Ubi Soft’s booth was dominated on the one hand by its military action games: Far Cry, Pandora Tomorrow, Splinter Cell 3, Ghost Recon 2 and Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow. I saw a bit of the non-interactive Splinter Cell 3 and got a chance to play Ghost Recon 2 and Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow.

Ghost Recon 2

The one big change with Ghost Recon 2 is the point of view change. Now you can see your soldier in a ‘behind the back’ third person look. Does this make the game less convincing? Actually, a quarter ways into the mission, I really didn’t take notice anymore. The mission on display featured friendly British SAS forces assisting the Ghosts. And there weren’t only one or two friendly units around – a whole squad traveled alongside the Ghosts.

The combat remains relatively the same. With the third person mode, you’ll have to switch to the first person scope often to get a bead on your targets. The command structure has been changed to allow better dynamic planning. For example, you can order your troops to lay down suppression fire on certain things. Or as you take up a point position, you can order your troops to advance ahead. As you give orders, the on-screen persona will give the appropriate hand signals.

Another tactical element that is brand new to the Ghost Recon franchise is the presence of destructible structures. How does this work tactically? In one instance, an open area is covered by two snipers on a tower. By laying down cover fire with the AI squad units, you can advance on a flank to behind the tower where a flammable oil tank is nestled. One LAW or bazooka round into the fuel tank will cause the tower to collapse entirely.

Ghost Recon artificial intelligence has always been a love or hate relationship. This time around, they are notably improved. When under fire or when they see comrades fall in front of them, they will detour and try to find some element of cover. It’s also best advised that you do the same as well.

All in all, Ghost Recon 2 is shaping up to be an impressive follow up. It is slated for release on the Xbox and PC platforms in November 2004.

Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow

Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow is going to be a standalone product that features ten missions and a higher number of multiplayer maps based on the existing mission landscapes. And yes, fans will be able to choose classic maps and the older Rainbow Six 3 multiplayer maps will also be included. On the multiplayer side, Black Arrow will be the first title to support new Xbox Live features. The ability to create and manage clans within the game itself is one such extension. You will also be able to exchange voice and text messages.

Black Arrow will add split screen co-operative play. Furthermore, it will re-introduce a planning stage to allow you to fine-tune your squad before actual deployment. The developers, from Montreal, were focusing on making the engine stable in the initial release. Now they want to flesh out the game and make it a more complete package. Still, I asked about the difference between the PC and console version. For the console, it just doesn’t seem feasible (or fun) to manage multiple four-man squads inside the game.

Black Arrow’s development started not long after the original Rainbow Six 3 was released. It is scheduled to hit stores around August 2004.

Splinter Cell 3

To be honest, I was surprised to even see this at E3 this year, considering Pandora Tomorrow was released not too long ago. I only caught a short glimpse of the presentation and was able to see Sam Fisher’s new knife arsenal. The reflections and effects on the water are even better than before – if that is actually possible as Splinter Cell has always had great effects. If I get more time today, I will be sure to revisit this game.