased using earned credits. It's a simple system, made notable for the sheer variety of customisation options - two million, according to the blurb. Tweaking your preferred weapon, right down to the type of trigger used, will provide a compelling meta-game for the devoted player.
There's co-op too, not least in the main campaign, which can be played with up to three friends. If the game's best moments impress when playing solo, they absolutely sing when played online. As before, it's the stealthier moments that stand out, with palpable tension as you creep around, taking up positions and co-ordinating your shots. It's here where the hereditary genes of Red Storm's classic Rainbow Six can be seen most clearly.
There's also a survival mode, called Guerrilla. The meat of it is much as you expect - hold a position on the map against encroaching enemies - but Ubisoft has managed to squeeze a little of the franchise's unique style in between the waves of mayhem, offering little pockets of stealth where your team must secure the area by removing an existing enemy presence as discreetly as possible.
There will be some who look at the mainstream concessions made in Ghost Recon's belated comeback, regenerating health and all, and despair. Such reactions won't be completely baseless. Future Soldier is not as smart as it could be and there's clearly a more distinctive game hiding behind all the second-hand bombast. But while Future Soldier risks losing itself in the crowd of similar widescreen War on Terror blockbusters, it at least borrows its elements wisely, serves them up with style and polish, and retains enough of its strategic core to make it an easy recommendation for those hungry for another tour of duty.
8 / 10
Player progression is decent enough, if unoriginal. There are three classes - Scout, Engineer and Rifleman - and each offers two upgradable characters, one for Team Ghost, the other for bad guys Team Bodark. New weapons, attachments and gadgets unlock at predetermined ranks, at which point they can be purchased using earned credits. It's a simple system, made notable for the sheer variety of customisation options - two million, according to the blurb. Tweaking your preferred weapon, right down to the type of trigger used, will provide a compelling meta-game for the devoted player.
There's co-op too, not least in the main campaign, which can be played with up to three friends. If the game's best moments impress when playing solo, they absolutely sing when played online. As before, it's the stealthier moments that stand out, with palpable tension as you creep around, taking up positions and co-ordinating your shots. It's here where the hereditary genes of Red Storm's classic Rainbow Six can be seen most clearly.
There's also a survival mode, called Guerrilla. The meat of it is much as you expect - hold a position on the map against encroaching enemies - but Ubisoft has managed to squeeze a little of the franchise's unique style in between the waves of mayhem, offering little pockets of stealth where your team must secure the area by removing an existing enemy presence as discreetly as possible.
There will be some who look at the mainstream concessions made in Ghost Recon's belated comeback, regenerating health and all, and despair. Such reactions won't be completely baseless. Future Soldier is not as smart as it could be and there's clearly a more distinctive game hiding behind all the second-hand bombast. But while Future Soldier risks losing itself in the crowd of similar widescreen War on Terror blockbusters, it at least borrows its elements wisely, serves them up with style and polish, and retains enough of its strategic core to make it an easy recommendation for those hungry for another tour of duty.
8 / 10
