GRAW is a visually pleasing game with too much a of repetitive gameplay scheme to be considered great
The base mechanics of the GRAW gameplay are:
-Shooting behind cover
-Casual and fast paced tactical instructions
-Use of outside resources (Tanks, UAV, etc.) for scouting and eliminating big threats
-Use of futuristic HUD to simplify and illuminate enemies and shooting
These core elements are consistent and unwavering through the entirety of the game. The shooting behind cover mechanic is fun for a little, but the lack of alternative moves to be done behind cover are disappointing. We saw in GoW how shooting could be done blind sided and grenades could be throw blind sided as well. Even more simplifying is the around the corner camera attachment to the gun later in the game. Basically, this add-on makes the character decide to stand behind corners the entire rest of the game and shoot with the camera.
The on the fly tactical instructions are a little oversimplified and it would have been nice if you could switch back to the more developed tactical style. The AI teammates simply react stupidly and often have zero intuition of their own. If you tell them to move behind a cover that under heavy fire, there will always be a lone idiot to decides to sit a little away from the cover and into the sight of the enemy.
The use of the military technology works well surprisingly. When looking at the game and thinking to be fast paced, it was surprising how much I used the UAV to scout the area. I also liked running beside huge tanks and using them for cover as the cannons would fire and turn you deaf. One thing I didn't like however, was how easily you could use the helicopter to take out vehicles. Missions with the helicopters became a simple routine of targeting all the vehicles and slowly the soldiers, making you do nothing. The futuristic HUD has some cool ideas, but most of them don't really do much for the game. I like the fact that you can see what your allies are seeing, but it never really helped me at any point in the game. I also didn't really like the targeting system. I realize that they had to do this because they didn't want you to feel like you were cumbersomely shooting at targets you weren't sure of (probably because of the game's annoying lighting scheme).
Lastly, the enemy AI is VERY stupid and the death animations are boring. Outside the game play elements however, the visuals are very attractive (I especially like the Mexican vistas in the helicopter), and the sound is quite good. Near the end the game becomes a bit of a cumbersome sniping fest, with little visceral and team action to be had. Overall, I liked the game, but people were way too impressed with the visuals and didn't realize the shallowness of the game play.