Apophis

Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest videogame publishers, announced development of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 3 (working title), the next installment in the smash-hit squad-based action franchise. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 3 is scheduled to ship for retail in conjunction with the launch of the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and will also be available on the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, Xbox video game system from Microsoft, the Nintendo GameCube and Windows PC DVD-ROM this holiday 2005. Ubisoft will showcase Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 3 at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), May 18–20, at Booth #1300 in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The year is 2013. The U.S. Army has been developing – and can now deploy – the Integrated Warfighter System (IWS), a complex combination of cutting-edge technologies that transforms an individual soldier into the ultimate fighting force. IWS combines advanced weapons systems, satellite communication devices and enhanced survivability into one fully integrated combat system that is finally ready for the true test of the battlefield. Combining the advantages of next-generation console technology with future military technologies, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 3 includes a wealth of groundbreaking features, including the Cross-Com, a communication device attached to the soldier’s monocle and powered by satellite technology, which will deliver constant and complete battlefield awareness seamlessly within the action. In addition, Ubisoft will employ increased processing power to its fullest, with breathtaking graphics, lighting and textures, multi-windowing, and state-of-the-art physics. Current-generation versions of the game will be custom-built using top technologies that push each platform to its limits.

In Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 3, players will embody Captain Scott Mitchell as he commands the Ghosts and Special Forces allies equipped with the IWS in the quest to save the president of the United States, recover stolen nuclear codes and eliminate a vicious band of renegade soldiers hell-bent on unleashing catastrophe. The game, on all platforms, unfolds entirely in Mexico City, where numerous, meticulously researched and detailed environments will deliver complete immersion into the future of urban warfare. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 3 will also include multiplayer and cooperative gameplay with exciting new elements, continuing the Ghost Recon tradition of setting the bar for multiplayer action.

“Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 3 will deliver the future of gaming and of warfare in one stunning package, as well as projecting a global political future that has always been a hallmark of Clancy titles,” said Tony Kee, vice president of marketing at Ubisoft North America. “Armed with next-generation technology and the proven ability to create innovative multiplayer content, Ubisoft will enable players to become the soldier of the future and immerse them in the kind of urban warfare that could be fought 10 years from now.”

About Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 3 (working title) The face of war has changed. Enemy lines blur and there is no longer a clear opponent. New enemies and new threats require a new type of warfare - a new type of soldier. Enter the Ghosts.

In 2013, the U.S. Army will implement the Integrated Warfighter System evolving what we know as the modern soldier. IWS combines advanced weapon systems, satellite communication devices and enhanced survivability into one fully integrated combat system. The IWS program has been developed to meet these new threats head on. Now, it can be tested on the battlefield.

Following an insurgence in the heart of Mexico City, the U.S. Army’s most elite Special Forces team is deployed to the center of the conflict to regain control of the city. Greatly outnumbered but fully equipped with the IWS, this elite team is the first and last line of defense on the battlefield. They are the “quiet” professionals. They are the Ghosts.

Key Features

• Next-generation gaming technology: Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 3 is built from the ground up for next-generation consoles, maximizing increased power to deliver phenomenal graphics and a host of innovative features. Current-generation versions will be custom-tailored for each platform.

• Become the soldier of the future: Gain access to the future of military technology. Using a fully integrated combat system with cutting-edge weapons and communication systems, gamers will embody the soldier of the future. Based on actual military research, the Ghosts give gamers a realistic view of how war will be fought in the next decade.

• Revolutionary feature: Use the revolutionary Cross-Com, a communication device powered by satellite technology. Attached to the soldier’s monocle, the Cross-Com provides full situational awareness and command of the battlefield. Command the Ghost squad and remote allied forces and drones, and direct artillery and air strikes. See what the squad sees and receive visual and auditory intelligence from allied forces and unmanned drones.

• Stunning urban environment: One capital, multiple locations. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 3 takes place entirely in Mexico City, one of the world’s largest cities. A stunning, meticulously detailed universe will provide complete immersion in the urban war of the future.

• Top-notch multiplayer experience: Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 3 returns to deliver industry-leading multiplayer and cooperative gameplay for one of the hottest online franchises.

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AzzMan

I'll be going for the PC version

=Sarc=

I'm not even excited.

This worries me the most. This implies that it will be designed for consoles from the beginning with little consideration for PC gamers.

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USN_Squid

Hate to join the bum fest but I have an idea for the name....

Ghost Recon 3: Bastante Tarde

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AzzMan

Now you got me remembering how much I didn'tl ike GR2 offline.

Mateo

No way. I know they are announcing it, but there is no way they can make that holiday 2005 deadline. Until a month ago, they were still trying to port GR2 to PC, and finally decided it wasn't worth the headache. So either they rush to ge it out, anf f-k it up, or the PC version is delayed again, if it is ever released.

No matter, I'll have BF2. Praise EA/DICE.

NewsWrthy

Well I wonder if they will get us all hyped about a PC version then do nothing but consoles. I have to say they way they did us last time, I am more than a little sceptical.

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=Sarc=

I would hardly say they hyped the PC version. We always got screenshots of the XBox version. We're getting the same thing now. That's a nice GR3 video. Oh wait, it's for XBox 360.

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jex

Go screw yourselves Ubi...

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Kurtz

GR 3 is part of a larger industry trend to simply port games to pc rather than develop them for that platform, and a trend toward more linear, scripted, arcade action games with the full stress on graphics and wow factor, instead of tactical and thoughtful gameplay.

Both Brothers In Arms and Close Combat First To Fight appeared to be good tactical shooters, but, both were total disappointments, in that they were console ports, very linear, scripted, with spawning enemy and terrible weapon characteristics.

It appears that GR 3 will be all urban and CQB, which means that it could be very linear. CC FTF was extremely linear, with no sidestreets or parallel streets to allow flanking, it would lead you to believe that Beirut consisted of one long street.

One key element, given that they have abandoned the character switching, multiple squads and tac map command system of GR, is the control over the squad. If you only have one squad, you need very precise control over it, you need a robust and intuitive order system.

GR is looking more and more like an anomaly in today's gaming. GR 3 may be a good action game but it has regressed from what it once was. I don't think people will be motivated to mod GR 3 if the game is linear. Coop MP could be good especially if they can increase the number of players.

Time will tell, after the GR 2 debacle, pc gamers are prepared to be disappointed with the result.

=Sarc=

Close Combat sure was horrible. The sounds just didn't seem right. Your FOV felt like you had no peripheral vision. The team movement was pretty cool but sometimes nobody was watching your flank. The room clearing was completely wrong. You order a frag clear and he stands in front of the door to throw the frag getting shot.

GR3 definitely doesn't look like the old GR. Seeing that character switching, multiple squads and the map is gone is a bad sign. That short video doesn't indicate anything better than GR1. It seems to be an easier way for console players to play an FPS. If there's no map, coop isn't going to be very good.

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Kurtz

You're totally right, I wasn't thinking. The key element to coop play is a good tac map, more so a gridded map. Without a tac map, coop is reduced to line of sight commands, not at all the same. At this point, there is no guarantee that there will even be a pc game, or that it will have coop mode. I'm sounding more and more like those old farts who reminisce wistfully about the good old days before there were consoles and companies catered to pc gamers. Sigh.....

drew_952

A video of GR 3 is available through shacknews.
www.shacknews.com

The_Skulk_Of_Death

wot da **** ya on about?

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