..Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier..

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If you ever felt like somebody was watching you or if you ever saw something moving in your peripheral vision only to look around and realize you’re alone, then you know what it’s like to feel helpless against an invisible enemy. Sure, it’s unnerving to deal with the paranoia and fright of being stalked, but what if you were the ghost in the darkness inflicting palpable hysteria? If that sounds like your cup of tea, enlist in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and get your spec ops on.

Ubisoft has dazzled its fans with futuristic squad-based military combat before, but never like this. Authenticity and teamwork take precedent in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. The tools you’ll be using are actually concepts of military equipment that Ubisoft claims will be part of the next-generation soldier. For starters, snipers and other soldier classes will have access to a cloak prototype, rendering soldiers temporarily invisible. The Ghosts are going to need this sweet tech too, as they’re tasked with going behind enemy lines to stop Russian ultra-nationalists from attacking foreign countries. The cloak is perfect for achieving tactical vantage points and stealth kills. That’s right, Ghost Recon fans, Ubisoft has heard you: there will be plenty of opportunity for close combat, and from what we’ve seen, Future Soldier takes advantage of these encounters, resulting in some jaw-dropping moments.

- It's all about team work this time -

Tactical execution looks to be just as intense as stealthy encounters in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Teamwork is essential to pulling off swift, decisive operations. Rather than micro-managing teammates like its predecessors, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier wants you to rely on your squad mates as much as they rely on you - you’ll listen to their advice (not unlike Modern Warfare’s Captain Price) to weave through red zones like a snake in the grass, armed to the teeth. You’ll still be able to give orders, but they’ll be limited to basic commands. Ubisoft also scaled back on the command system to focus on four-player online co-op. 

In the E3 demonstration last year, we watched a team of four sneak up on a prime target. Three characters targeted guards, and a blueish beam indicated marked targets. Under a cloak, the fourth character snuck up on the primary target and prepped for a non-lethal takedown. Once in position, all characters performed synchronized headshots while the target had his head smashed into a Humvee. A second demo showed characters steeped in an entrenched shootout. Bullets hewed chunks of metal and cement from once-solid cover. Using some quick pop-up aiming (which now snaps into a first-person view) and a handy drone providing cover fire, enemies were whittled down one by one. All we have to say is: mission accomplished, Ubisoft. 

Other gadgets we’ve seen in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier thus far include a mini gun-toting “Hammer” drone that will assist in firefights, shoulder-mounted rockets perfect for any occasion,  a Cross-Com camera that highlights enemies and other objects key to your objective, and an exoskeleton that assists player movement. Ubisoft added cover-based shoot-and-scoot mobility, so the exoskeleton may assist with this and other maneuvers. 

- It's Ghost time! -

We’ve played dozens of military shooters, but Ghost Recon: Future Soldier has the potential to make an old genre feel new. The graphics look amazing, and even tried-and-true sequences like stealth kills look fresh and new. The only downside is that Future Soldier has already been delayed twice and is currently scheduled in the gray area of 2011-2012. We can only hope Ubisoft is getting closer to completion, but at least they’re taking the time to deliver something truly special. 

With plenty of development time left, we’ve got our eyes glued to our computers, waiting for more information from Ubisoft on Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Stay tuned for updates! In the meantime, start looking for solid squad mates...

John Arkontaky John loves gaming and loves writing about games. He wants to become a known voice in the gaming community and a game designer one day.

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