Rainbow Six: Vegas
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19 January, 2007 08:00
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Out now on Xbox360 / PC -- Coming to PSP and PS3 soon!
As far as Rainbow Six series goes, I've never been much of a fan and personally, I thought Lockdown was the nail in the proverbial coffin. After playing Lockdown, my feeling was 'Stick a fork in it, this series is dead and done'. But someone, namely Ubisoft Montreal, got out their shovels and dug it up and you'll be really glad they did. They have pulled a Frankenstein and resurrected a series that appeared to have been beyond recovery with Rainbow Six:Vegas (RS:V).
A terrorist attack on one of the major casinos along the Strip sends the city’s population in an uproar, and it’s up to Team Rainbow to swoop in and restore peace to Vegas. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas is the latest game in the well-established franchise, and perhaps the most important one in years. Last year’s attempt to revitalize the series as an action shooter was seen by many as a disappointment, meaning that Vegas was a game that would re-establish Team Rainbow as a force in the teambased action world, or reiterate the idea that the series had officially run its course. Fortunately for us, the former proves true, as Vegas is an almighty game, with a well-balanced mix of intense firefights and the tactical strategy elements on which the series has made its name. Complete with new elements (like the covering system which i prefer to Gears of Wars) to keep things fresh, Vegas adds more realism to the formula and has hit the jackpot.
Rainbow Six: Vegas adds few new features that may seem subtle on paper, but overall evolve the gameplay in some fundamental ways and give it a more cinematic feel. One thing is the life or energy system which is like Call of Duty's and Gears of War system where if hurt you can take cover and recover your health. In theory you could go through the game without dieing at all but this certainly is not the case as a well placed shot can kill you instantly. The second addition to the gameplay is the use of cover much like in Gears of War, this system is definately the way forward believe me, games like Call of Duty 3 feel somewhat dated after you play Rainbow Six: Vegas and Gears of War just because these games are so much more intense and real.
The teammate commands have been streamlined as well. The A Button serves as a hotkey that will allow you to command your squad to perform location specific actions like rappel or fast rope down a level, or prepare to breach a door. Once your units arrive at a door, a list of commands that you can perform will open on the D-Pad allowing you to properly set up your plan of attack.
Graphically, Rainbow Six: Vegas benefits from the Unreal Engine 3 and the results are excellent. The character models look great, but it’s the environments that steal the show. Vegas looks awesome, with superb lighting and details. Sound-wise, Rainbow Six: Vegas is also pretty impressive, with a dynamic score that shifts with the on-screen action. The sound effects are also great, and sound phenomenal in a 5.1 surround sound setup. The voice acting is also generally good, though some of the performances feel a little flat and uninspired.
Rainbow Six: Vegas delivers on both the action and strategy elements that have been the foundation for the series, making for well balanced gameplay with intense action and incredible graphics.
Overall, there is very little wrong with this game. From the great single player campaign the wide variety of multiplayer options, you should find every pound you spend on this game well worth it, and then some. This is the best Rainbow Six game ever made. On top of that, this has to be one of the best 360 games to date.
RRRRR
As far as Rainbow Six series goes, I've never been much of a fan and personally, I thought Lockdown was the nail in the proverbial coffin. After playing Lockdown, my feeling was 'Stick a fork in it, this series is dead and done'. But someone, namely Ubisoft Montreal, got out their shovels and dug it up and you'll be really glad they did. They have pulled a Frankenstein and resurrected a series that appeared to have been beyond recovery with Rainbow Six:Vegas (RS:V).
A terrorist attack on one of the major casinos along the Strip sends the city’s population in an uproar, and it’s up to Team Rainbow to swoop in and restore peace to Vegas. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas is the latest game in the well-established franchise, and perhaps the most important one in years. Last year’s attempt to revitalize the series as an action shooter was seen by many as a disappointment, meaning that Vegas was a game that would re-establish Team Rainbow as a force in the teambased action world, or reiterate the idea that the series had officially run its course. Fortunately for us, the former proves true, as Vegas is an almighty game, with a well-balanced mix of intense firefights and the tactical strategy elements on which the series has made its name. Complete with new elements (like the covering system which i prefer to Gears of Wars) to keep things fresh, Vegas adds more realism to the formula and has hit the jackpot.
Rainbow Six: Vegas adds few new features that may seem subtle on paper, but overall evolve the gameplay in some fundamental ways and give it a more cinematic feel. One thing is the life or energy system which is like Call of Duty's and Gears of War system where if hurt you can take cover and recover your health. In theory you could go through the game without dieing at all but this certainly is not the case as a well placed shot can kill you instantly. The second addition to the gameplay is the use of cover much like in Gears of War, this system is definately the way forward believe me, games like Call of Duty 3 feel somewhat dated after you play Rainbow Six: Vegas and Gears of War just because these games are so much more intense and real.
The teammate commands have been streamlined as well. The A Button serves as a hotkey that will allow you to command your squad to perform location specific actions like rappel or fast rope down a level, or prepare to breach a door. Once your units arrive at a door, a list of commands that you can perform will open on the D-Pad allowing you to properly set up your plan of attack.
Graphically, Rainbow Six: Vegas benefits from the Unreal Engine 3 and the results are excellent. The character models look great, but it’s the environments that steal the show. Vegas looks awesome, with superb lighting and details. Sound-wise, Rainbow Six: Vegas is also pretty impressive, with a dynamic score that shifts with the on-screen action. The sound effects are also great, and sound phenomenal in a 5.1 surround sound setup. The voice acting is also generally good, though some of the performances feel a little flat and uninspired.
Rainbow Six: Vegas delivers on both the action and strategy elements that have been the foundation for the series, making for well balanced gameplay with intense action and incredible graphics.
Overall, there is very little wrong with this game. From the great single player campaign the wide variety of multiplayer options, you should find every pound you spend on this game well worth it, and then some. This is the best Rainbow Six game ever made. On top of that, this has to be one of the best 360 games to date.
RRRRR
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