So, I see that old-school gamers tend to dislike the GRAW games, but I've seen very little explanation why. I can get these games so cheap. Will anyone weigh in with their opinion?

Sure. The PC versions of GRAW and GRAW 2 are frankly pretty fuckin' great. Perhaps not up to the original's level, but still wholly enjoyable. They do require a slow pace, some thinking, and they generally contain a lot of elements of what made the original so amazing. You only have one squad, though, (and you can command each member individually) and the levels aren't as wide-open as the originals were, though there's almost always multiple ways to get the drop on an enemy. You can't switch to one of your other team members, so if you go down, it's back to the last checkpoint. and this is where the game (GRAW 1, since GRAW 2 has quicksaves) is both great and annoying for me. The checkpoints are the only available saves... and they aren't forgiving with them, especially since they don't account for the instances where your AI teammates might die. So there was this one mission where my teammates were being retards and didn't immediately run out of a bunker set to explode, and they died and I went the rest of this rather long, and very difficult mission by myself, with every death meaning at least 10 minutes I had to redo. This is annoying, but also very, very good because it makes the game incredibly tense. When an enemy you didn't know was there barely misses you, you'll jump pretty hard and make a mad dash for cover. GRAW 2 is more forgiving since you can have quicksaves, but it's also harder, especially with the last few missions of that game, which are extraordinarily brutal and will require a lot of patience.

Still, I recommend them both. Hell, I recommend the console and the PC versions, since they're so different in how they play, and both versions are just fantastic to play. But yes, GRAW and GRAW 2 on PC are proper Ghost Recon games. Get them and have fun.

I found both GRAW and GRAW 2 to be big improvements over Ghost Recon 2 and Summit Stirke, as much as I enjoyed the MP on those games.

Some of the best missions in GRAW and GRAW 2 are when you lose your tech and have to do it old skool.

Do try them they are good , also the console and PC versions are different so it is worth trying them both.

Both are a great games, but second part is slightly better. Overall:

- Great weapon animations. Much better than in most modern FPS. For example, MG reload animation is depending on how many rounds left. If there is a few rounds left, 4 ir 5 - animation will be different for each variant. This level of detail is rarely seen in games even today.

- Nice feeling of controlling soldier. Many available moving positions, leaning from corner and many other things.

And many other features. But there is one big problem: there is no complete good version. Sadly, many guns in first part was available only on xbox, but console version was more arcade TPS instead of FPS! Second part had all the guns, but there were no medic team member in PC FPS version, he was ony in console FPS version. Those horrible days of exclusive game platform madness... :(

Neither GRAW games are very good imo, especially the first, the AI is terrible and ruins the game because its braindead and either constantly give away your position , get in your line of fire or just stay out in the open getting shot at til they die. The second game improved a bit on the first but not by much, imo your character just moves way too slow and sluggish and i just end up going back to the original game from 2001.