Captain Scott Mitchell must have a great tan because he has been summoned once again to the hot Mexican sun in the PS3 version of GRAW2. It’s 2014 and the Mexican civil war is boiling to a dangerous standpoint with the United States and it’s up to the invisible strike force, the ghosts, to step in and find a way to simmer the conflict. If you haven’t had the pleasure, I think you’re going to find one of the most favourable PS3 re-releases in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2.

Ubisoft is making PS3 re-releases into a yearly trend in 2007 with the re-release of several key franchise titles, along with the one under the gun today, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW2). Like our other re-release reviews, you might have been through this adventure on the Xbox 360, so we’ll do our best to keep the review lite and focused on the PS3 advantage. If you’re getting a little tired of re-release reviews, just think about this way... at least its getting a PS3 release which is better than nothing. Imagine a console without Tom Clancy, oopps, sorry Wii...

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is the follow up to 2006 tactical shooters rebirth under the Advanced Warfighter marquee. Unlike older Ghost Recon games which debuted in 2001, Advanced Warfighter is not a first person shooter and it’s not all strategy and slow moving battles. The new formula is more about fast paced action complete with squad tactics and alternate support. Advanced Warfighter is more than minor squabbles to relinquish, its about the epic storylines and long term battles. It’s debatable if the new formula works better than the old "shooter" formula, but if you console the sales books you will see that Advanced Warfighter is above the red line. Like Rainbow Six, I’m torn between an old love and a new one which doesn’t impact our scoring at all. GRAW2 is a great game and if you haven’t had the chance to run through a futuristic Mexico with Captain Scott Mitchell, then GRAW2 will be pure pleasure.

For more details on the story it takes place 48 hours after the first GRAW game which focused on terrorists and protecting the US and Mexican Presidents in Mexico City. Returning to Mexico, GRAW2 works up a plot that deals with a conflict between a two warring factions in Mexico, the rebels and the loyalists. This conflict is a great concern to the US and the battle spills close to US soil with the president nervous of the wrong outcome. This means you have to go in and undetected by the US media and Mexican authorities, quiet the warzone and keep the peace with the United States and Mexico.

Aside from an interesting story revolving around international troubles, GRAW2 plays smooth like butter, refined from the original game and polished to be presented on the PS3. The over the shoulder perspective for your gun play works like a dream and draws you into the action much like many action games of late. Along with fluid controls for your character, team work and commanding your squad is easily to call out in and out of the heat of battle. Working as a team is important and you’ll need to calm your nerves and think before you act, although Scott can handle most situations there are a few which you’ll be glad to see your squad mates. Besides squad combat Ubisoft is nice enough to give some alone time with Mr. Mitchell from time to time which keeps the gameplay fresh and for me had me totally involved in the warzone retuned into survival mode.

This is my second attempt at GRAW2 which can be a little bit dulling for any second playthrough of a game, but considering I’ve already gone through GRAW, and GRAW2, my revisit didn’t come with too many sighs. Honestly, I didn’t get through the entire PS3 version, however as far as I battled controlling the Ghost team and taking down the enemies was still fun and stayed interesting. This is a testament to the great game Ubisoft has constructed and the dynamic level design that lets you tackle each situation in different ways in any way you wish. This basically means no two games will be the same, even through something worked once that doesn’t mean the conditions will be identical to pull it off again. Bang for buck, GRAW2 is as good as it gets if you’re interested in modern wartime settings and team based combat.

If you’re looking for what the PS3 brings over the Xbox 360 you will find a bunch of new maps that Xbox owners could downloable on Xbox Live, and the ability to use the sixaxis controller to navigate your remote control friends like the UAV and mini-ATV of doom, the MULE. If you’re starting to grasp the Sixaxis controls then this might be of interest to you, however like most gamers I skipped the wiggle and wag and kept it traditional. Aside from these additions the graphic quality holds up close to the Xbox 360 with only a few framerate issues. It would be hard to rate one over the other and for all purposes you would need them running side by side to get overcritical. The bottom line is that you can’t loose with either version of GRAW2, so go with the system you prefer the most.

GRAW2 for the PS3 is another re-made winner from Ubisoft. If you’re new to the Ghost Recon series then you will most likely be more than satisfied with the action GRAW2 provides. GRAW2 is polished up to handle the PS3 and plays as good as its Xbox 360 counterpart. This is a great game to boost your PS3 library which supports some great multiplayer action. The only downside is that there isn’t anything new for multi-console gamers who want a re-vamped version of GRAW2. Overall, this one is easy... it’s a must have, lock and load.

Gameplay:9, Graphics/Sound:9, Innovation:8.5, Mojo: 9 Final: 9 / 10