Tom Clancys Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars (3DS) Review

With the 3DS out in stores it’s time for innovation so Ubisoft have stepped up to the challenge with their long running popular Ghost Recon series. Making the jump from tactical first person shooters on consoles to a top-down turn based strategy title on the handheld it’s a big leap for this long running series that had to potential to fall flat on its face.

Shadow Wars is a spinoff title firmly rooted in the stylistic origins of the Ghost Recon series – you’re controlling a squad of soldiers inexplicably motivated to their cause, toting macho army attitudes and much of the usual cliché military banter. The characters leave a lot to be desired, they’re a particularly unexciting bunch that show nothing unique and add little to an already bland story.

Political instability is causing chaos in Russia during the Cold War as our squad of hardened American troops are dropped in to uncover a deeper plot threatening the world; it’s all pretty standard stuff that’s told through simple text dialogue screens that struggled to keep my interest. The story simply serves as a bridge between missions and it barely pulls that off.

Each mission is played on a square based grid where the d-pad is used to control units each with unique weapons and abilities. Units consist of standard gunners, heavy gunners, medics, snipers, even mechanics who can place gun turrets and more. The game is played in turns where each turn provides the ability to move or issue a command to every unit once before the opponent takes their turn. The nice variety of unit types creates a wide possibility of actions in battle that can mix up the gameplay and keep things interesting.

A few extra unit abilities are also available. If the one unit stays in battle long enough they’ll be able to perform a special ability depending on their class such as the sniper’s one shot kill or the assault classes double move. Some stages will have command points that generate stars. Collect enough stars and you can pull off a Command Power, a devastating move such as an airstrike that rains damage down on opponents and can be quite satisfying with a fancy full motion video.

Much of the gameplay strategy lies around unit movement and positioning as each squad member’s weapon will vary on power depending on range when fired. The game can get quite complex as every unit serves a different purpose and needs to be positioned differently so it can all involve some complex micromanagement. There’s also the consideration of a counter attack, as when you attack any enemy you open yourself for a counter-attack from nearby enemies so this needs to be considered in unit placement. Terrain also plays as a factor in the game with buildings and trees providing cover to hide in and large objects block line of fire.

There’s enough to the strategy here to keep players interested and it can get quite difficult as the campaign goes on. Persistent character unlocks let you choose which squad members to strengthen but there’s little option for each character so this is quite limited. These unlocks are purchased with Eagles that are earned through completing missions and vary depending on difficulty so that adds some to the game’s length.

As the game goes on and more abilities are unlocked it can get quite strategic, and some battles can tend to drag out though there is one single save slot to save at any point. The game has deep strategy in play to keep people interested, but it seems to all run a bit slow – even with the option to turn up speed animations on. The presentation doesn’t create any long lasting appeal either.

Most levels are set in bland dirt coloured environments and the character models are lacking in detail. Shadow Wars definitely doesn’t look great and it doesn’t seem to grasp the potential of 3D on the system. Apart from a few terrain pieces that add depth to the environment the 3D option is hardly realised.

While the presentation may fall short the longevity and amount of content certainly doesn’t. The main campaign is huge taking at least 20 hours to conquer and then there are skirmish missions also included. There are 20 of these skirmish missions designed to pit you against certain situations or make you use specific units. It’s pretty much a training mode that does a great job of honing your skills while providing more content.

Now you’d think a strategy game like this in 2011 on the fully online capable 3DS would have a variety of multiplayer modes. Unfortunately you’d be wrong. There is a multiplayer mode included, but not online, and not even local, restricted to the one console as a pass-around two player option. There are a few different missions to play through competitively with a buddy nearby, but the lack of online or even local wireless is a glaring omission.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Shadow Wars provides some compelling strategy gameplay on the 3DS, but falls short on presentation values. There’s a lot of content in here for your money, but the lack of real multiplayer is a real drag and it’s not really utilising anything new on the 3DS. If you’re a big fan of Advance Wars this could be your thing, just beware the slower pacing and drab colour scheme. If you’re simply starved for something to play on your new 3DS then this could be something to tempt, otherwise I strongly recommend a try-before-you-buy on this one.

Graphics 5.5

Bland environments and dull character models. 3D is used to no substantial effect, though some nice full motion video tries to make up for it.

Gameplay 8.0

Strategic gameplay with depth and longevity makes this ideal for a handheld. If only it didnt feel quite so slow at times.

Sound 6.0

All dialogue is text with no voice acting, but the length of the campaign explains that. Music is generic and can get repetitive.

Tilt 9.0

A huge campaign with skirmish missions makes this great value for money if you can get hooked by the strategy gameplay. Just dont expect any substantial multiplayer.

Value 7.0

This really makes me want an Advance Wars 3DS. While Shadow Wars does do some things differently the basic mechanics are similar and I far prefer the pacing and style of Advance Wars.

Overall

Tom Clancys Ghost Recon Shadow Wars provides competent strategy gameplay on the 3DS while falling short in production values and the multiplayer is a big disappointment. Still there is an interesting game in here with a lot of content to play through.