I've always been a big fan of the Tom Clancy games. You can call them expansion packs from their predecessors or you can proclaim that they are the same thing over and over again but they are always solid games. For me what they lack in ingenuity is made up for in reliability. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2) is no different in this aspect; a solid sequel and although more of the same, it's still a very good game.

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 places you back in control of Scott Mitchell for another romp around Mexico. In very similar fashion to Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GRAW), you once again find yourself fighting rebel insurgents in the aftermath of GRAW. This time around the insurgents have spread throughout Latin America and the U.S. fears that an attack on the United States is imminent. Fearing that the insurgents are in control of weapons of mass destruction the U.S. sends in the elite Ghost Squad to "save the day".

I, like most people was very impressed by GRAW when it first released. It was unlike any game I had ever seen and was one of those "this is why I bought this system" type of moments that I believe most gamers experience very once in awhile. GRAW 2 in my opinion is vastly superior to its predecessor in many ways. First and foremost I feel that the control scheme is much smother this time around. I feel that Captain Mitchell is easier to control which makes combat much easier and more enjoyable. I also enjoyed the variety in the missions. Every level felt completely different so I never got the feeling that I was playing the same type of levels over and over again. One of my favorite features in GRAW 2 is the use of support vehicles. Ubisoft did a great job of making the player feel in the moment by actually needing to call in air support; instead of some games where you can just plow your way through and leave support sitting on the bench. One thing that really stood out to me when I finally dove into the online features of GRAW 2 was that you had a wide variety of online options. There were plenty of game modes and maps to provide plenty of entertainment no matter what your online preference is. It was also nice to see that Ubisoft didn't forget about the community after the game had been out for six months as well. With DLC on a fairly regular basis there are a lot of things to keep anyone busy with this game for a very long time.

As much as I liked the campaign I never really felt like I was being challenged. I mean all the support tools were fun to use and very cool but they were almost too much for what the game offered. Even on the hardest difficulty I never really struggled with the game, or found myself really having to think out my game plan at any section. Another thing that really stood out to me was the unpolished feel of the multiplayer maps. There were multiple spots on multiple maps where I would up getting shot through a wall or hitting an invisible wall myself. Every once in awhile I would get shot through a wall when standing near the edge to get a better look around the corner. At first I would think that I was just too far out and they could see my foot or something but then I came to realize that there were certain walls in the game that I was susceptible to being shot through. As far as the invisible walls go; I would sometimes be shooting someone that would be lying under a truck or next to a bush and they would not appear to take any damage at all. Normally I would write that off as lag but since there was no noticeable lag at any other points I ascertained that it had to be a problem with the design of the map.

GRAW 2 is a worthy follow up to the very impressive original. Although it does not invoke the type of amazement that GRAW did, I truly feel that GRAW 2 is in fact a better game. With improvements in the major areas, fans of the original will find something to like about GRAW 2.