Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon

Ghost Recon is a series of military tactical shooter video games created by Red Storm Entertainment, the game development studio founded by American author Tom Clancy. In the series, the player is in charge of a fictive, newly-conceived squad of United States Army Special Forces operators from Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (5th SFG) stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Except for the "5th SFG" designation, this unit is entirely fictional. They are sometimes referred to as "the Ghosts". Their role is not unlike other real world special operations forces, in that their operations are kept highly classified.

Games in the series

Storyline

Ghost Recon

Main article: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (video game)

Ghost Recon begins in 2008, with civil unrest in Russia. Ultra-nationalists have seized power in Russia, with plans to rebuild the government. Their first step is clandestine support of rebel factions in Georgia and the Baltic States. This is where the Ghosts come in: to silence the invasion. Armed with some of the most advanced weaponry in the world, the soldiers of the Ghost Recon force are covertly inserted into area of operations and given specific missions to curtail the rebel actions and overthrow their benefactors.

Ghost Recon: Desert Siege

In the year 2009, old hostilities between Eritrea and Ethiopia have resurfaced. Colonel Tesfaye Wolde of the Ethiopian military had participated in illegal arms trades with the same Russian ultra-nationalists who launched the coup the previous year (see above). Sparing no time at all, and with a newly refurbished arsenal, Col. Wolde seized the opportunity to reclaim Eritrea (which won independence in 1993). The situation garnered international interest when the conflict threatened the shipping lanes in the Red Sea. In response to a plea from the Eritrean government for international support, the Ghosts have been mobilized to stop Col. Wolde from advancing any further.

Ghost Recon: Island Thunder

Main article: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder

In 2010 Cuba is free, or at least it is supposed to be. Since Fidel Castro's death in 2006, the island of Cuba is wary of the communist rule it had been under for nearly 50 years. It is time for the first free and open elections since Carlos Prio Socarras, who was overthrown by Fulgencio Batista in the early 1950s. The FDP (El Frente Democratico del Pueblo or People's Democratic Front) has fronted a man named Priego as their candidate. The FDP are an outspoken anti-American political faction that wishes to return Cuba to its perpetual state of independence. Although the FDP publicly denies utilizing violence as a means of coercion, the reality is quite the contrary, as the Ghosts quickly discover. Now it is up to them to set things right again, without making it appear that America is getting their hands too dirty, and ensuring the elections proceed smoothly.

Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm

Main article: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm

Taking place just after Island Thunder in Bogotá, Colombia, the drug cartel that had aided and financed the FDP in their efforts in Cuba has initiated a number of terrorist attacks against the Colombian government who have allied themselves with U.S.A. After Colombia's call for help following an attack on a U.S. Embassy, America responds by deploying the Ghosts to restore order and put the cartel out of business.

Ghost Recon 2

Main article: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2

Ghost Recon 2 is set in the Korean Peninsula in the years 2007 and 2011. The settings of the PS2 and GameCube versions (both of which are labelled 2007: First Contact) are linked with Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, particularly the sinking of the fictional intelligence-gathering vessel Clarence E. Walsh. They depict a new Korean War brought about by a renegade Korean People's Army general, Jung Chong-sun, who launches a coup against the North Korean government. The Xbox version is the direct sequel of the two games, in which Jung plots revenge against NATO and South Korea. Ghost Recon 2 also marks the debut of the series' titular character, Capt. Scott Mitchell.

Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike

Main article: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike

Kazakhstan has fallen into chaos. The Kazakh president and Security Council were assassinated in an explosion set by a notorious Pakistani warlord and arms dealer named Asad Rahil. With the President dead, the Kazakh military fractured into factions vying for political control of the country. Rahil quickly moved in and consolidated power using his corrupt Kazakh military contacts. A large group of soldiers loyal to the country of Kazakhstan has been working closely with U.N. ground forces to stabilize the region. The Ghosts have been sent in to capture Rahil and neutralize his military presence. They are working closely with a contact in the Kazakh military named Grigoriy Koslov. Together, the Ghosts and Koslov shadow the U.N. ground force’s assaults against Rahil’s troops and track him from the southern mountain ranges to the wastes of the arid badlands.

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter

Main article: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter

Often identified by the acronym GRAW, the game takes place over the course of 72 hours in 2013, beginning in Mexico City. The plot revolves around Mitchell's efforts to rescue US President Ballantine from Mexican rebels, destroy a secret communications device that they captured, and prevent a launch of the United States' nuclear arsenal. The game is mostly known for its new combat mechanics and next-generation graphics.

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2

Main article: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2

The game begins in Ciudad Juárez a year after the events of the first GRAW, where rebel activity has caused civil unrest throughout Mexico. Despite the death of Carlos Ontiveros in the first game, the insurgency has continued under the leadership of one de la Barria, even spreading into other Latin American states, including Panama, where rebel forces have effectively shut down the Panama Canal. The Ghosts are sent to Mexico by General Keating to investigate claims that the rebels are in possession of a dirty bomb, as well as prevent the rebellion from directly assaulting US soil. Immediately after arriving in Mexico, the Ghosts are put to work destroying a sizeable rebel position guarded by two large artillery pieces, enabling additional American forces to reach the main battle-zone unmolested. Shortly thereafter, Mitchell aids in an aerial attack against a rebel supply base from Blackhawk 5, annihilating two enemy weapons convoys in the process. The Ghosts also learn that de la Barria has obtained old Ukrainian Red Star IV nuclear warheads. Combined with several medium-range, Pakistani-built Kashmira-II missiles stolen from cargo ships in the Canal, the rebel now possess the ability to destroy any major city in the United States. With the WMD threat confirmed, the Ghosts travel to Ciudad Juárez to search for the nukes, and link up with loyalist Mexican Army troopers led by Colonel Jimenez. Aided by Mexican armoured vehicles and American fighters, the Ghosts and their allies clear out much of the rebel presence from the city, neutralizing several checkpoints before crushing a rebel stronghold in the local marketplace. As the Mexican troops advance to secure the marketplace, however, an underground explosion rips through the district, killing the loyalist vanguard and flooding the area with deadly radiation. Realizing that the market held one of the missing Red Star IV's and containment was lost, Keating orders a retreat. After linking back up with Jimenez and his soldiers, intelligence arrives suggesting that a local journalist with inside access to the rebel leadership knows the location of the remaining two nukes, and is willing to come forward and assist the Americans. Working with Jimenez's most elite troopers, the Ghosts destroy a series of anti-aircraft batteries and hold off a devastating rebel counterattack, enabling the journalist to be extracted safely, and the information she holds preserved. With all other assets devoted to protecting the reporter, Mitchell and his squad link up with Blackhawk 5 in front of a local church for evac. Disaster strikes when Blackhawk 5 is crippled by enemy Havoc chopper and brought down, and the Ghosts, now cut off from rescue, are forced to defend themselves against a group of heavily-armed and highly-trained mercenaries from Panama assisting the rebels. Barely escaping the immediate warzone via Humvee, the vehicle is hunted down and destroyed by the same rebel Havoc helicopter, leaving both the driver, PFC Provenanzo, and the Ghost squad unconscious. The only sober man of the wreck, Mitchell manages to escape aboard Blackhawk 9 with the aid of a friendly Mexican soldier,Ramon Vega, before providing air support for the American salvage convoy sent to recover Blackhawk 5. Having captured both Lieutenant Rosen (Mitchell's friend and field runner) along with the remains of the helicopter, the rebels attempt to use this victory as a propaganda tool. Unfortunately for the rebels, the Ghosts shut down their attempts at media manipulation by destroying the Blackhawk wreckage (removing the evidence of the American loss), before storming a heavily-defended, mercenary-controlled hacienda to rescue Lieutenant Rosen, weathering a powerful reprisal from mercenary reinforcements before they can be extracted. With the intelligence gathered from both the Mexican journalist and Lieutenant Rosen, the Americans finally have the location of the last two nukes, back in Ciudad Juárez. Destroying additional enemy anti-air defences around the site, Mitchell leads one team of Ghosts to secure the exterior of the target building while a second unit of Ghosts, lead by Derrick Parker, assaults the site directly. As Mitchell and his team bravely battles off a strong force of rebels, Bravo Team secures one of the nuclear weapons, but are stymied by de la Barria, who escapes with the last warhead. Fighting through a densely-packed urban warzone, often faced with rebel APC's, machine-gun nests and anti-tank units along with the mercenaries, the Ghosts eventually punch through the enemy lines and kill de la Barria, removing the rebel leadership...but do not find the last nuke. Oblivious to the defeat of their rebel employers, the mercenaries have taken the last nuke and intend on using it against the United States in a final act of revenge. US intelligence finds out that the mercenaries plan to take the nukes to El Paso, Texas, in order to destroy a large dam and the city around it. The dam turns out to be on top of a major American military installation where the mercenaries were successfully hacking the US anti-ballistic missile defense grid, leaving the country vulnerable to nuclear attack. Discovering that the nukes are not, in fact, in El Paso, the Ghosts return to Ciudad Juárez, fighting through the last, desperate enemy forces to discover the last warhead has been armed and installed in one of the Khasmira-II missiles. Mitchell and his team end up pinned down on a balcony overlooking the launch site. With little time to spare, and President Ballentine unwilling to destroy the entire city in order to neutralize the threat, the Americans try to use an EMP(Electro-Magnetic-Pulse) missile fired by air support to disable the launchers. However, Mitchell and his team are still in range of the blast, and General Keating hesitates on authorizing air support with friendly soldiers in the blast area. Keating tells Mitchell "Son, I can't ask you to do this," but Mitchell says "Sir, it's why you sent me here, you know this is the only way." An American fighter fires the EMP missile, eliminating the threat but catching the Ghosts directly in the blast. The view cuts to Mitchell falling back by the explosion, with faint voices from Mitchell's crosscom. Lieutenant Rosen's Blackhawk can be seen from this view, and while Keating and Rosen plead with him to stay alive, President Ballantine thanks him for saving the nation. Rosen's chopper hovers over Mitchell, Rosen appears on the crosscom saying "Soldier, you're going home" and the game then cuts to the credits. It is unknown whether Mitchell and the other Ghosts survived. This game, as well as Rainbow Six: Vegas, has been noted for rectifying Squad artificial intelligence problems that the series has been afflicted with.

Reception

Though well-received by game reviewers, the games however are criticized for poor Squad Artificial Intelligence ^[1], something that had yet to be rectified until Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2's release.

See also

Povratak na Kosovo

External links

• Ghost Recon Official Site
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series at MobyGames
• Ghostaholic.com - Hosting files for Ghost Recon series and community site
• Ghost Recon Wiki