Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm is a chapter in Ubisoft's famous Tom Clancy library, chronicling the exploits of a two-man team of "Ghosts" to take down a violent rebel group in Columbia. Right there, we have the first big change to get Ghost Recon Jungle Storm on to a handset. On the N-Gage, you were part of a cohesive four-man team. Not here. You have only one partner and truth be told, he's no Ghost. He's not much of a sharpshooter, not much of a runner, and has obviously never heard of the word "initiative."
Problem is, you could really use the guy's help, because your enemies are plentiful and actually pretty bright. Across the game's six missions -- two were sheered off for the mobile edition -- you must tackle some tough situations such as hostage rescues and disrupting drug trade activity. These are no small tasks for a two-man team.
Fortunately, some of your firepower does make up for the lack of manpower. In addition to a regular pistol and machinegun, you have access to heavier gear like rocket launchers. We were pleased to see that some of the weapons actually have sighted modes where you can really line up a target. However, thanks to the relatively small real estate of the screen, using the sighted mode substantially decreases your peripheral vision. Drop and zoom in on a target without making sure your flanks are clear and you'll find yourself getting popped. It's not a mechanic exclusive to a cellphone game, but the need to clear your area is definitely increased due to the platform.
Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm's control is all over the map -- literally. The game pretty much makes use of the entire face of your handset, and it will require some practice and looking away from the screen to get used to it. You will get shot because of it, and you better get used to it. When the game's framerate takes a hit (and it does from time to time), the control starts feeling really unresponsive. Jamming on the number keys while trying to move with the thumbpad while in a firefight can get very frustrating. You will become quite thankful for the auto-aim feature.
Now, Gameloft has done a pretty remarkable job with porting over the graphics considering the difference in size. The character models and environments look reasonably good (maybe a tad blocky) and are nicely animated. The HUD is well done, too. The screen never feels cluttered with a bunch of unnecessary information and meters. Only the essentials made the cut, such as a little compass-like map, ammo counts, and health. When are being shot at, a red line pops up to alert you of the point of origin. The map is also a very useful tool, as it clearly spells out where your next objective is. The areas aren't terribly large (which is a big plus for mobile), but having a way to orient yourself is certainly welcome.
Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm does take a bit of a hit in the audio, though. While the music is pretty good, the weapon noises leave much to be desired. What is your Ghost carrying? A popgun?
Verdict
Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm is an achievement in the sense is manages to bring a first-person shooter to cellphones with a degree of success. All of the essentials are certainly there, from a useful targeting reticule to some pretty clever architecture. However, the controls are still kinda clunky -- and while that is not entirely Gameloft's fault as they made the best of what they had, it still has a pretty big effect on the game. As does your almost worthless teammate. Seriously, you will want to shoot him a dozen times before the game is over. That is, provided you actually play to the end. I think a lot of players will be hard-pressed to do so.
