Ghost Recon
Encyclopedia
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon is an American series of military
tactical shooter
video games created by Red Storm Entertainment
, the game development studio founded in part by American
author Tom Clancy
.
Ghost Recon has also been novelized
by Grant Blackwood
under the pseudonym David Michaels
.
In the series, the player is in charge of a fictional, newly-conceived squad
of United States Army Special Forces
operators from Company
D, 1st Battalion
, 5th Special Forces Group (5th SFG) stationed at Fort Bragg
, North Carolina
. Except for the "1st Battalion, 5th SFG" designation, this unit is entirely fictional, as Special Forces Battalions currently only support three Companies (A, B and C). They are sometimes referred to as "the Ghosts". Their role is not unlike other real world special operations forces
, in that their operations are kept highly classified
.
in Russia
. Ultra-nationalists have seized power with plans to rebuild the Soviet Union. Their first step is clandestine support of rebel
faction
s in Georgia
and the Baltic States
. Alarmed by the threat, the US deploys the Ghosts into Georgia to stop the Russians. Over the course of the campaign, the Ghosts take the fight to the ultra-nationalists, with a final showdown in Red Square.
, where the Ghosts have been deployed to stop Ethiopian Army Colonel
Tesfaye Wolde's plans to invade Eritrea
. He executes his plan through arms sales
with the same Russian ultra-nationalists who launched the coup the previous year.
, Colombia
, the drug cartel
that had aided and financed the FDP in their efforts in Cuba has initiated a number of terrorist
attacks against the Colombian government
who have allied themselves with the U.S.A. After Colombia's call for help following an attack on a U.S. Embassy, America responds by deploying the Ghosts to restore order and put the cartel out of business.
general, Jung Chong-sun, who launches a coup against the North Korean government. The Xbox version is the direct sequel of the two games, in which Jung plots revenge against NATO and South Korea. Ghost Recon 2 also marks the debut of the series' main character, Capt. Scott Mitchell.
. The plot revolves around Mitchell's efforts to rescue US President Ballantine from Mexican rebels, destroy a secret communications device that they captured, and prevent a launch of the United States' nuclear arsenal. The game is mostly known for its new combat mechanics, new weapons, and next-generation graphics.
problems that the series has been afflicted with.
follows Captain Scott Mitchell and Ghost team on a mission in China. Their task is to search for the Spring Tiger Group - a band of rogue Chinese military officers - and put an end to its attempt at seizing control of Taiwan
and sparking a massive armed conflict in the Pacific Ocean
.
tactical RPG
video game for the Nintendo 3DS
. It was developed by Ubisoft
Sofia Studio under the creative direction of Julian Gollop
. First images of the game were leaked by IGN
in December 2010. The game was released on March 25, 2011, as a launch title for Nintendo's new handheld.
.
.
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
tactical shooter
Tactical shooter
A tactical shooter is a subgenre of shooter game that includes both first-person shooters and third-person shooters. These games typically simulate realistic combat, thus making tactics and caution more important than quick reflexes in other action games...
video games created by Red Storm Entertainment
Red Storm Entertainment
Ubisoft Red Storm is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ubisoft Entertainment, specializing in video games and related merchandise, mainly based on the works of the writer Tom Clancy. The company develops and markets their own CD/DVD-ROM games...
, the game development studio founded in part by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
.
Ghost Recon has also been novelized
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (novel)
Ghost Recon is a military thriller written under the pseudonym David Michaels, based on Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon video game series. The novel follows the operations of Captain Scott Mitchell and his Ghosts in China.-Plot summary:...
by Grant Blackwood
Grant Blackwood
Grant Blackwood is an American thriller writer and ghostwriter. He wrote the Briggs Tanner series. He co-authored with Clive Cussler Spartan Gold which reached number 10 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best Sellers list...
under the pseudonym David Michaels
David Michaels
David Michaels is a pseudonym for the authors of novels in the Splinter Cell, EndWar, H.A.W.X , and Ghost Recon series, all of which were created by Ubisoft Entertainment and developed under Ubisoft's Tom Clancy license...
.
In the series, the player is in charge of a fictional, newly-conceived squad
Squad
In military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...
of United States Army Special Forces
United States Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...
operators from Company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
D, 1st Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
, 5th Special Forces Group (5th SFG) stationed at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. Except for the "1st Battalion, 5th SFG" designation, this unit is entirely fictional, as Special Forces Battalions currently only support three Companies (A, B and C). They are sometimes referred to as "the Ghosts". Their role is not unlike other real world special operations forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
, in that their operations are kept highly classified
Classified information
Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation...
.
Games in the series
| Title | Release Year | Year Set | PC Personal computer A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator... |
Mac | Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions... |
Sony Sony , commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues.... |
Nintendo Nintendo is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel.... |
Mobile phones |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon | 2001 | 2008 | ||||||
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Desert Siege | 2002 | 2009 | (expansion pack Expansion pack An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game... ) |
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| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder is an expansion pack for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, released for Windows and Xbox.-Plot Summary:In 2010 Cuba is free, or at least it's supposed to be. Since Fidel Castro's death in the storyline in 2006, the island of Cuba is wary of the communist rule it had... |
2003 | 2010 | (expansion pack) | |||||
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm is an expansion of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon for the PlayStation 2. It contains the content of Island Thunder along with eight new single-player missions set in Colombia and additional multiplayer maps... |
2004 | |||||||
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 is the third console installment in the popular Ghost Recon tactical shooter video game series, published by Ubisoft. It is a sequel to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon.... |
2004 | 2011 | ||||||
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike is the expansion to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2. There are several minor differences between Summit Strike, and Ghost Recon 2. The most notable being the difficulty, Summit Strike being regarded as the harder of the two... |
2005 | 2012 | ||||||
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is the third installment in the popular Ghost Recon tactical shooter video game series, published by Ubisoft in 2006. As in previous Ghost Recon games, players command their team of Ghosts while neutralizing hostile forces and completing various mission... |
2006 | 2013 | ||||||
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is the sequel to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. It expands on the game play of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and is the fourth installment in the popular Ghost Recon tactical shooter video game series, published by Ubisoft.The game... |
2007 | 2013 | ||||||
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Predator | 2010 | ? | ||||||
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wii | 2010 | ? | ||||||
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is a turn-based tactics video game for the Nintendo 3DS which has been developed by Ubisoft Sofia Studio under the creative direction of Julian Gollop. The game is part of the Ghost Recon series of the Tom Clancy games. First images of the game were leaked by... |
2011 | 2017 | ||||||
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online is a third-person perspective, multiplayer action video game, scheduled for release on the personal computer and Wii U console. On 24 May 2011, Ubisoft announced that its Singapore studio would develop Ghost Recon Online for the latter half of 2011, following an... |
2012 | ? | ||||||
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier | 2012 | 2024 | |
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Ghost Recon
Ghost Recon begins in April 2008, with civil unrestCivil disorder
Civil disorder, also known as civil unrest or civil strife, is a broad term that is typically used by law enforcement to describe one or more forms of disturbance caused by a group of people. Civil disturbance is typically a symptom of, and a form of protest against, major socio-political problems;...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Ultra-nationalists have seized power with plans to rebuild the Soviet Union. Their first step is clandestine support of rebel
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
faction
Political faction
A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...
s in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and the Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
. Alarmed by the threat, the US deploys the Ghosts into Georgia to stop the Russians. Over the course of the campaign, the Ghosts take the fight to the ultra-nationalists, with a final showdown in Red Square.
Ghost Recon: Desert Siege
Set 6 months after the first game, Desert Siege features a new campaign in East AfricaEast Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, where the Ghosts have been deployed to stop Ethiopian Army Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Tesfaye Wolde's plans to invade Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
. He executes his plan through arms sales
Arms industry
The arms industry is a global industry and business which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology and equipment. It comprises government and commercial industry involved in research, development, production, and service of military material, equipment and facilities...
with the same Russian ultra-nationalists who launched the coup the previous year.
Ghost Recon: Island Thunder
The second expansion set to Ghost Recon, Island Thunder takes place in Cuba in 2010. Its plot revolves around Cuba's first democratic elections since the 1950s, but an anti-American faction named the FDP (El Frente Democratico del Pueblo or People's Democratic Front), secretly terrorizes election outlets during the campaign while fielding their own presidential candidate. The Ghosts, who are sent to ensure order during the elections, discover that the FDP is a shell organization run by a Colombian drug cartel that needs the island as a transit point to the United States.Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm
Taking place just after Island Thunder in BogotáBogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, the drug cartel
Drug cartel
Drug cartels are criminal organizations developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the largest trafficking...
that had aided and financed the FDP in their efforts in Cuba has initiated a number of terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
attacks against the Colombian government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
who have allied themselves with the U.S.A. After Colombia's call for help following an attack on a U.S. Embassy, America responds by deploying the Ghosts to restore order and put the cartel out of business.
Ghost Recon 2
Ghost Recon 2 is set in the Korean Peninsula in the year 2007. The settings of the PS2 and GameCube versions (both of which are labeled 2007: First Contact) are linked with Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, particularly the sinking of the fictional intelligence-gathering vessel Clarence E. Walsh. They depict a new Korean War brought about by a renegade Korean People's ArmyKorean People's Army
The Korean People's Army , also known as the Inmin Gun, are the military forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim Jong-il is the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and Chairman of the National Defence Commission...
general, Jung Chong-sun, who launches a coup against the North Korean government. The Xbox version is the direct sequel of the two games, in which Jung plots revenge against NATO and South Korea. Ghost Recon 2 also marks the debut of the series' main character, Capt. Scott Mitchell.
Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike
Kazakhstan has fallen into chaos. The Kazakh president and Security Council were assassinated in an explosion set by notorious Pakistani warlord and arms dealer Asad Rahil. With the President dead, the Kazakh military fractured into factions vying for political control of the country. Rahil quickly moved in and consolidated power using his corrupt contacts in the Kazakh military. A large group of soldiers loyal to the government has been working closely with U.N. ground forces to stabilize the region. The Ghosts have been sent in to capture Rahil and neutralize his military presence. They are working closely with a contact in the Kazakh military named Grigoriy Koslov. Together, the Ghosts and Koslov shadow the U.N. forces' assaults against Rahil’s troops and track him from the southern mountain ranges to the wastes of the arid badlands.Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
Often identified by the acronym GRAW, the game takes place over the course of 72 hours in 2013, beginning in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. The plot revolves around Mitchell's efforts to rescue US President Ballantine from Mexican rebels, destroy a secret communications device that they captured, and prevent a launch of the United States' nuclear arsenal. The game is mostly known for its new combat mechanics, new weapons, and next-generation graphics.
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2
The game is again, set south of the United States border in 2013, one day after the events of Advanced Warfighter and again deals with the conflict between a Mexican rebel group, Mexican loyalists, and the U.S. Army for a time span of 72 hours. A wide array of location types are included, featuring mountains, small towns, urban environments, and a large hydro-electric dam just north of the U.S.-Mexico border. This game, as well as Rainbow Six: Vegas, has been noted for rectifying squad artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
problems that the series has been afflicted with.
Ghost Recon Novel
The novel by David MichaelsDavid Michaels
David Michaels is a pseudonym for the authors of novels in the Splinter Cell, EndWar, H.A.W.X , and Ghost Recon series, all of which were created by Ubisoft Entertainment and developed under Ubisoft's Tom Clancy license...
follows Captain Scott Mitchell and Ghost team on a mission in China. Their task is to search for the Spring Tiger Group - a band of rogue Chinese military officers - and put an end to its attempt at seizing control of Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and sparking a massive armed conflict in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is a turn-basedTurn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
tactical RPG
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
video game for the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
. It was developed by Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
Sofia Studio under the creative direction of Julian Gollop
Julian Gollop
Julian Gollop is a British designer of strategy video games and founder of the defunct game studios Mythos Games and Codo Technologies.Gollop's career spans over 25 years, during which he has designed games for numerous systems over the years, from the early 8-bit home computers to 32-bit PCs...
. First images of the game were leaked by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
in December 2010. The game was released on March 25, 2011, as a launch title for Nintendo's new handheld.
Ghost Recon Future Soldier
Ubisoft announced on January 22, 2009 that it is currently working on a new installment in the Ghost Recon series. It was originally scheduled to be released in early 2010, but the release date was subsequently pushed back into Ubisoft's 2010–2011 fiscal year (April 2010-March 2011), and was delayed again for a 2011–2012 fiscal year release. The Australian Ratings Board revealed that Ubisoft had registered the name Ghost Recon: 'Predator', leading to speculation that this was to be the name of the next release in the series. In December 2009 the name Ghost Recon: Future Soldier was also registered, leaving the title up in the air until Ubisoft announced officially what the title would be. In January 2010, Ubisoft confirmed that the game would have the Future Soldier title, and that multiplayer beta would be available to owners of Splinter Cell: ConvictionTom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction is an action-adventure stealth game, developed by Ubisoft Montreal. Key members of the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas team, such as creative director Maxime Béland, also worked on the game...
.
Reception
Though well-received by game reviewers, the first Ghost Recon games were criticized for poor squad Artificial IntelligenceArtificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
.