 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Ubisoft Montreal |
| Publisher: | Ubisoft | |
| Genre: | Squad-based FPS | |
| ESRB: | Mature | |
| # Of Players: | 1-2 (14 online) | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | PlayStation Network (online play), HDTV 720p, 1080i | |
| Buy Now: |   |
As a fan of the series since its beginnings on the PC, I was honestly shocked when Ubisoft announced that the latest Rainbow Six title would take place in Las Vegas. A series that was once about infiltrating enemy strongholds in far-off locales was now seeing the fight hit home, with the player skulking around casinos attempting to stave off a series of terrorist attacks. Yet, as they usually do, the team of gurus at Ubisoft Montreal made it work, as the location itself proves to be a big draw in the latest Team Rainbow mission.
Of course, the series needed an overhaul of some sort, after the disaster that was Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Lockdown and the forgettable “best of” installment Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Critical Hour. Vegas combines the best parts of the series’ original Xbox outings, while adding a number of new features to give the game a fresh next-gen feel. Of course, the core gameplay is still there, with players taking on the role of Logan Keller and leading Team Rainbow. The game opens with Logan and his squad in pursuit of international terrorist Irena Morales in Mexico, but things quickly shift to Vegas as Logan is called back to help combat the terrorist activities there. Joining Logan in Vegas are electronics and recon specialist Jung Park, and heavy weapons and demolition expert Michael Walter.
Like other recent installments, the player instructs Park and Walter using context-sensitive commands. Point to a specific location and press X, and the team will automatically move to that location and take up a defensive position. Aside from that, the team will be able to interact with doors, computers, explosives, rappel and fast rope points, ladders, and incapacitated teammates. Aside from doors however, the actions are kept simple and consist of things like using the ladder, disarming the explosive, or reviving down teammates.
Like previous games in the series, clearing out a location one room at a time is still key to victory in Vegas. After telling the team to stack up at a door, the player can press one of three directions on the d-pad to tell the team to open and clear, breach and clear, frag and clear, flash and clear, or smoke and clear depending on the current rules of engagement (assault or infiltration). As always, using the right tactic in each situation can be crucial to victory, as for example you wouldn’t want to breach and clear (aka plant an explosive and blast the door) a room where a hostage is being held near the doorway.
One new addition to the franchise that I found particularly useful is the snake cam. Using the camera, the player can assess the enemy placement in a room in Splinter Cell like fashion before entering, and tag enemies as priorities for the team to take out by pressing the L2 button. This gives the player even greater control over the situation, and is very useful when dealing with hostage situations or splitting the team and using multiple entrances to flank the enemy with. Unfortunately the snake cam also makes up one of the most pointless uses of the Sixaxis’ tilt functionality yet, as by default it’s controlled by moving the controller. I found it to be too sensitive however, especially when trying to tag enemies. I turned this off pretty quickly, and you probably will too.
Tagging can also be done while behind cover, instructing teammates to eliminate especially pesky enemies before going after the others. This is most welcome, since some cover is now dynamic and can be blown to smithereens in phases. While Vegas doesn’t go as far with destructible cover as some other games do, it’s effective enough that the player doesn’t always feel safe behind a flimsy sign or other object that may only hold up for so long.
The one thing that Lockdown definitely did right was the addition of the Persistent Elite Creation mode to the online experience, and Vegas enhances it for its own online play. P.E.C. is really just a fancy term for an online career mode, which allows the player to customize their character’s appearance, type, armor, etc. before going into battle. Fighting battles online gains the player experience points based on their performance, which in turn ultimately buff up the character and unlock new items to use in battle.
Posted: 2007-08-20 09:33:51 PST