Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas: TEH REVIEW

Rainbow Six: Vegas is a superb, solid shooter that renews the franchise's license on the tactical first person shooter genre. Did I mention it's addictive too?

Ubisoft Montreal delivers with this action packed FPS that goes back to the original Rainbow Six formula that many fans have long yearned for. Out is the arcade-y feeling of the past games. In is the tactical, real-life commando gameplay similar to that of another popular shooter, Counter-Strike. Each assault, if performed correctly, makes you feel like an expertly trained soldier prepared to save the world and all of its inhabitants.

As you weave through rooms, lobbies, rooftops and corridors you get that sense of visceral jolt that propels you onward as you smile to the crack of your assault rifle. Ducking behind shelter, ordering your squadmates to take cover behind a nearly decimated casino room slot machine to suppress the enemy, bursting through windows after rappelling down the side of a lavish skyscraper, and pulling off professional headshots with your pistol are all in a day's work for Logan Keller, the new southerner replacing Domingo Chavez - the franchise's previous cover boy.

As cool as that sounds, it would not be so cool if it weren't executed well. In Vegas it is executed...flawlessly. The reverberations and echoes of breaking glass, grunts and gunshots all take part in this fast paced and action packed game that thrills you with excellent sound, gameplay, value, sound, graphics and "oomph." Where do I start to describe the graphics? In a new paragraph, that’s where!

If you haven’t noticed the next generation of gaming is upon us and with it many developers have been utilizing the power of the new consoles, in this case, Microsoft’s Xbox 360.
Beautiful lighting, impressive textures and dynamic physics all take part in making the world of Vegas look and react like it should. Shadows bounce off of your weapons, casino tables glisten brightly with their cards and chips neatly displayed and wooden planks explode as you bomb the terrorist taking cover behind it. This all happens during intense firefight and while you may not notice it, the framerate doesn’t take a hit at all!

When shot you’re vision will fade in and out to let you know your regenerating health system is failing. What’s this? Yes, Rainbow Six Vegas has a regenerating health system a la Halo 2 and more recently Call of Duty 3. However, this does not deduct from the heat of battle. Instead it makes for a more hectic experience that is fun but not too easy for experienced players. Since it seems this is the road all developers will soon be taking, the shield system works just fine. But don’t think you can exploit the system. One well-placed sniper rifle bullet to the head will take you out. Just don’t expect to survive shotgun rounds to the face. Remember, you aren’t the Master Chief, you will get shot and you will die. There is a cover scheme that will help you out with your trigger finger.

Taking cover is simply if you played G.R.A.W., another Ubisoft title. If you use the default control scheme in Vegas you might actually break your left trigger since you will be using a lot of cover when playing the single-player on campaign or perhaps a hellacious round of multiplayer in a casino vault. The cover system does have its hiccups when you’re trying to peek over the table, not swat turn around it. Be wary of your surroundings and contextual situations and using cover should be a breeze when kicking ass.

Now I thought that Tom Clancy games always had an abundance of weapons. Vegas has a nice assortment of weapons but overall it tends to feel underwhelming to say the least. When cycling through the same four sniper rifles you wonder why they limited the amount of weapons. Ghost Recon had over fifty weapons and this one “boasts” less than that with most becoming unusable once you unlock their more powerful counterparts via P.E.C. I stick to a few guns and use them all the time so I can become an expert with the weapons and be ready to nail players online. I suggest you do the same.

P.E.C, online, nailing people?! One of the biggest portions of Vegas comes from it’s great multiplayer suite which is, quite possibly, the best part of the game. It’s chock full of game modes, leaderboards, ranks to gain and customization options that will whoo you and give you a headache when trying to decide which shirt looks better on your mercenary for hire. As you ascend the ranks you unlock new weapons, armor and clothing options for your character which offer better protection or enhance your mobility. Most of the accessories are purely for looks but who can fight back against a warrior in pink?!?

Let’s backtrack to the single player and how important your squad is to accomplishing your mission. Sure they can provide cover fire and shout worthless one-liners but they can also rappel down buildings, burst through windows and clear rooms whilst you fast rope down into the adjacent room as you prepare to clear the next area. Sure they can heal each other and respond to your crouching, quick commands and pay close attention to your weapons. For instance if you have a silenced weapon equipped they’ll apply a silencer to theirs’ so they can be like daddy. Tired of the terrorists back talking you? They’ll unleash hell with heavy machine guns or opt for assault rifles when in open environments that require weapons with range. Sure, they’re just great artificial soldiers.

Sound isn’t too great other than the constant gunfire, explosions and more shouting. The music isn’t as inspiring or heart pumping as other FPS games but when the action is being dished out at the rate it is in Vegas, who really cares? I tend to play multiplayer with Alice in Chains in the background. Awesome.

Overall this game is impressive. It’s really a helluva good time whether you duke it out with friends or take it to the single player where you’ll notice some stand plot devices and the cliffhanger ending that ultimately leads to sequel talks.

But when it comes down to it you won’t be harder pressed to find a better online game that features a great single-player experience. Well maybe not until Halo 3 that is.


9 KANGAWOOS OUT OF TEN

(Review written above is subject to change and modification. Copy above is unedited. Please do not kill yourself.