Gameplay emphasis in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is placed upon the player doing the bulk of the fighting in each mission, through the character of Captain Scott Mitchell, while relying on tactical combat rather than arcade run-and-gun shooting to overcome enemies.
Combat in the game is more forgiving than in previous titles in the series, with players being able to survive several bullet hits before dying, instead of dying after only a couple of shots like in the original Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series. However, players are unable to heal their health in the middle of a mission, and a single headshot or a sustained burst of assault rifle fire can kill the player instantly.
GRAW features numerous firearms, many based on real weapons, including the Heckler & Koch G36, the Beretta M9, and the FN SCAR. A few, such as theMR-C, are actually hypothetical prototypes. The game also makes use of various other pieces of equipment, including tanks, helicopters, armored personnel carriers, and remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles, which can be used tactically to overcome obstacles, and scout out the environment, in order to complete objectives. GRAW features three versions of the game that each have slight minor variations in storyline/missions that is found on a different game platform's version; the main storyline, though, remains the same between the versions. While both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions are essentially the same title, the Xbox 360 and the Windows versions each stand out on their own with their own unique features, including the ability to command a squad of soldiers indirectly.
