A very disturbing "next-gen" trend
Graphics: The graphics are good. For that I thank Microsoft and IBM for providing quality hardware. Alot of people have said that this is the best looking game on 360 to date. In this reviewers opinion, it is not. I don't know if everyone but me is playing in HDTV (can't fork out that kind of money right now), but the graphics here are just as good as the other titles. I expected to really be amazed after hearing how great they were supposed to be, but in the end, I felt let down. I'm not saying the game looks bad in any way, I'm just saying that with all the hype, I was thinking this would be a real revolution in this department. And that is just not the case. Character models look good, as do vehicles and weaponry. The game does manage to capture the feel of being in an urban environment. BUT, there is one problem with that. On the first non-training level, the first vehicle I came across, I ducked behind. Only after a brief shootout did I realize that it happened to be a Dodge Ram pickup. But hey, that's fine right? Realism is a good thing. So, I walk five feet and on a building to my right is a big banner for the Dodge Charger....ok now what's going on here? Did Microsoft sign a deal with Dodge or something to cram their P.O.S. cars into every game or what? If you've played Fight Night Round 3, you know what I'm talking about. In that game, you had the Dodge emblem being displayed on the crowd and at one point, you even have a title match where the winner drives home in a 2007 Dodge Caliber. Fast forward to G.R.A.W., and here's Dodge one more time. And this is not the only instance of advertising in this game. You will find loads of similar-looking Dodge Rams throughout the levels. EA's Need for Speed series has been nailed by reviewers ever since Underground 2 came out for having too much advertising. Well, I don't know how many Dodge pickups are in Mexico City, but it's not this many, I guarantee. Back on topic, the buildings look good. Yes, the city is void of civilians, but I can look past that easily if gameplay is good enough...in Full Spectrum Warrior, I didn't even notice the lack of civilians....but an engaging game G.R.A.W. is not.
Sound: The sound is good. Once again, I don't see what everyone is overly impressed about. C.O.D. 2 had much better sound I think, but that's simply opinion and my score on this review will be based ONLY on my experience playing G.R.A.W. Guns sound good, and frag grenades are pretty loud. The smoke grenades are questionable...I have yet to be able to use them effectively but they do sound nice I guess.
Control: Do you have Carpul Tunnel Syndrome? You will if you play this game. Honestly, I think it's simply a matter of the gamer being expected to do too much. Yes, you can command your squad. You can also order air strikes, command a cypher scout, etc. But the enemy is not going to stand around and let you do that. Until you have tried to command an airstrike while shooting at enemies and preventing your squad from breaking cover and getting owned by firing at a friggin tank like they can kill it (oh it happens...ALL THE TIME), you have not suffered frustration. Alot of times, I was up against a wall, and I wouldn't even be peaking around the corner, yet I would be taking damage from an enemy I couldn't even see and when I pulled the left trigger to aim my weapon, my guy just jumps around the corner, out in the open, begging to be shot. The A button reloads...it also, when held, allows you to change the rate of fire on your weapon. Isn't it funny that when you pickup that submachine gun that the enemy was just firing at you in full automatic, it is set to single shot JUST so you have to use this feature to change it back? And normally you don't realize it until you're in a firefight you already can't win, and are expected to take the time to switch the stupid rate of fire. The control for this game in one word: Frustrating.
Gameplay: To anyone who said this game's difficulty is just right: You should be more honest so that people don't get suckered into this game thinking it's actually playable. Seriously, I died at least 30 times on the first real level. Mostly due to the control (again, it's your worst enemy), but also due to the ridiculously little life you actually have. I thought I was playing as some advanced warrior...but apparently I don't have any body armor because yes, you can die from a single shot. And this is perhaps the most disturbing trend in next-gen games: There is NO EASY SETTING. That's right. Want to learn the game? Jump in and get owned by the A.I. multiple times until you get it right. The training at the start of the game is a joke and hardly prepares you for the unrelenting difficulty. I have nearly every Xbox 360 game in my library. Of them all, D.O.A. 4 included, this game is the most frustrating. The bad thing is, the game isn't good enough to keep you playing. There's a story that's loosely tied together with between level cut scenes, but I never felt driven to force myself through another level of b.s. control in order to see how it progressed. If you are a gamer who is of average, or even somewhat advanced skill, this game is going to test you...hard. If you're someone who's looking for an action game to pick up and play and only play games here and there, save your money and skip this one. It will frustrate you to no end and you'll just wind up trading it off or selling it..which I'm probably going to do and I'm an extremely avid gamer. I just don't put up with cheap A.I. and horrid control in any game. Another point of mention: If you die (which you will), the checkpoints in this game are few and far between. I mean 15-20 minutes of work far-between. Usually if I die 2 times trying to pass a point, I shut this game off and plug in something else not out of anger, but out of dismay that they would put people through that.
ONLINE GAMEPLAY REVIEW: I put this in caps because people seem to think this game has awesome online play. I'll start by saying that yes, it is better than the single player. It's sad, but I actually learned the controls by going online and messing around with it until I got it right (somewhat). I can not stress enough how important it is to NOT play the co-op split-screen campaigns. If you've played the single player, you know where this is going. It's hard to stay alive when you have the whole screen. With half a screen, it's impossible. And each of you only have one life so if you die, that's it unless your buddy can complete it by himself. No respawns. Nothing. You can go into a different mode and challenge up to 40 enemies split screen, but they move like zombies and are extremely easy to mow down. You do have respawns in that mode. The one thing that ruins the Xbox Live experience is the ability to turn on enemy indicators. What's the point in taking a marksman (sniper) into battle when everyone will be able to clearly see where you are thanks to the big marker pointing you out to everyone? Big time mistake I think. It's possible to turn that off, but most game hosts play with it on and it totally ruins the experience. And the create-a-mode SUCKS. This game was, and I hate to say this yet again about a 360 game but it should be said, apparently rushed because the only part of your guy you can actually change is his face paint, face skin tone, and add a hat and sunglasses or earpiece. You have to pick from about 15 different head gear setups that you can not change and that's what Warfighter calls creating a character. No editing the uniform...nothing. Just head gear and skin tone basically. W...T....F...is that?
All in all, this game could have been awesome. However, the extreme difficulty and your moronic team mates who seem intent on getting themselves killed (btw, when they do go down, it's up to you to heal them. And when you do, they only stay on their feet until they get hit by another bullet...then it's rinse and repeat until you just don't heal them and they die. Another very annoying fact.) contribute to this game taking a steep and quick slide from greatness. If you're desperate for a game with alot of action, and have C.O.D. 2, I suggest buying Quake 4 or something else because this game is just too frustrating to play to be recommended. For $60 I expected much better. And while the graphics may have won Ubisoft the battle with some gamers, in my opinion, the poor gameplay and overall experience have lost them the war with many others. Officially, I do not recommend this game.