Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
Encyclopedia
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 IGN
in December 2010. The game was released on 25 March 2011 as a launch title for Nintendo's new console.
and Fire Emblem
, but with some significant changes. In particular, elevation and cover play a critical tactical role. The 'support fire' system also makes the combat system distinctive.
Skirmish Missions: There are 20 skirmish missions which are standalone missions with fixed teams and deployments.
Multiplayer Missions: There are 10 multiplayer missions which are played using the same 3DS console.
Sniper: The sniper (Haze) is a long range specialist. He has a choice between heavy sniper rifles, with good armor penetration, or light sniper rifles, which give better mobility. His secondary weapons include a choice of either AP or EMP grenades.
Gunner: The gunner (Richter) is equipped with a high-powered automatic weapon with excellent damage and return fire, but limited maneuverability. He has a choice of grenades for his secondary weapon.
Medic: The Medic (Saffron) has effective personal defense weapons and a choice of medi-kits, including a 'stim kit', which can allow characters to act again, or a 'boost kit', which provides power points.
Recon: The Recon (Banshee) is equipped with a special camouflage system that prevents any direct attacks against her unless she is revealed by an adjacent enemy. She is equipped with silenced carbines for a main weapon, and a choice of EMP grenades or knife for secondary weapon.
Engineer: The engineer (Mint) is equipped with an assault rifle as his main weapon. His secondary equipment is either a deployable gun turret or an armed, mobile drone. He can also repair vehicles and drones.
In addition to these there are other units which join the player's squad as part of the story and can be issued instructions during missions.
. GameSpot
scored the game 8 out of 10, but called the story one-dimensional. Official Nintendo Magazine praised the game's accessibility. Game Freaks 365 gave the game an 8 out of 10, noting that "hardcore fans of the series will undoubtedly be confused or even dismayed to find out that Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is not a shooter at all," but calling it a "solid turn-based strategy game" nonetheless. Anthony Gallegos of IGN
criticized the game's multiplayer component, repetitiveness of the campaign and clichéd characters but stated that the game was still fun enough for him to recommend to turn-based game fans. Ending with scoring the title a 7 out of 10 rating.
Turn-based tactics
Turn-based tactics , or tactical turn-based , is a computer and video game genre of strategy video games that through stop-action simulates the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics in generally small-scale confrontations as opposed to more strategic...
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...
which has been 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...
. The game is part of the Ghost Recon
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon is a tactical shooter video game developed by Red Storm Entertainment, a Ubisoft subsidiary, and published by Ubisoft in 2001 for the PC. It was ported to the Mac, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2002 and to the GameCube in 2003...
series of the 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...
games. 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 25 March 2011 as a launch title for Nintendo's new console.
Turn-based tactical system
The game system and interface will be familiar to players of Advance WarsAdvance Wars
Advance Wars, known in Japan as is a turn-based tactics video game developed for the Game Boy Advance by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It was released in North America on September 10, 2001, but put on hold in Japan and Europe due to the following day's terrorist attacks in the USA...
and Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem
is a fantasy tactical role-playing video game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems , the maker of Advance Wars , and published by Nintendo...
, but with some significant changes. In particular, elevation and cover play a critical tactical role. The 'support fire' system also makes the combat system distinctive.
Role-playing elements
Completing objectives in missions gives the player points which can be used to upgrade the rank of each unit. Units have a predetermined development tree, with each new level granting a mix of Hit Point (HP) bonuses, new abilities and alternative equipment. Players choose which points to spend on each Unit.Game modes
Campaign Game: The single player campaign has 37 missions for a total playing time of around 35-45 hours, depending on difficulty level selected. The player controls a team of up to six Ghosts through the story based campaign, leveling them up and upgrading their equipment as the story progressed.Skirmish Missions: There are 20 skirmish missions which are standalone missions with fixed teams and deployments.
Multiplayer Missions: There are 10 multiplayer missions which are played using the same 3DS console.
Character classes
Commando: The Commando (Duke) is equipped with an assault rifle and a hi-tech shoulder mounted missile launcher. The commando is effectively like human artillery, but very mobile. They come in two types – anti-vehicle or anti-personnel.Sniper: The sniper (Haze) is a long range specialist. He has a choice between heavy sniper rifles, with good armor penetration, or light sniper rifles, which give better mobility. His secondary weapons include a choice of either AP or EMP grenades.
Gunner: The gunner (Richter) is equipped with a high-powered automatic weapon with excellent damage and return fire, but limited maneuverability. He has a choice of grenades for his secondary weapon.
Medic: The Medic (Saffron) has effective personal defense weapons and a choice of medi-kits, including a 'stim kit', which can allow characters to act again, or a 'boost kit', which provides power points.
Recon: The Recon (Banshee) is equipped with a special camouflage system that prevents any direct attacks against her unless she is revealed by an adjacent enemy. She is equipped with silenced carbines for a main weapon, and a choice of EMP grenades or knife for secondary weapon.
Engineer: The engineer (Mint) is equipped with an assault rifle as his main weapon. His secondary equipment is either a deployable gun turret or an armed, mobile drone. He can also repair vehicles and drones.
In addition to these there are other units which join the player's squad as part of the story and can be issued instructions during missions.
Reception
Reviews for the game were generally favourable. The game has an aggregate score of 77/100 on MetaCriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
scored the game 8 out of 10, but called the story one-dimensional. Official Nintendo Magazine praised the game's accessibility. Game Freaks 365 gave the game an 8 out of 10, noting that "hardcore fans of the series will undoubtedly be confused or even dismayed to find out that Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is not a shooter at all," but calling it a "solid turn-based strategy game" nonetheless. Anthony Gallegos of 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...
criticized the game's multiplayer component, repetitiveness of the campaign and clichéd characters but stated that the game was still fun enough for him to recommend to turn-based game fans. Ending with scoring the title a 7 out of 10 rating.