Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Xbox 360, 2006)

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter or G.R.A.W., as it is almost more well-known as, is the latest from Ubisoft and the third installment of the Ghost Recon series. From the graphics to the game play, G.R.A.W. has “next-gen” written all over it and is, arguably, the best strategy shooter... offers an extensive Campaign and a multi-player mode with a plethora of configurations to tailor the game to your liking. Featured on XBox Live, G.R.A.W. offers both unranked and ranked games fully customizable should you decide to host the game from 2-16 soldiers. It's notable to mention that this is the first game that allows for 16-player Co-op and playing through the Mission mode setting against enemy A.I. Of course, included are the favorite Ghost Recon classics such as Team Elimination and Siege, as well as other modes to keep the longevity going for months to come.

How about the story? Taken place in the enormous Mexico City, Mexico, G.R.A.W. has us taking on the command of Captain Scott Mitchell including a squad of three other ghosts. Without giving up too much of the story, let's just say that the President and Vice-President of Mexico are missing and the Prime Minister of Canada was assassinated! Obviously, this is a job for the Ghosts! Fortunately, Mitchell's resources don't just limit him to three other squad members, but rather, include sophisticated combat gear, an arsenal of weapons to choose from, and communications gear that allow you to give commands to ghosts that are in tanks and helicopters.

While starting each mission, Captain Scott Mitchell patiently squats down while manning a turret inside the open wall of a flying Blackhawk helicopter. It's noteworthy to mention that while he is flying, he is overlooking a fantastic view of the beautifully detailed Mexico City where smoke billows from gun fighting, buildings burning, and vehicles exploding. An even nicer touch is that the scenes are hardly cut-scenes because Mitchell and his trio of ghosts jump right into the action keeping the same integrity of the graphical detail. It just never gets old...