Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Mission Pack: Desert Siege

This time the action is set in Africa. The year is 2009 and Ethiopia has invaded neighboring country Eritrea, which doesn't sit too well with the rest of the world. The Ghosts--an elite team of Green Berets--are sent in to clear the way for a larger land-based campaign. The single-player game features eight new missions, which vary between night and day and consist of a variety of objectives. One mission, for example, has you destroying the remains of a downed spy craft, while another has you securing a train depot.

All of the missions feature a ramped-up difficulty level that will challenge the most ardent Ghost Recon player. The enemy AI has been tweaked to create a more realistic experience, and enemy soldiers will now use grenades with more frequency. In addition, enemy troops will now drive around in trucks, complete with armed soldiers riding in the back. Put it all together and you're presented with a sensational single-player experience.

Beyond the single-player game, Desert Siege also features four new multiplayer maps and two new multiplayer modes: Domination and Siege. Domination has rival teams vying for control of specific areas of the map, while Siege has one team defending an area while another team attacks. Multiplayer in Ghost Recon was an incredible experience, and Desert Siege continues that trend; both of the new gameplay modes are a great deal of fun. Unfortunately, you must use Ubi Soft's multiplayer matchmaking service, which is extremely unintuitive. Finding a good game is possible, but you must be patient.

Desert Siege also offers a host of other additions, such as nine new weapons available in multiplayer mode, improved graphics, a new specialist, and interface tweaks. Mission-editing tools have also been included, which should ensure that this excellent game enjoys a long life. --William Harms

Pros:

• Excellent new single-player campaign
• Improved graphics
• Great new multiplayer modes

• Ubi Soft's matchmaking service stinks
• Inexperienced players may find some missions extremely tough

Note: This expansion pack requires the full version of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon.

Also fast responds!


It's a MUST BUY expansion game for Ghost Recon   January 9, 2003
I always love Tom Clancy games, like Rogue Spear and Ghost Recon. I bought The Desert Siege expansion pack from Amazon.com, and it is the most challenging team shooter game.

Desert Siege is not for a beginner Ghost Recon Player, since the computer enemies has very good artificial intelligence. They can hide and they can run away from you! It can cause a real havoc when you have to deal with an enemy sniper until you can figure it out where he hides.

The first time you play it, you may get frustrated a little bit because the enemies are harder! but after a while, you will figure their behaviors out.

Must play game of the year!


Not better, but not bad.   January 6, 2003
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

It's been a long time since I have played Ghost Recon, the first game, and I was excited to penetrate into these new levels--only 8 missions, about 5 new levels, I believe--but that's all you get for something intriguing. Nothing new here except for the levels. But is that a problem?? No, not at all.

The levels are all situated in the day for the most part on hot desert lands with the sun beating down as always, and there is a level settled in the nighttime. Textures for these levels are pretty good, I must say; nicely planned out, interesting, with nice camouflage-like physical features, such as dense shrubbery, bushes, rivers, etc. Surprisingly though, there is nice topography, with mountains for good sniping and for some difficult moments. On the other hand, in quick mission mode, you are given about 15 or so of new and old levels for enjoyment and value. I must admit that I was motivated to play those levels just for complete enjoyment and entertainment.

Gameplay is usual and peculiar in some ways. When you unlock the 7th or 8th level in campaign mode, the specialist fighters don't have any new, powerful weapons, like in Ghost Recon (orig)--not even that; you don't even have the possibility of seeing some of the state-of-the-art weaponry of these specialists.....Oh, and you don't unlock any specialists in quick mission mode, which, I think, decreased the value of the game. The artificial intelligence is not better, absolutely not. They get stuck sometimes in hallways, and worst of all, your partner, sometimes, doesn't follow you...and if you need back up, you must go back and give him the message for him to follow you.

Sound is worse. Redstorm seems like they got the music and some of the sounds off of Kazaa--or worse quality type audio; it's a little fuzzy. I thought they could have improved a lot on that. Mediocre, but suprisingly, it's not better.

Well, that sums it up. A game that has only new levels. But don't be uninterested, because this game does have some really interesting levels, involving villages at the pits of some small mountains, or a dark atmospheric level, willing to complete the mission in utter black darkness, moon down. The gameplay will captivate your interest, but not entirely. But honestly, you'll like Ghost Recon (the original) after playing this game; it's an improvement over Desert Seige, which may put DS into the dust.