A new entry in the Ghost Recon series is on the way this year. Ubisoft officially pulled back the curtain on Ghost Recon Breakpoint during a world premiere presentation on May 9. The game is slated to launch for PS4, Xbox One, and PC (as an Epic Store exclusive) this October, but some players will have a chance to go hands-on with it a little early thanks to an upcoming beta. Those who pre-order any edition of Ghost Recon Breakpoint will receive access to the game's beta test. Ubisoft hasn't yet announced when the beta will take place, only stating that it will occur "closer to launch," but this will likely be most fans' first chance to try the game's numerous new mechanics out ahead of its release. Breakpoint will launch in standard, Gold, Ultimate, and Wolves Collector's editions. In addition to beta access, those who pre-order any edition will receive a Sentinel Corp. pack that includes exclusive gear, while those who spring for the Gold, Ultimate, or Collector's versions will get access to the full game three days early and an assortment of other goodies. You can read more details on those in our Ghost Recon Breakpoint pre-order guide. Breakpoint is a sequel to 2017's Ghost Recon: Wildlands. The game sends players to Auroa, a fictional island in the Pacific, to investigate the military tech corporation Skell Technology after the company has gone radio silent. However, players quickly discover the island has been taken over by a military group known as the Wolves, led by former Ghost Cole D. Walker, who is portrayed by actor Jon Bernthal and appeared in Wildland's recent Operation Oracle update. New in Breakpoint are stealth and survival elements; players will be able to cover themselves in mud to avoid detection and will need to treat any wounds they sustain. The game also features distinct character classes that will determine what perks and abilities you'll use. Ubisoft says four classes will be available at launch, with more to come later. Solo, co-op, and PvP modes will all also be available right at launch. Ghost Recon Breakpoint releases on October 4. We recently had a chance to go hands-on with the game and thought it was promising and concerning. Despite its prevalent military themes, however, Ubisoft insists the game isn't making political statements.<doc-sep>During a livestream today, Ubisoft revealed Ghost Recon Breakpoint, a new open-world entry in the shooter franchise coming this fall. Slated for an October 4 release date, Breakpoint follows in the vein of 2017's Ghost Recon Wildlands, with a massive world, four-player co-op, and a mix of tactical firefights and vehicle combat. Despite the similarities, though, Breakpoint may be the franchise's biggest departure yet. I attended a Ubisoft presentation last week, and got 20 minutes of hands-on time, and if one thing is clear, it's this: Breakpoint is, for better and worse, an attempt to answer Wildlands' critics. Ubisoft Paris' previous game brought the series to its first open-world in cartel-occupied Bolivia. In doing so, it drew flak for its problematic depiction of the South American country (more on this later). Breakpoint, on the other hand, is set in Auroa, a fictional Pacific archipelago with rocky coasts, dense forests, and even a volcano. In terms of ecosystems, think small-scale New Zealand. Auroa serves as the headquarters of a corporation focused on AI research and advanced military technology. When the company goes radio silent, you're sent in to investigate, only to discover that one of your former teammates has taken over the islands. If you've played Wildlands' recent Operation Oracle DLC, you'll recognize the rogue agent: Cole Walker, played by Jon Bernthal of Marvel and Netflix's The Punisher fame. With a drone army and special ops training, Walker's paramilitary force is a much more formidable threat than Wildlands' cartel Gallery Walker and his paramilitary force present a more formidable challenge than the cartel of Wildlands. In Breakpoint, you're not the predators, but the prey. As Ubisoft told me, you'll be continually hunted by Cole, his agents, and their newly acquired drone army. This sets the stage for a more stealth-oriented experience. By crouching in ferns or going prone in tall grass, you can enter concealment a la modern Assassin's Creed titles. You can even cover yourself in mud, should a nearby patrol emerge from the woods, or a group of drones pass overhead. Based on my short demo, these mechanics allow for environmental interaction that Wildlands largely lacked. Ubisoft's Bolivia was more than just window dressing, sure, but there was always a barrier between how we wanted to use the world and the limited ways we were actually able to use it. Breakpoint seems to recognize that. And if all goes well, it will weaken that barrier--if only just a little. Supplementing this increased focus on tactics are character classes. Whereas Wildlands allowed for custom loadouts--you could complete most of the game with an assault rifle and grenade launcher attachment, if you chose to--Breakpoint divides perks, abilities, and weapons into specialized roles. At release, there will be four classes, with more to come in updates or expansions. What's more, Breakpoint features shared progression across all of its modes: your character improvements will carry over from single-player to co-op, to the yet-to-be-revealed PvP mode. For my demo, I chose the Panther, a class that emphasizes stealth and evasion. My team's mission was to extract an injured civilian from an enemy outpost, shortly after detonating explosives we had previously planted. Following an enemy ambush, I activated the Panther's instantaneous smokescreen ability, obscuring our retreat as the outpost went up in flames. All the while, my human teammate crouched in the woods in his ghillie suit and killed the enemy threats we couldn't see. Breakpoint is, for better and worse, an attempt to answer Wildlands' critics But the execution of this mission is only half of the story. Breakpoint puts as much emphasis--if not more--on planning and preparation. It does so with the use of bivouacs. For the less militarily inclined among us, these are essentially temporary, makeshift camps. In Breakpoint, bivouacs are a chance to change your loadouts and pick your character class, yes, but also to check the weather forecast and choose the best time for your next mission. They're also a place to clean and maintain your weapons. You can even zero your rifle for accuracy bonuses, or treat injuries that have been harming your max health. Oddly enough, using a bivouac reminds me of Dragon's Dogma or State of Decay, games that encourage you to plan expeditions carefully before venturing into a dangerous world. It's worth noting that, owing to its focus on survival, Breakpoint's single-player won't include AI teammates this time around. Instead, you'll have player-controlled drones that allow for the series' signature Sync Shot ambushes. Ubisoft said it hopes removing AI teammates will contribute to a sense of isolation and (brace yourself) realism. Herein lies my biggest concern with Ubisoft's direction. In fact, it's in the title itself: "Breakpoint." That question of how far a combatant can go before giving up--of what needs to happen before they, in so many words, break down. Three times throughout Ubisoft's presentation, I heard the word "realism" touted as a focus of the narrative. Emil Daubon, Breakpoint's writer and military advisor, and a 14-year-member of the U.S. Army's Green Berets, promised that he and the studio are taking pains to paint trauma, brotherhood, and mental exhaustion as accurately as they can. Still, only two years ago, Wildlands stumbled painfully in its narrative department. Its characters were flat, its dialogue cringey, and any attempts to reference the complicated problems the Ghosts faced during or after combat were the absolute low points in an otherwise thrilling experience. At best, Wildlands' story felt obligatory. At worst, it was a detriment to the whole game. None of this is to mention that video games, as a medium, have a terrible track record of depicting war, trauma, and mental illness. And Breakpoint is is not the first time a studio has hired a military advisor to ensure accuracy. Far from it. Call of Duty has long employed the knowledge of veterans and active military members, and the franchise is as close to campy action-blockbusters as games can be. Lastly, as someone with numerous familial ties to combat veterans of the American military, I'm on the periphery of post-traumatic stress disorder every day. It's complicated and it's pervasive. It is a sensitive subject very much worth talking about, and I'm not looking to the creators of Ghost Recon: Wildlands to depict it faithfully. But who knows? Maybe Ubisoft Paris will change my mind. Maybe it will stick the landing, and be the next AAA developer to do this subject matter justice. I'm not betting on it, but I'm holding out hope. Almost everything else about Breakpoint's gameplay tweaks and design decisions suggest the studio understands where Wildlands fell short. It's focusing less on Grand Theft Auto mayhem, and more on survival in a dangerous world. And that's encouraging. But if Ubisoft's writers can't find a way to reconcile their sensitive narrative material with the game unfolding around them, Breakpoint might be an extension of Wildlands. In other words: another gem that's at its best when you ignore anything profound it's trying to say.<doc-sep>
Ubisoft just announced "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint," which is coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on October 4. "Ghost Recon: Breakpoint" is a tactical, open-world shooting game, and a direct sequel to 2017's "Ghost Recon Wildlands." I got to try the game during a hands-on session, and found that "Breakpoint" builds on the strengths of "Wildlands" and adds new survival elements like weather effects, semi-permanent injuries, and crafting. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Ubisoft just announced "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint," the latest game in the tactical shooting franchise, and a direct sequel to 2017's "Ghost Recon: Wildlands." "Breakpoint" will launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on October 4, but I got a chance to try the game in its alpha stage. I was a big fan of "Wildlands," which brought the "Ghost Recon" series into an open-world format for the first time. The game felt like a hybrid of "Grand Theft Auto" and "Call of Duty," with a light sprinkling of the squad-based military tactics "Ghost Recon" is best known for. "Ghost Recon: Breakpoint" builds on the most successful parts of "Wildlands" and introduces new survival mechanics to make the game feel more grounded. You play as a "Ghost," an elite soldier on a team tasked with investigating a mysterious tech company called Skell. The Ghosts explore Skell's island base, Aurora, completing missions and finding new objectives along the way. "Ghost Recon: Breakpoint" supports up to four players at a time in campaign mode, and will also have competitive multiplayer. In "Wildlands," players were mostly free to run around between missions, but "Breakpoint" will force players to consider factors like the weather, time of day, and terrain. Harsh conditions will limit your ability to travel; even simple things like moving up and down steep slopes can stop you from running at full speed. New enemy types in "Breakpoint" will force players to change their tactics as well. "Breakpoint" also introduces semi-permanent injuries that can impact your gameplay, like broken bones and bullet wounds. The Ghosts can collect resources and supplies to heal themselves, but players will need to visit bivouac campsites to treat their injuries, exchange items with their teammates, and craft new supplies. A lot of the changes are lessons learned from "Wildlands," where enemies were often too easy to take down and there wasn't a ton to do between missions. With the new survival mechanics players will have to focus more on the tactical aspects of the game. "Ghost Recon: Breakpoint" will also have a greater emphasis on storytelling, with more voice-acted cutscenes and dialogue choices than "Wildlands." Actor Jon Berenthal, best known for his starring roles in "The Punisher" and "The Walking Dead," plays the game's primary antagonist, Cole D. Walker. Here's what you need to know about "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint."