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Failure comes in more ways than just dying. Each level has events scattered throughout, such as rescuing a certain amount of hostages, defusing explosives, or providing cover for other members of the Ghost Squad. Success equals points and experience, and failure brings shame and a stern word from the commander. It'll all come out right in the end, though, if you can just beat the level's boss. Each boss is timed, and failing to take him out earns a Mission Abort rating as well as denying access to the next higher version of the level.
Rounding out the Ghost Squad package is Party Mode, and here's where things start getting a bit silly. In addition to being the section to go for multiplayer, beating the game the first time unlocks Ninja Mode. All players and enemies are replaced with ninja, complete with throwing stars for weapons, but that's perfectly normal in comparison to Paradise Mode, where the Squad is armed with little blue dolphin-shaped water squirters, fighting the all-girl bikini terrorist squad. As entertainingly silly as these modes are, they're also much harder than usual due to both throwing stars and squirts of water having a gravity-effected arc of travel. It's one of the few places I didn't feel bad about abusing Ghost Squad's unlimited continues.
While it's not the most expansive arcade port ever, Ghost Squad is a fun shooter with a decent variety of modes, and its pick-up-and-play nature suits the Wii perfectly. It would have been improved immensely by true, accurate aiming, but even without it's always a good time blowing away terrorists and earning new weapons for the next play-through. The multiple weapons help keep each replay feeling different from the one before, as does finding new routes through the level and the events that go with them. Ghost Squad doesn't try to be more than a solid and entertaining shooter, and you just can't go wrong with that.
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