Certainly Not As Much As It Could Be
Tactical? More real than arcade FPSs? Except for the one (or a few) shot/s, one kill factor.................don't think so! The AI (friendly and enemy is well behind the standard set by FarCry, HL2, F.E.A.R., and others. The friendly AI frequently does not go and face where directed. Doesn't make much diff if you use the in game commands or direct your team mates from the map. Friendly AI FREQUENTLY walks in front of me or other team AI during firefights, not to mention walking around corners into a maelstrom of enemy fire when instructed to stop well short of the corner.
The Ghosts are supposed to be Special Forces personnel at the PEAK of their careers......... they should move with you, take up proper positions and face the correct direction autonomously. Instead these idiots frequently have to be micromanaged, then all to often don't do well anyway. Not being able to jack vehicles, no smoke grenades, or flashbangs, not being able to use weapon emplacements, AND.........what's up with friendly troops and vehicles assets appearing for short scripted periods then disappearing from thegame? Something going on in Mexico City that's MORE important than rescuing the president? I'm thinkin' not! SF Personnel at this level of excellence get to pick ANYTHING they wan't for gear, not the EXTREMELY limited slection provided in the game menu.
If the President was MIA or threatened by rebels, I'm thinkin' the four guys who've been dropped in to save him would get ANYTHING they asked for, and probably some stuff they didn't want! On top of that......would you want to be the person who only sent FOUR guys to rescue the Pres?
Enemy AI? No it's not. Troops standing around the corner after their compadres get capped, looking off into space when something blows just down the street from them, etc, etc.
Stupid scripting.............ambushing the convoy (all two vehicles of it) in the thrid mission comes to mind. Then being told by command that you're all clear and there's no enemies near you. I got capped several times by hidden AI before I made it 25 meters from my original position (yea, yea, I know...........no intel is perfect.........but still; that kinda gameplay element should not be in an A class game).
Did I mention badly wounded team mates who miraculously heal if you reload a checkpoint, or reappear in the next level after having died? What's up with not being able to access almost none of the buildings??? Every door in Mexico City made of impenetrable unobtanium? And what happend to the 10,000,000+ citizens?
Don't get me wrong.........I like difficult "tactical" shooters (arcade style too), but GRAW is not tactical, it's an amalgom of pooly planned and/or executed game elements and ends up being neither tactical or arcade, way too scripted (and not in a good sense like the COD or MOH series).
Anyway.................you get my drift; Ubisoft is the one who billed this as a tactical shooter (consulting someone who's done it might have been a good idea, and if you did.............they should have listened to them), filled with the gritty fast paced action and violance of modern urban combat.