I didn't think many would be getting it... I probably wouldn't if i wasn't reviewing it for SimHQ, lol.

I'm not expecting a tactical game like the original, i know those days are gone... but I am hoping that the SP is worth playing once or twice like GRAW2 was... and thou I don't think I EVER played GRAW2 MP, I did play alot of GRAW2 squad size (8 player) co-op missions with all aids off and it was GREAT... so I'm hoping for the same thing, but with few friends getting it...who knows.

I'll play what I need to for the review, then get back to BF3.

Magnum - I have this preordered and I'm picking it up this morning. If you want to try out the MP, let me know.

1st impressions... trying and playing every mode this AM... Not as action as say the COD or BF series, but more of a fall away from the tactical shooter most of us want. (and all options that made GRAW2 co-op so great is GONE... so your stuck with icons, over busy HUDS, and enemy outlines... that BLOWS.

Buy only if you like the future thing... or wait for my full review in a couple of weeks.

Just got it today. Hope to start playing in a few hours.

I'm hoping my 1st impressions change... but as of now cant even bring myself to force play it, lol... BTW, what the hell are those blue rings around the weapons suppose to be? lol

And it's going to be even harder to play once we all get on Iron Front

That ring around the gun bothered me more than anything else in the beta. Felt like having one of those cone shaped dog collars on.

Well I'm liking it so far for what it is. Its still not like the old days which I knew already but it still has its tactical elements. It does have its quirks but it also has some great things. I'm on the second "Nambia" mission and I love the setting and look of the environment. I'm getting a better feel for my controls and learning how to tag and do sync shots with my other ghosts.

The character modeling and animations look great. I do wish you could toggle the enemy see=through tags as once there are multiple targets up, it gets in the way of situational awareness.

I guess the blue rings is all apart of the "future" aspect. I don't think they are really distracting. Unecessary yes but I suppose its supposed to be some sort of hologram.

Picked it up today.
Just like the beta, I was not too crazy about it at first, but then it grew on me a LOT.

MP thoughts:
-These aren't Ghost Recon maps, but would be pretty darn good Rainbow Six maps. Small to mid size, but a lot of layers and options for getting around (other than Pipeline). I can adapt with that in mind, I love some Rainbow Six.
-The guns really are satsifying compared to the other games. Nice and punchy, great options
-We played in a private room of friends, unfortunately limited to 12 on console (we could easily do 16).
-Private rooms have all equipment WIDE OPEN the way it should be. It's odd to be so acclimated to having to unlock crap that it felt strange at first, but became natural again quickly. There's a lot of good equipment and counters when you have full access.
-Played Conflict at first, which is not a bad game, but when we switched over to Siege, it became Ghost Recon again. The maps felt better, just a bit bigger, the pace felt better...simply had a great time with the game. I'd almost forgotten how much I hate respawn games. The tension was back, as well as the chance to BS with friends in the dead room. It wasn't just hectic shooter-land.
-Pipeline is still a horrible map, but there are some from the other end of the spectrum. The Cargo map was a nice take on the usual cargo ship map that comes up a good bit. The oil rig was nice, you had to watch all around all the time or you'd get taken out from somewhere you didn't even know was possible.

Campaign:
I only got to play for a short while, but got through a couple of areas.
-Briefings are back. I love briefings. I hate the "seemless game play" from the last batch of GR and Rainbow games. Then it changed countries. It wasn't Mexico! Oh yeah!
-Gameplay seems taken from Splinter Cell Conviction, with the same mark/execute type system from Vegas. The game looks pretty darn good. Might be a little washed out, but that's better than the Ubisoft brown we've become so accustomed to.
-The mission area was scored, which I like. I can see going back through trying to be more stealthy. My understanding is that the campaign is pretty short, so any reason to replay it is good.

Bottom line:
MP isn't as complex as the other GR games, the host options are limited, we don't have BLIND siege or some other favorite game types, but the gameplay itself is there. If we could ditch the perfect red outlines for spotted enemies, it would be a vast improvement, but otherwise the always-on HUD isn't as intrusive as it used to be.
I look forward to trying some co-op and playing a lot more MP with friends.
And I *LOVE* the stun mine. How can you not like 9 tasers pointed right where someone's going to come around a corner? Stun, hack, kill.
With Splinter Cell, I think Chaos Theory is one of the best all time games. Conviction was NO Chaos Theory. Taken on it's own merits though, I still like it a lot and play it. At this point, I feel similarly about GR:FS compared to the previous GR games.

I also concur on the briefings Raw. That's another thing that tickled me. We have a real pre-mission briefing accompanied by weapons and equiptment set up. I like the minute configurations of the weapon smith. I also am estatic that we are out of stinking Mexico. Nambia has crystal blue skies and white, sunbaked sands. Don't me to spoil it but wait until you reach the storm part of the mission.(cool stuff )

I also like how in-game cinematics pop up seamlessly to continue and carry the story. And your other squad mates have enough character without sounding like they just graduated high school.

It does have a Splinter Cell Conviction mechanics which is great for moving from cover to cover. I also love the stealth shoot option where you catch the guy you just killed.

And the tagging is important and useful in different ways.



Oh, and the camo is pretty nifty. Its actually quite awesome panning your view off to the side while walking, only to see the rest of your Ghost team moving off to your side, dropping their stance, and then turning into a transparent blur. And I think it is one of those games that starts a little slow and needs some time invested to start opening up. I felt that way when I first loaded it up. It seemed not the quality it should be for a game in this series but there is substance behind it if you give it a chance. And the graphics are good. Not the best Xbox 360 graphics but still very good and its nice having a different looking and "feeling" Ghost Recon game. I think the sun lighting and shadows are great.