There’s nothing to stop 'Ghost Recon Breakpoint' from being the perfect game; apart from itself.
Between annoying bugs and glitches that have become synonymous with Ubisoft releases over the past few years, tediously repetitive gameplay, and server drops almost every day, the player will find themselves repeating the same mission – literally and figuratively – again and again.
Firstly, each mission follows the same essential format. Scan enemies, clear base, get someone, something, or information from that area, rinse and repeat - that grows boring over time. Secondly, you'll probably sink through the map multiple times. It's that common, in fact, that you'd be forgiven for thinking it's some kind of quicksand feature of the game than a glitch. There's plenty more to choose from, like stuck weapon and gear switching, and odd vehicular acceleration.
Like it or not, 'Ghost Recon Breakpoint' is a broken game. While it’s core selling point is the jump-in / jump-out online co-op gameplay – a feature which is, admittedly, immensely fun - the game just doesn’t work as a solo experience. Far too many times, you’ll begin to clear an enemy base from afar with a high-powered sniper rifle after a few minutes of marking enemies with your neat little drone. Grand. Then you end up being steam-rolled by enemy drones that can seemingly scale mountain sides, heavy mortar fire, a hail of lead with the force of a hurricane, and sneaky shotgun-wielding maniacs to finish you off. I still have no idea how these enemy AI have the sixth sense to know where the player is firing from at a distance of nearly half a kilometre in thick grass, but I digress. In co-op, this isn’t a problem as you can be revived by a teammate. In single-player, you’re cut to the beginning of your mission AGAIN.
Further problems arise stemming from the co-op focus. 'Ghost Recon Breakpoint' requires an always online connection. So even if you want to play alone (which isn't recommended), you’re held at the behest of servers breaking down. This stopped an estimated six hours of cumulative gameplay. Not to mention if you live in a rural area without significant broadband to shout about, you’ll have a tough time in every aspect of the game.
Due to all the bugs, solo player not being addressed differently to co-op, and servers seemingly being down at least once a day (sometimes crashing in the middle of mission ending cutscenes, once again requiring you to replay a mission), I haven't been able to finish the main story, or barely make it halfway through after around 20 hours.
'Ghost Recon Breakpoint', besides all of its annoyances, is a genuinely fun game. Jumping into a helicopter with a couple of mates and wreaking havoc on those below 'Apocalypse Now' style while another teammate snipes from afar is awesome. The world is vast, and offers breathtaking panoramas, from snow-covered peaks to idyllic sandy beaches and ultra-modern architecture. And this does all suck you in, enticing you to come back for more daily.
Graphically speaking, it might not be the sharpest game on the hard drive, but it does the job. Specifically, it suffers from multiple graphical glitches including invisible wepaons, hair loss, and lip-syncing problems during cutscenes, with a lot of voice acting that is… well, skippable at best. That's not counting Jon Bernthal of 'The Walking Dead' and 'The Punisher' fame, however, who is riveting in the few scenes which he appears.
That said, the PvP mode - Ghost War - is forgettable, pitting two four-person squads against one and other in a skirmish to the death with a few objectives to complete. Nothing new, nothing innovative, and nothing substantial worth of mention.
There has been much hullabaloo online regarding microtransactions, but really, it's a fact of gaming nowadays and this is how a game-as-a-service works. Not to mention that for the average player, unlocking weapons is easy. There is always plenty of loot around, provided you take the time needed to search for it, and purchases are unnecessary unless you wish to race through the game.
If you’re looking for one game this year that will deliver multiple hours of enjoyment with a group of friends after work with little need for commitment, then 'Ghost Recon Breakpoint' is probably the game for you. If you want an in-depth, polished and narratively driven solo experience, then you’ll need to look elsewhere.
