Earlier today, the Ghost Recon Future Soldier Multiplayer beta went live on Xbox Live. I spent the better part of the day giving the game a spin so I thought I would share with you my impressions. If you want to jump into the beta as well and “fight like a ghost”, all PSN+ members have free access, as do those who kept their copy of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell. If you do not fall under any of the above, you can get a beta code by pre-ordering at Gamestop or follow @GameCanadian on Twitter as they have given out a bunch of codes and will continue to do so for the next week.
First of all, it is clear that Ubisoft is catering to the hard-core Clancy fans, while at the same time bringing in elements from other shooters to draw in the masses. For starters, the weapon tuning feels really nice. You absolutely cannot fire your assault rifle on fully automatic. Even against enemies that are mid – close range you will get off target fast as the recoil takes effect. There are no guns shooting lasers like we saw in Battlefield 3. With the weapons in mind, Gunsmith is very cool. I ended up getting some unlock points and I customized my ACR with a Magpul angled fore-grip to add stability, a red-dot site, and a silencer. In addition to these parts, you can select from differently tuned gas systems, (i.e. heavier setting for faster rate of fire but more recoil), a bunch of different muzzles, barrels, magazines, triggers, and stocks. The game gives you a nice little graph to show you how the modifications are affecting the weapon characteristics like; control, maneuverability, power, and range. After you have modified your weaponry you can quickly jump into a target range to test out your chosen modifications. I will also note that if you can’t really be bothered with customizing your weapon, there is an option for Gunsmith to do the work for you. All you have to do is tell Gunsmith if you want something customized for close quarters or long range and it does the rest for you.
The weapons are tied to each faction and one of the three classes (Scout, Engineer and Rifleman). The classes are pretty straight forward with the rifleman using heavier assault rifles and LMGs; the Engineer using SMGs and personal defense weapons; and the Scout has access to sniper rifles as well as some SMGs. There are pieces of equipment tied to the classes as well. The Rifleman can revive or carry ammo, while the Engineer has sensor grenades and UAVs. The Scout has a cloaking ability which takes effect when your character is not moving. Later you can unlock an upgrade that allows the cloaking to remain active when moving slowly.
Overall, the three classes seem nicely balanced. I was worried about the cloaking ability and players exploiting the function online but Ubisoft did a great job implementing it. The UAVs are not as annoying as BF3 mainly because they only require a round or two from an assault rifle to take down. Sensor grenades only show enemies within their proximity and the screen will tell you if you are being detected. The ability to stun an enemy and hack them for intelligence is also really interesting and well thought out. This is a risky yet rewarding method as it gives you information on the entire enemy team not just an area of the map.
The game types offered in the beta features randomly generated objectives to complete. For instance, in one game I had to defend an EMP site long enough for it to charge up and detonate. In another game I had to capture and defend a supply point. Bottom line, there is a real sense of teamwork in the games which is a staple of the Ghost Recon franchise. Team must work together or your team will fail if you do not follow the objectives.
Overall, my initial impression of the Ghost Recon Future Soldier Multiplayer Beta experience on XBLA is a positive one. The game seems to be well tuned and I absolutely loved the more tactical change of pace that the Ghost Recon once again brings to be table. If you are a die-hard Clancy fan, or just enjoy a well put together shooter then I would highly recommend you track down a beta code and jump online now.
