10 Things You Might Not Know About Ghost Recon: Wildlands

Here we take a look at 10 things you might not know about Ubisoft’s upcoming Ghost Recon: Wildlands.

1. It’s authentic

Developer Ubisoft Paris worked closely with real military forces, DEA agents and real-life drug smugglers and even visited CIA headquarters in order to ensure that everything about the gameplay experience was as accurate and authentic as possible. They even spent a great deal of time in Bolivia itself in order to make the game’s environments as close to the real thing as possible.

2. The original devs were heavily involved

Ubisoft Paris wanted to bring the series back to its roots while at the same time introducing it to the next generation of consoles and gamers. For that purpose, Red Storm Entertainment (the developers of the original Ghost Recon) were consulted to make the experience true to its roots while at the same time innovative and fresh.

3. It can be played solo or co-op…

While the game is centered around squad-based combat, you don’t need an IRL squad to take on the cartels of Bolivia. AI will take over for whatever squad mates aren’t controlled by a human player, and the drop-in co-op is seamless. There is, however, no split-screen support.

4. …And there’s no tether!

Yes, the game is a squad-based shooter, but you’re not forced to stay in the vicinity of your squad. That means you can split up in groups of two or even go by yourself to explore other parts of the map independently!

5. You can control the helicopter

At first glance, Wildlands looks very similar to last year’s Metal Gear Solid V, but unlike MGS, the helicopters in Wildlands can be controlled by the player, and sources say that flying feels like controlling the choppers in GTA. Boats, bikes, trucks, and buggies are also available

6. It’s open-world in all the best ways

Any vehicle you see can be hi-jacked, any gun can be picked up, and any base can be attacked in any number of ways. You’re only restricted by your imagination, making this a true sandbox experience unlike anything a tactical shooter has been able to provide in the past.

7. The campaign is non-linear

Unlike many open-world games, though, the campaign is non-linear, meaning you can tackle missions in any order you choose and those decisions will affect events later on in the game. This is great for replayability purposes and will help customize the experience for each individual player.

8. Gunsmith is back

Speaking of customization, one of Future Soldier’s best features was the “gunsmith,” where you could completely dismantle a weapon piece by piece and rebuild it to your exact specifications. You can tweak the barrels, stocks, etc. of your favorite weapons to create a gun that’s perfect for you, and the options are virtually endless.

9. It’s a blend of sim and arcade shooting

Ghost Recon has always been known for its more tactical approach to combat, and Wildlands will be no different. You’ll be downed in about 5 or 6 shots, head shots are one hit kills, etc. However, you’ll have regenerating health and won’t lose mobility when shot, so there’s a little forgiveness there.

10. The AI was a huge priority during development

Ubisoft Paris has said that they wanted to make the best AI we’ve seen in a shooter, and they promise a dynamic experience that will result in enemy soldiers hijacking vehicles to chase you down, using grenades and flanking maneuvers to flush you out of cover, and reacting realistically to all of your decisions in order to present a real challenge.