Launch Station: Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

The Tom Clancy name has graced many games over the years.  Some have been great successes (see the Splinter Cell and Rainbow 6 series) and some did not really get off the ground (see EndWar and H.A.W.X).  Among the successful Tom Clancy gaming franchises is Ghost Recon, which has lied dormant for sometime now.  After many delays, the long awaited new entry in Ghost Recon: Future Solider finally hits store shelves tomorrow.

Story has not been a key part of the Ghost Recon franchise.  All you need to know is you are a soldier in the special Ghosts unit.  You are tasked with tracking down the source of a nuclear weapon that was used on another Ghost unit.  Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is a third-person cover-based shooter that uses a first-person camera when you switch into scope view.  Unlike some other cover-based shooters, your cover in Future Soldier is complete destructible so you cannot just camp in one spot for an entire firefight.  Being a futuristic war game, Future Soldier has a lot of gadgets and other technology that players can use throughout campaign and multi-player.  You are able to control different drones to could possibly be used to scout out the surrounding area or as portable cover.  One of the most talked about futuristic gadget you can use in the game is the optical camouflage.  Optical camouflage is a form of active camouflage that allows Ghosts to blend in with any environment and become nearly invisible.  As it is only a prototype gadget in the game, the optical camo does not work when the player is moving very fast, firing a weapon or extremely close to an enemy.  The biggest new feature in Future Soldier is improved squad AI so players do not have to micromanage complete idiotic computer controlled partners.  Like in Splinter Cell: Conviction, you can mark foes, which squad mates will focus their fire on or take out if you are sneaking behind them.  Like most shooters, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier has many different multi-player modes, which can be cooperatively and competitively.  There is also a fully co-op campaign along with the Horde-like co-op mode called Guerilla.

Personally I have never been a huge fan of the Ghost Recon series.  I am a much bigger fan of Splinter Cell and highly anticipating Rainbow 6 Patriots than any Ghost Recon.  I will say that Future Soldier looks like a great tactical shooter.  I do not see me picking this game up anytime soon, but gamers looking for a shooter that is more about tactics and skill based gameplay rather than twitch shooting they will most likely enjoy the newest entry in the longest running military shooter series in gaming, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.