Tom Clancy may have passed, but his name will live on forever in the hearts of gamers because Ubisoft will never let it die. To say there have been quite a few games with “Tom Clancy’s” stamp of approval on them – the most recent of which being the just-announced Ghost Recon Breakpoint – would be an understatement. So, let’s walk back through the multitude of reviews to see how each game under the military-thriller umbrella performed, from the first-person shooters to the third-person stealth action to strategy games and arcade flight sims.
A new entry in the Ghost Recon series is on the way this year. Ubisoft officially revealed Ghost Recon: Breakpoint during a world premiere presentation on Thursday. The game is slated to launch for PS4, Xbox One, and PC 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.
Following the success of The Umbrella Academy, Netflix and Dark Horse Entertainment have announced that they will continue to work together for both TV and film projects.
Under this new deal, Netflix will have a first look at Dark Horse’s IP for both film and TV and both parties have already started exploring what will be coming next.
In addition to The Umbrella Academy, Netflix and Dark Horse also collaborated on Jonas Åkerlund’s feature film Polar, which we said was “bolstered by
Mikkelsen’s memorable performance, but can’t overcome a lackluster supporting cast.”
Spoiler Alert! There are tons of spoilers for Avengers: Endgame, Infinity War and much of the MCU below. You’ve been warned!
With so many beloved characters crammed into Avengers: Endgame, even with a three-hour run time some were bound to get short shrift. It’s nevertheless shocking and disappointing that the Hulk, one of the most popular original Avengers and the second-longest tenured MCU hero, is almost completely absent from both Endgame and Infinity War.
Wait a second, you might say. Hulk is all over Endgame! The simple truth, however, is that the character featured in Endgame — helpfully dubbed Professor Hulk by the internet in honor of a similarly merged version from the comics — is not the Hulk at all.
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The next game in Ubisoft’s spy series is Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, and it’s coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 4. In it, you play as a Ghost, an elite special ops soldier whose fellow soldiers have turned against you. It takes place in an open-world environment, and you can play through the entire game in co-op with up to four players.
Below, we have all the information about Ghost Recon: Breakpoint’s upcoming release, including preorder bonuses, pricing, and what comes in each edition. Let’s dive in.
Following a classic Ubisoft leak, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint was announced at a reveal event today and is scheduled to release October 4 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. A sequel to Ghost Recon: Wildlands, the open-world game is described as a “story-driven four-player experience” and will feature Major Cole D. Walker, a rogue special ops soldier with an army of weaponized drones at his disposal. Walker is voiced by actor Jon Bernthal.
More info about Ghost Recon: Breakpoint is still being revealed, but in the meantime, the game is already available for pre-order. If you were a fan of Wildlands and know you’ll be picking up Breakpoint, here’s what we know about the available pre-order bonuses and its various editions, including the Wolves Collector’s edition. Note that this story is still being updated as more retailers open pre-orders.
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint pre-order bonuses
Pre-order Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, and you’ll receive the Sentinel Corp Pack, which includes the Hammer MK.2 vehicle, the Sentinel MK.2 heavy outfit, and the Valor assault rifle. Those who pre-order are also guaranteed beta access.
My Best Buy members will receive $10 reward credit when pre-ordering the game.
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint standard edition
The standard edition will include the base game and any applicable pre-order bonuses.
PS4:
Xbox One:
PC:
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint Steelbook Gold edition
If you decide to upgrade and get the Steelbook Gold edition, you’ll receive:
Base game with any pre-order bonuses
Three-day early access starting October 1
Year 1 Pass
Two DLC: “Deep State” and “Transcendence”
Launch mission, “Siren’s Call”
One-week early access to three new classes, released throughout the year
Special Operations Forces Pack
Quiet DMR
Covered ACH
Crye G3 combat pants
Cross Draw vest
Collectible steelbook (physical version only)
Here’s where you can pre-order the Steelbook Gold edition:
The fanciest edition of Ghost Recon: Breakpoint is the Wolves Collector’s edition, a Ubisoft Store exclusive that includes in-game bonus content and some physical collectibles. The Wolves Collector’s edition comes with the following:
Everything offered in Steelbook Ultimate edition
24 cm collectible figurine of Cole D. Walker
Exclusive steelbook metal case
Confidential file containing three lithographs
Game soundtrack
Walker’s dog tag
Waterproof map of Aurora
As usual with these types of collector’s editions, it’s very likely the Wolves Collector’s edition will sell out soon, so don’t wait to pre-order if you’re interested in owning it.
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
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.
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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.
In the past, Ubisoft has received criticism for not tackling the political issues its games touch upon, and while the newly announced title Ghost Recon: Breakpoint features some heavily political topics, it seems the company’s stance remains unchanged.
Breakpoint‘s story focuses on a silicon valley genius who develops advanced AI and drones to help humanity and save American lives. The tech giant and its drone army are hijacked by a group of rogue US soldiers, and the game’s reveal stream states the drones assassinate an election candidate. Despite all this, lead developer Sebastien Le Prestre says Ubisoft isn’t trying to make any particular point.
“We’re creating a game here, we’re not trying to make political statements in our games,” he says. “We’ve rooted ourselves in reality, and you’ll get what you get out of your playthrough–everybody will get something different out of their experience. The story might make you see different situations, but we’re not trying to guide anybody or to make any sorts of statements. It’s a ‘What if?’ scenario, it’s Tom Clancy, it’s purely fictional.”
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Community developer Laura Cordrey elaborated by saying Ubisoft is “always inspired by what’s happening around us, and it’s always our goal to stay authentic … but the story does remain fictional.”
Many Ubisoft games touch on political topics, such as The Division 2‘s defence of the White House in Washington DC or Far Cry 5‘s disaffected, ostracized community and Donald Trump references. However, Ubisoft executives have previously described engaging in politics in video games as “bad for business.”
As for the new Ghost Recon game itself, check out our hands-on impressions and thoughts on why Breakpoint is both promising and concerning. It’s coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 4.
