Double trouble
Ghost Recon 2
PlayStation2, Xbox, £39.99 Red Storm/Ubi Soft *** (PS2), **** (Xbox)
In this, the latest futuristic warfare effort to bear the ubiquitous stamp of Tom Clancy, you play Captain Scott Mitchell, leader of shadowy American elite military unit the Ghosts. One suspects that Ghost Recon 2 will feature prominently in the stockings of American neo-cons this Christmas, as its plot (set in 2007 or thereabouts) dictates that the Ghosts have been sent to operate behind enemy lines in North Korea, as tension rises with South Korea. At least, that is the plot of the PS2 version; in the Xbox version, rogue North Korean military leaders have risen in revolt, and elite military units from around the world have been sent to quell their uprising.
Inexplicably, the PS2 and Xbox versions of Ghost Recon 2 are very different games. Both are first-person shoot-'em-ups in which you either lead a squad or carry out solo missions, but the Xbox version is superior, with better graphics and a more complete control system, although, oddly, its artificial intelligence is inferior. The PS2 version of the game is spectacularly minimal.
Both games are pretty hard, and require a stealthy, tactical approach, making use of all available cover and any zoom capabilities your weapons have. Both games feature guns that can fire airburst grenades and bullets that go around corners.
They will both please the militarily obsessed - although not those in South Korea, which has banned the game - but the Xbox version wins, because in the PS2 version you spend too much time squinting at far-away enemies who are about two pixels tall.
Steve Boxer
Journey to the stars
Jump to Lightspeed
(requires Star Wars Galaxies) PC, £19.99 LucasArts/Activision ***
Star Wars Galaxies, the massively multiplayer role playing game (MMORPG), was released in 2003 with one major omission: it was ground-based only. Now with Jump to Lightspeed, the first expansion pack for the game, players can take their characters to the stars. Once installed, players choose their allegiance - Imperial, Rebel or neutral - and then begin the long flight into space.
Initially, the action is basic. Your ship is poorly equipped and the combat is a mildly tedious case of following a crosshair around the screen. Gain some experience and buy a better craft and things get far more enjoyable. Strategy and tactics come into play and the action begins to resemble a flight sim more than an MMORPG. And this is key.
On the ground your character's skill in combat is determined by your stats; in the stars it is up to you to manoeuvre and fire. Unfortunately, the problems of the main game remain, namely that it takes a lot of repetitive action to get anywhere.
Greg Howson
Hobbit heroics
Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth
PC, £34.99 Electronic Arts ***
A full year after the film trilogy ended, EA has had plenty of time to polish this to near perfection. Shame then that what we get is little more than "Now that's what I call Middle Earth!", all your favourite Hobbit heroics from the movies, but not as well done.
First impressions are promising: a classy intro and an imaginative (if over-large) interface that shows snippets from the movie as you play. But the game quickly breaks down into two types of level: ones with the Fellowship running around replaying set-pieces from the movie (ie: slaying the Balrog), and the real time strategy where you get to control and build your own forces, choosing first to play as either Rohan or Mordor. These levels are entertaining, though the way the units are balanced makes for frenetic but repetitive combat.
The Fellowship levels are worse, condensing great movie moments into meaningless click-a-thons.
All in all, this is a B-list game saved by A-list production values and scripted highlights which admittedly look fantastic. Oh... and it's the only game where you click your mouse and Sir Ian McKellan shouts "None shall pass": almost worth the asking price on its own.
Mike Anderiesz
