It's a bit of a shame really.

GRP (or GRO, depending on when you started playing it) is a pretty interesting take on the class based FPS. The cover system is something that needs to be present in more games, and the abilities are fun to use. It also puts a pretty heavy emphasis on teamwork, as opposed to other run-and-gun FPS games out there.

That being said, the game has been ruined by the plague that is micro-transactions (or rather, macro-transactions). Don't get me wrong, paying money for extra stuff in a game is fine, provided that it doesn't give you an unfair advantage. Ubisoft missed this memo, and instead made the game into something worse than fremium. But instead of just ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, let me give you an idea of what you can expect after installing this game.

For the first bit it's great. You play matches, earn experience and credits (forgive me for not remembering what they're called. GP?), and as you progress you unlock stuff. Save up your credits, and you can buy the stuff that you unlock. It's not like you have extra credits laying around, but you generally have enough to get what you need.

Then, the unlocking starts outpacing the buying. You keep getting access to new stuff, but you never have enough currency to buy it. By the time you save up for a gun you've unlocked, the next one has unlocked itself. There's also no way that you can buy guns AND consumables like armor inserts and grenades, etc... mostly the inserts. And for those of you that haven't played the game, those inserts make a pretty big difference. It's like you're wearing a bulletproof vest with ceramic plates, but you didn't put the plates in.

At this point, you realize that good 'ole Ubisoft offers what they call the Infinite Pack. For just 10 USD, every time you unlock a weapon/armor/device, it automatically adds it to your inventory. Problem solved, right? I mean, after all, you always have the best weapons that you can get, right? Wrong. You see, for the low price of more real money, you can buy buffed versions of all the guns. So screw your regular weapon, you're gonna have to pay more to get the good version and there is no way of simply unlocking them. You have to use the secondary currency.

So now you have to either decide between always being outgunned, or paying out the ass to stay competitive. It is true that if you're exceptionally good at the game you can make up for this gap, but the fact that this rift between F2P and P2P even exists is unacceptable.

Also, if you heard somewhere that the matchmaking takes your gear into account and balances teams no only based on skill but also firepower, it's a load of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Really, just trust me on this. It's less obvious in lower ranks, but as you move up the balance falls apart.

Now, apart from my complaints about the P2P problems with this game, I also have one thing to complain about that's entirely subjective. The gameplay is very muddled. Now, maybe this is the chaos that is war, but the 2nd person view, the excessive camera shake, and the recoil system all come together to make a game that feels like you're never quite in control of your character. Once again, that isn't necessarily a subjective fact, but to me the game feels sloppy.

At its core, Ghost Recon Phantoms is a really cool game, and if you do go ahead and decide to start playing it, you'll catch glimpses of the game it could have been. Sadly, that ideal got run over by greed, and we're left with a steaming pile of gold plated ♥♥♥♥. I would have gladly just paid $60 to get full access to this game (maybe barring cosmetics), and not have to deal with pulling my wallet out every time I needed a grenade, but sadly that's not the business model that Ubisoft chose.

Of course, the game is free, so feel free to try it anyways. After all, it's not like it costs anything to play...

It's a bit of a shame really. GRP (or GRO, depending on when you started playing it) is a pretty interesting take on the class based FPS. The cover system is something that needs to be present in more games, and the abilities are fun to use. It also puts a pretty heavy emphasis on teamwork, as opposed to other run-and-gun FPS games out there. That being said, the game has been ruined by the plague that is micro-transactions (or rather, macro-transactions). Don't get me wrong, paying money for extra stuff in a game is fine, provided that it doesn't give you an unfair advantage. Ubisoft missed this memo, and instead made the game into something worse than fremium. But instead of just bitching, let me give you an idea of what you can expect after installing this game. For the first bit it's great. You play matches, earn experience and credits (forgive me for not remembering what they're called. GP?), and as you progress you unlock stuff. Save up your credits, and you can buy the stuff that you unlock. It's not like you have extra credits laying around, but you generally have enough to get what you need. Then, the unlocking starts outpacing the buying. You keep getting access to new stuff, but you never have enough currency to buy it. By the time you save up for a gun you've unlocked, the next one has unlocked itself. There's also no way that you can buy guns AND consumables like armor inserts and grenades, etc... mostly the inserts. And for those of you that haven't played the game, those inserts make a pretty big difference. It's like you're wearing a bulletproof vest with ceramic plates, but you didn't put the plates in. At this point, you realize that good 'ole Ubisoft offers what they call the Infinite Pack. For just 10 USD, every time you unlock a weapon/armor/device, it automatically adds it to your inventory. Problem solved, right? I mean, after all, you always have the best weapons that you can get, right? Wrong. You see, for the low price of more real money, you can buy buffed versions of all the guns. So screw your regular weapon, you're gonna have to pay more to get the good version and there is no way of simply unlocking them. You have to use the secondary currency. So now you have to either decide between always being outgunned, or paying out the ass to stay competitive. It is true that if you're exceptionally good at the game you can make up for this gap, but the fact that this rift between F2P and P2P even exists is unacceptable. Also, if you heard somewhere that the matchmaking takes your gear into account and balances teams no only based on skill but also firepower, it's a load of bullshit. Really, just trust me on this. It's less obvious in lower ranks, but as you move up the balance falls apart. Now, apart from my complaints about the P2P problems with this game, I also have one thing to complain about that's entirely subjective. The gameplay is very muddled. Now, maybe this is the chaos that is war, but the 2nd person view, the excessive camera shake, and the recoil system all come together to make a game that feels like you're never quite in control of your character. Once again, that isn't necessarily a subjective fact, but to me the game feels sloppy. At its core, Ghost Recon Phantoms is a really cool game, and if you do go ahead and decide to start playing it, you'll catch glimpses of the game it could have been. Sadly, that ideal got run over by greed, and we're left with a steaming pile of gold plated shit. I would have gladly just paid $60 to get full access to this game (maybe barring cosmetics), and not have to deal with pulling my wallet out every time I needed a grenade, but sadly that's not the business model that Ubisoft chose. Of course, the game is free, so feel free to try it anyways. After all, it's not like it costs anything to play...