[360] - Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter review

[Everlost_MI]

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Review
Platform: Xbox 360
By: Everlost_MI (Brian K. Nichols), Editor in Chief

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GRAW) takes place in the near future of 2013 where the armaments of the Ghosts have improved while it quickly appears the rest of the world has gotten worse. The Ghosts are in Mexico City providing security detail for the President of the United States during a summit between Mexico, Canada and the U.S. After a quick training mission as Scott Mitchell, the captain of the Ghosts, things turn ugly as a military coup erupts. The coup results in the death of the Canadian Prime Minister and the disappearance of the Mexican and U.S. presidents. It’s up to the Ghosts to rescue the presidents and whatever else is thrown their way during the twelve single player missions. These missions include infantry and armory fights over the sprawling city in the form of single, squad and railgun based gameplay.

The gameplay offers a near seamless gaming experience with the single player in-mission load times being virtually non-existent. The apparent load times are the initial start of the game or restarting from a saved position. The lack of load times in conjunction with the breathtaking visuals and realistic audio will completely immerse the player into this virtual world. The immersion is so complete that it’s quite easy to lose track of time while playing this title.

The amount of visual detail offered in GRAW is immense as are the various special effects such as lighting, blur, glare and hazing that create the fantastic eye candy. The various areas such as rooftops that contain the enemy do not blatantly stick out against the backdrop as if they were from a Scooby-Doo cartoon. The use of color in the game is outstanding as adds another layer of realism to the sun-baked Mexico City. This title screams for high definition and for those who can display in 480p and especially 720p the cost is easily justified upon the first few seconds of play. Of note for non-HD players, the single player section of the game is displayed in widescreen while the multiplayer is not. The character models are quite fluid and realistic as they include some rag-doll physics. The environment isn’t just pretty but interactive with the ability to shoot through windows as well as walls with specific sniper rifles that can tag the enemy. However, buildings and windows are not the only items that react to weapons; vehicles can have their windows, tires and entire chasse shot up and through. Vehicles can make for great impromptu bombs as the enemy tries to use them for cover, but all’s fair in war as they can use the same vehicle you and squad are hiding behind against you as well. It should be noted that the streets are empty of anyone except the squad and the enemy, which is odd but adds to the seriousness and eeriness of the situation.

The audio aspect of GRAW matches the outstanding visuals by offering 5.1 surround sound in delivering the various barking of the different guns as well as the ambient sounds of the city and the skirmishes. An excellent example of the effort put into the audio portion of the title is if an explosion occurs near you, the game temporarily muffles the sound to mimic the real life experience of being temporarily deafened by such an experience. The in-game music comes from nowhere as the game uses it to cue a key upcoming battle and injects various rock music while enroute to various locations as in a Blackhawk. The voice acting that is used is decent but it’s nothing that really stands out.

The game is played through a heads-up display (HUD) in either a first or third person over the shoulder view that can be switched in an in-game menu. The HUD is called the Cross-Com, the result of an eyepiece that’s part of the standard Ghost helmets in 2013. The Cross-Com provides colored diamonds that designate allies, enemies and resources that have been detected by the AUV Cypher, a controllable spy drone, or the Cross-Com itself. In addition, real-time updates that include mission objectives and information that help move the story along are displayed in the Cross-Com. The upper left corner of the HUD allows the player to view and command the three-man squad, Cypher or various vehicles including tanks and Blackhawks as the missions progress. The ability to command these units are less daunting than it sounds, the available commands are straightforward and can be used for simple tactics or for those who favor more advanced maneuvers. For example, the vehicle commands include moving forwards, backwards or stopping as well as providing specific orders to attack targets in your HUD or the 3-D tactical map. The squad commands include sending your team to a certain location, providing recon or attacking specific targets while allowing the ability to adjust the level of aggressiveness of your squad mates from passive to aggressive. The ability to switch to the 3-D tactical map to carry out various orders reduces the chances of losing health and life as well as allowing the Cypher to perform scouting of the unexplored areas. GRAW offers night vision, which is rather limited due to it being nothing more than a fuzzy messy of green. At various points in the single player campaign due to the Cross-Com being jammed by electronic interference, the game recommends using the night vision, but the player is better off using the scope of the main weapon instead during these instances. The title could have taken a page from another Tom Clancy title, Splinter Cell, in offering a useful night vision mode.

GRAW forces the players to look and use the entire environment at their disposal to not only complete the objectives but to live. This is not a run and gun title, the ability to use the walls and vehicles in a crouched or prone position is critical for survival. Leaning around corners for brief seconds to scan the area including snipers and other enemies that can and will be hiding above on rooftops or in multiple storied buildings is what will keep the player alive and add to the suspense. Even using the effective Cypher can only help the player so much because of its limited lifespan when being shot at by enemies. By taking full advantage of the freedom the title allows, the ability to create various strategies to outflank and outthink the enemy by using everything in the environment and arsenal will allow for success and enjoyment in overcoming tremendous odds. The lack of health restoration except for the scant rendezvous with ATVs and ammo supply containers in a few of the missions create and maintain the true sense of being frugal about impetuous actions. At the ATV rendezvous, a squad is usually picked up and it’s also possible to swap out the main weapon if need be. As the missions progress, it is common place to find the ammo of the main weapon running short and the ability to pick up the enemy’s weapons will become literally a life saver. Especially in various missions where the squad is greatly outnumbered and the enemy begins to swarm like angry bees buzzing with jacketed rounds aimed at vitals. In addition, there are various opportunities in GRAW where operating the Vulcan mounted gun in the Blackhawk is mandatory. It’s during this railgun portion of the title that it forces the player to balance how much it’s fired in comparison to the overheating of the gun.

[Everlost_MI]

The control layouts for GRAW require little time in becoming used to and the configurations are smartly put together. In addition, the developers offer checkpoints and automatic save points as objectives are completed or physical locations are achieved. While this does help maintain the immersion of the title instead of having to pause the game to save, it can cause additional challenges for those who are not conscious of their health status. However, the game is slightly forgiving by restoring any dying or lost squad mates before the save.

The enemy A.I. is bit above average during the normal difficulty selection of the single player campaign; however the hard difficulty will raise the bar of the enemy’s aim skills and aggression. In either difficulty, the enemy will attempt to flank and press while destroying any vehicles that might help incur more damage. The squad’s A.I. is less than stellar, especially when it comes to combat tactics. For example, instead of firing at the enemy from around a corner they will stand in the middle of the street with a target painted on their chests to take out the enemy. More often than not, the need to babysit and heal the fallen squad mates will often cause a command to leave them out of the line of fire. This isn’t to say that the squad is useless but they have to be place carefully where their limited A.I. can be used effectively. The Cypher, tanks, and Blackhawks while they are impressive and useful are also vulnerable and limited in their lifespan. Without the proper use of strategy and restraint it’s quite possible to end up without this support quickly in a mission.

The multiplayer aspect of GRAW matches the intense fun single player campaign by offering System Link and Xbox Live! with up to sixteen players in co-op, solo and team play in elimination, territory, and objective modes. Multiplayer allows each player to fully customize their solider in various mix and match appearances to make them unique for each class of solider. The multiplayer maps are unique from the single player maps and the co-op play offers a new storyline that is used in four new maps to create another reason to get online and play. The numerous amounts of options in creating custom scenarios range from the location of spawn points to the use of drones and Blackhawks.

The graphics on the multiplayer side of GRAW have been turned down a notch in an apparent effort to reduce lag. This isn’t to say that the graphics in multiplayer are ugly, far from it. The lack of the additional layer of detail isn’t really missed due to the adrenaline bursting action and the fact that the excellent physics as well as the character models from the single player campaigns are still intact. During my personal multiplayer experience, the lag time was minimal when playing in a group of less than eleven people. When the number of players increased beyond eleven the lag was tolerable with a low latency host running the game, so it’s possible your mileage may vary in regards to this. Two issues should be noted in regards to multiplayer, the first is the game will randomly drop people when the host cannot handle enough players. The other item is a multiplayer game ends when the host leaves the game, causing those who were playing to reform a new game with a new host. The random dropping and lack of being able to transfer host duties is a bit of a pain, perhaps a future patch can address these issues. The ability to use voice chat is essential in this type of game and GRAW handles it well during the game and for those who are observing.

Bottom Line:
In conclusion, GRAW is a solid, fun, must buy title for the Xbox 360. The single player side of the title captures the intense feeling of being pinned down with bullets zinging by your head as your own ammo runs dangerously low. Your squad mates begin to fall as your being overwhelmed by waves of infantry and now armor in an effort to protect the President. While the multiplayer gameplay can immerse you in a sea of tall grass that whispers as you crawl with a squad of your friends in a midnight assault on a camp in Nicaragua. The graphics, audio and gameplay are excellent; don’t be scared away by the previous incarnations of Ghost Recon. This is a new creature unto itself. The short-term fun of ten to twelve hours of single player gameplay can become long-term if the multiplayer aspect is used. If you own a 360 this title needs to be in your collection, if you don’t own a 360 make sure this is one of the first games you buy.

Of note: The Xbox 360 and the Xbox versions of GRAW are quite different, this review reflects only what is found in the 360 version.

The Good
- The seamless gameplay.
- The intense action.
- The graphics.
- Impressive use of audio.
- Excellent robust single player and multiplayer aspects.
- Long shelf life due to multiplayer aspect

The Bad
- The limited squad A.I.
- The random dropping players in multiplayer when the host can’t handle the number of players.
- When the multiplayer host leaves the multiplayer game ends.

The Ugly
- The blurry worthless night vision.

Fun factor: A Must Buy title.

Score: http://www.evilavatar.com/images/icons/e5.jpg
5 EvilEyes out of 5.
MSRP: $59.99

[maharahaj]

Excellent written review. I agree that the night vision is blurry and can hardly help the player detect physical objects, but enemies do stick out like a sore thumb with it enabled prior to the 'red diamonds' showing their locale. Anyone witness any incidences where your squadmates get completely stuck on objects making them entirley useless as they run in place forever?

[Schnoogs]

I will disagree with one point...the useless night vision.

I found it to be very useful when using smoke during the night missions. I could literally waltz right up the bad guys while they bumbled around in the smoke.

[Heretic Machine]

Night Vision is completly invaluable in multiplayer. I sucked without it, now I can spot people before they see me, and completly decimate them. Though, I use automatic weapons, not sniper rifles (which would be too long range to make use of the night vision).

[Neosho]

I really only had 2 problems with this game...the oddness of controlling the gatling gun in the helo sequences, and the weird way half the enemies die. Half they time they die in a believeable way, but the other half of the time they end up with their asses in the air, balanced on their head and knees...sorta irritating how that breaks immersion.

[IndependentGMR]

Nice review. GRAW is much better than I expected it to be.

[Mantooth]

Excellent written review. I agree that the night vision is blurry and can hardly help the player detect physical objects, but enemies do stick out like a sore thumb with it enabled prior to the 'red diamonds' showing their locale. Anyone witness any incidences where your squadmates get completely stuck on objects making them entirley useless as they run in place forever?

I had that happen 3 or 4 times while playing through the single player missions. The squad AI is definitely the weakest point of the game. Good for some comedy on occasion. During one of the missions, I positioned the squad behind a blown out car for cover and then commanded them to fire on an APC. One of them launches a TOW and hits the car in front of him, killing all 3 of the buffoons.

[bone_matrix]

I had that happen 3 or 4 times while playing through the single player missions. The squad AI is definitely the weakest point of the game. Good for some comedy on occasion. During one of the missions, I positioned the squad behind a blown out car for cover and then commanded them to fire on an APC. One of them launches a TOW and hits the car in front of him, killing all 3 of the buffoons.


Now thats quality.

Very good review. Pretty much my thinking exactly. I just completed the mission where you had to blow up the resistance camp or whatever with the heli and tank. It was too dark to see without NV, but I couldn't see very far with it. It sucked. Now I'm on the mission after it, and and see jack shit again. The NV and the squad AI are definitely the worst, and pretty much only, bad parts about the game. And yes, my brightness is up. I like a well lit screen :)

[Wolfgang]

Have you guys ever used NV? It isn't all that great. The goal of GRAW is to be pretty much realistic, while still being a game.

My brother served in Iraq and says they are working on NV like in GRAW, but they do not have it yet.

The GRAW NV combined Thermal + Night Vision.

[hotdrop]

I just played the mission where you have to rescue the president from an underground garage and my biggest complaint so far is that sometimes you cant see jack shit on an LCD tv during the day. I swear that garage was pitch black both with and without nightvision. The dusk missions are also hard to see in cause it a lil dark for normal vision but too bright for NV but overall really enjoying the game

[ldi222]

That was a great review. Thanks.

[RMan]

Yea, saw this running at Best Buy, looked really spiffy. Not usually my type of game, but I definately want to play it. Pushes me one step closer to wanting a 360, esp. since they seemingly tanked the Xbox version.

[bapenguin]

Excellent review Everlost. I agree on the Nightvision, and like others have said, apparently it's night+thermal, not just night. Hence...the crappiness. :)

The game is still solid, and frustrating difficult on hard. I've played a solid 8 hours this weekend and have yet to beat the game.

[Grifter]

I couldn't believe how much fun I had playing this game. I have never been a big fan of the Ghost Recon or Rainbow Six games but I couldn't put this game down. Unfortunately for me I was borrowing it from a friend while he was at work and have to wait untill monday before I can play again. I would buy it but I can only afford one game this month and I am already half way through G.R.A.W. and Oblivion is right around the corner.

I have read on various forums about how people have experienced alot of glitches and bugs but I have yet to find any. I am still trying to figure out how OXM gave FNR3 a higher score than this. Blasphemy I tell you!

[bone_matrix]

I have read on various forums about how people have experienced alot of glitches and bugs but I have yet to find any. I am still trying to figure out how OXM gave FNR3 a higher score than this. Blasphemy I tell you!

Every once in a while my character will stop moving while I move. You see, I make him move forward, or strafe, and it looks like he is just standing, but moving where I tell him to go. No walking actions, etc. Its really annoying.

[HonestIago]

Have you guys ever used NV? It isn't all that great. The goal of GRAW is to be pretty much realistic, while still being a game.

My brother served in Iraq and says they are working on NV like in GRAW, but they do not have it yet.

The GRAW NV combined Thermal + Night Vision.


Well, the game is set in 2012 or something like that, so there is not really a valid claim for realistic gaming.

[Montolio]

Excellent review Everlost. I agree on the Nightvision, and like others have said, apparently it's night+thermal, not just night. Hence...the crappiness. :)

The game is still solid, and frustrating difficult on hard. I've played a solid 8 hours this weekend and have yet to beat the game.
Very nice work Everlost_MI. Thanks for taking the time to write-up a clear and informative review.

Besides the things you pointed out, the only strange thing I noticed was the Blackhawk crew just watching me get chewed on in the Guardrail IX mission. A little support here guys...! Hehe.

bapenguin,

I keep coming up a little short on the Unyielding achievement. What level and gametype did you score yours on man? One of my friends got his seemingly out of nowhere during a multiplayer match and so far the rest of us can't seem to knock that one out. I guess you really have to be on to get it. I finished matches without dying thinking I have it but there I sit with 24 kills which I thought felt like 100 :-)

There is so much to do in multiplayer, I doubt I'll ever see it all. This is a must buy for 360 owners. I'm looking forward to possible future downloads in the Marketplace.

[maharahaj]

I just played the mission where you have to rescue the president from an underground garage and my biggest complaint so far is that sometimes you cant see jack shit on an LCD tv during the day. I swear that garage was pitch black both with and without nightvision. The dusk missions are also hard to see in cause it a lil dark for normal vision but too bright for NV but overall really enjoying the game

That's the mission I just finished. Tough and dark to say the least. Getting the president out took many many attempts, but once I got it I was in the zone. Enjoying the game overall even though previous G Recon games were not my cup of tea.

[Ailer]

Funny story. My cousin sat me down with this the day he got it. The game starts out, says its 2013, and I say, heh, i must be the canadian prime minister at this point. Then it goes on to say that the canadian prime minister was in talks for a north american defense agreement. Playing along with what I had said earlier, I say "what the fuck, I would never do something like that." All of two minutes later, the Canadian prime minister dies. I have never been so shocked at anything ever. All I could think was "They killed me! Those bastards!" My cousin was laughing so hard.

[KamaItachi]

Every once in a while my character will stop moving while I move. You see, I make him move forward, or strafe, and it looks like he is just standing, but moving where I tell him to go. No walking actions, etc. Its really annoying.

I got this when I was prone/crawling beside certain objects like trees or cars. My guy would just get stuck and not move at all. I read that you can usually get out of it by switching your POV to an alternate and back again but it didn't work for me.

It's a niggling thing, and I can easily overlook it thanks to the general awesomness of the game. I didn't even fond the NV as annoying as others did

And thanks for the writeup Everlost. Great stuff.

[bapenguin]

bapenguin,

I keep coming up a little short on the Unyielding achievement. What level and gametype did you score yours on man? One of my friends got his seemingly out of nowhere during a multiplayer match and so far the rest of us can't seem to knock that one out. I guess you really have to be on to get it. I finished matches without dying thinking I have it but there I sit with 24 kills which I thought felt like 100 :-)

Infinite respawns on one of the territory maps co-op got it for me. Get a machine gun, hunker down and mow em down. :)

[GrinR]

A thorough, if dry, review. Thanks Everlost! Much appreciated.

[Wolfgang]

Well, the game is set in 2012 or something like that, so there is not really a valid claim for realistic gaming.

There are several documents about what they are researching and plan to have for our Marines, etc.. by 2010, so yeah there is a valid claim.

http://www.dix.army.mil/pao/Post02/post053102/images/ssoldier.jpg

GRAW is based off all technology that is being researched and they plan to implament.

The target id system, the NV+Thermal system, the Gun that has a camera to fire around a corner -- all real and being worked on.

Read up:
http://www.dix.army.mil/pao/Post02/post053102/pentagon_rolls_out.htm
http://www.military.com/soldiertech/0,14632,Soldiertech_Warrior,,00.html
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/armyweapons/a/futurewarrior.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/ofw.htm

Time Magazine also put out a nice booklet a few years back detailing what they plan to have around.

[Schnoogs]

My opinion of this game is getting worse and worse every time I play it. Frankly I'm sick and tired of the save points. I'm tired of doing the same sequences over and over when I die.

The squad AI is horrible and its gotten to the point where I just tell them to hug some wall somewhere and I go off on my own.

This is another game in which the poor save points is killing the enjoyment..."oh wow...I get to do this for the 8th time!!!"

[VenomUSMC]

You all complain of the poor NV when it's based upon real gear. Actually if I had NV THAT GOOD I'd be so happy.
As Wolfgang said thats not plain NV... it's the new stuff they are making that has thermal integrated.
HonestIago
It IS a REALISTIC claim because it's based upon what REAL abilities and gear for a SF operator in that timeframe.

They have a lot cooler stuff and even more SCIFI stuff that that in the works...

[rjcc]

I disagree about the night vision, it works great for me on night misions or when someone throws smoke grenades, but you have to lear that it's not supposed to completely perfect and adjust accordingly. I think it's a good tradeoff for not making it too powerful.

[Herr_Niemand]

I was quite frustrated with the night vision, truth be told. Realistic or not, the game is supposed to be fun. If I want realism, I can join the armed forces.
Sure didn't feel like the enemies were suffering from the same lack of visuals - they were shooting the crap out of me. And how I beat that? By using smoke grenades. At night. Throw a smoke grenade down, they can't see you anymore. Bad AI, bad! :)

[Wolfgang]

I was quite frustrated with the night vision, truth be told. Realistic or not, the game is supposed to be fun. If I want realism, I can join the armed forces.
Sure didn't feel like the enemies were suffering from the same lack of visuals - they were shooting the crap out of me. And how I beat that? By using smoke grenades. At night. Throw a smoke grenade down, they can't see you anymore. Bad AI, bad! :)

Apparently you have missed the entire point of the Ghost Recon series. It is supposed to be realistic as they can make it while still maintaing a sense of fun. They are not going to add NV that can see across the map and makes everything look perfect.

The enemies were in defense positions with pretty good equipment also (the US had just given them 50 tanks + who knows what else) and probably their leadership had access to some US tactics. You might have also noticed your Ghost Gear was much better than the average US Soldier in the game.

If you watch the History Channel -- half the new tanks being made in America, France, Germany, etc... will deploy Smoke Grenades for cover from fire. So actually that is pretty realistic. You can't hit what you can not see.

[Everlost_MI]

Thanks to everyone for their comments and constructive criticism, especially bap for giving the review the once over before I posted it.

My complaint about night vision is very small one, especially in the regards to how great the game is. The fact of the matter is that night vision is an option that never has to be used to play the game.

[Shinigami]

Well, at least from a realism point of view, I can tell you the NV sucks in the game. I used to be a crewman on the M1A1, so I've spent plenty of time looking through both NVG's as well as the Thermal Imaging Sight. I would definitely take either of those two "older" technologies over the combined NV+Thermal sights in this game. While I'm sure the actual hardware in development will be really nice, the image represented in the game pales in comparison to the 20+ year-old systems we used in real life.

That said, I use the NV in the game quite a bit as the night missions are dark as hell. :o

[Wolfgang]

Well, at least from a realism point of view, I can tell you the NV sucks in the game. I used to be a crewman on the M1A1, so I've spent plenty of time looking through both NVG's as well as the Thermal Imaging Sight. I would definitely take either of those two "older" technologies over the combined NV+Thermal sights in this game. While I'm sure the actual hardware in development will be really nice, the image represented in the game pales in comparison to the 20+ year-old systems we used in real life.

That said, I use the NV in the game quite a bit as the night missions are dark as hell. :o

Well a tank should provide better NV than something worn on a helmet. The tank has more power to use to provide energy for the NV.

I mean, that is like saying your gun on the tank is better than the one for the ghosts. The Tank can support more than the human body.

[Shinigami]

Well a tank should provide better NV than something worn on a helmet. The tank has more power to use to provide energy for the NV.

I mean, that is like saying your gun on the tank is better than the one for the ghosts. The Tank can support more than the human body.


You've got a point there. I don't know how much progress has been made to miniaturize thermal imagers lately, and the TIS on the M1 is a beast. You have to put the sight into Standby mode for a few minutes before even using it to allow the compressor to cool down the sensors enough to be usuable.

But I would still take even the old AN/PVS-7 goggles (helmet mounted) over the crap in the game. I just figured future tech would be modeled at least as well as current equipment. Meh, it was probably just designed that way as a gameplay consideration as opposed to making it totally realistic.

[VenomUSMC]

Shinigami
AN/PVS-7 Goggles are so much more grainy that the stuff in Ghost Recon. Also the simple fact that they do not have thermal in those goggles. I've done a lot of time on foot patorls using that AN/PVS-7 (Helmet mounted or not its the same thing...) and they aren't that great. Especially since it's very easy for a stationary target to camoflauge themselves, where as thermal prevents that a great deal.
Also take note that the AN/PVS-7 are out of date as they have the AN/PVS-14's in wide usage.
Your spoiled by the technological advantage of your tank. If you really want the 7's over the in game "NV" then you should get your eyes checked.

[Dag-Sabot]

Great review: I also have graw-360 and for the most part like it. I find that a custom map editor a la Operation Flashpoint would have made the game trully great.

[Knite]

My opinion of this game is getting worse and worse every time I play it. Frankly I'm sick and tired of the save points. I'm tired of doing the same sequences over and over when I die...This is another game in which the poor save points is killing the enjoyment..."oh wow...I get to do this for the 8th time!!!"

Easy solution :

Don't Die.

Seriously. If it wasn't such a pain in the ass when you died, what would be the reason for not running through the game like rambo?

[Herr_Niemand]

Not to keep banging on the Night Vision drum but now I'm curious because it sounds like we've got some actual users of Armed Forces tech. I was wondering: would smoke grenades actually prevent a night vision from working, ie the enemy would lose the target?

I ask because the game manual (or ingame help, I can't remember which) states that the thermal part of their night/thermal vision is what allows the player to see through the 'cool smoke' of the grenade (their words).

The smoke grenade blocking the night vision makes sense but could anybody confirm?

(my last post on the subject :) )

[Dag-Sabot]

Depending on which generation of night vision youre referring to, generally night vision means intensifying available light. If you cannot see in the daylight past "smoke" you will not see it at night even when using night vision. However if youre using GRAW vision, which is essentially a gee wiz combo of night vision and "Thermal" optics you get the light intensification AND the heat detection, thus enabling you to see "warm" bodies past the "cool" smoke. Much like a police helicopter can see a warm grow-op through the cool night time clouds.

[Ultima Thulian]

Great review, possibly your best Everlost. Though I'll agree with GrinR that it was a little dry. Still, it was smooth and wasn't dumbed down to segregated Grapics...Sound...etc., categories. Good job.

As for night vision. Meh...didn't like or hate it.