Close to perfection.
The Tom Clancy series has always been known for their realistic, tactical approach to the shooter genre, and the Rainbow Six series in particular has been Tom Clancy's longest running franchise as well as, arguably, their most popular. Rainbow Six Vegas carries out this tradition, but re-hauls the series in almost every way.
One way notice first about Vegas is its new cover system. On my opinion, this system is superior to Gears' system in about every way. All the player has to do to get behind cover is to pull the L trigger near any medium to large object, and use hte analog sticks to move around and aim from behind cover. The player can also 'pop out' of cover easily with a flick of the analog stick. This mechanic works very well, and, as mentioned previously, is better than Gears of War's.
The gameplay all together is very solid. Shooting is marvelous and you can always see the reticule positioned over a terrorist's head. The different visions as well will be utilized, as the environments can become dark. Thermal, which has always annoyed me in past games, is actually pretty cool, and I used it on many occasions. However, the environments can become very dark and hard to see sometimes, and the visions really ruin the HD, next-gen nature of these games. Also, the levels as a whole can become either repetitive or dull in nature with the exception of many of the wide casino spaces and lobbies. The Mexican beginning feels like it begins more in Ghost Recon rather than Rainbow Six as well. Fortunately, complaints end about there.
The story, while nothing terribly original, immerses the player in a terrorist-infested world that the world of today is. Numerous attacks are being conducted throughout Vegas, and it is up to your team of three to stop it. Why they only use a team of three beats me, but it adds to the suspense. Speaking of which, this game is hard. I mean really hard. Not only on realistic will fairly-seasoned gamers become frustrated during some shootouts. It is very similar to some of COD4's frustratingly intense sequences, but, if you give it the effort, you will pass and make it to the next area. Also, a pretty difficult mode called Terrorist Hunt is part of single player and tasks you with eliminating an area of all the terrorists and scores you on that. It is really hard and requires determination considering no snake cams are allowed as well as you are alone without your team. It is a fun bonus mode on top of an already stellar game.
Additionally, the multiplayer and co-op play is top-notch. Many modes and maps will keep any hardcore gamer satisfied (by the way, this gamer is not for the casual; it requires precision and is best suited for the experienced with a gamepad). To this day, numerous gamers still frag it out on the online matches, and rightfully so. Many will find COD4 and Halo 3's multiplayer options a little heftier in depth, but Rainbow Six Vegas was revolutionary for the time and still a hell of a lot of fun nowadays.
The feeling of leading your two elite soldiers through casinos never gets old, no matter how repetitive some of the levels can be. And that is the beauty of Vegas: the game is slightly flawed, but the positives greatly outnumber the negatives and I still don't regret giving this game such a high rating. It is truly that great. With the sequel approaching, I don't think I will trade in this game for the new one (which I normally do with sequels), and I feel as though my library of games will be incomplete without this one. With an excellent single player, a fun bonus diversion game, and one of the best multiplayer experiences on Xbox Live, Rainbow Six Vegas rocks and is quite simply, amazing.
One way notice first about Vegas is its new cover system. On my opinion, this system is superior to Gears' system in about every way. All the player has to do to get behind cover is to pull the L trigger near any medium to large object, and use hte analog sticks to move around and aim from behind cover. The player can also 'pop out' of cover easily with a flick of the analog stick. This mechanic works very well, and, as mentioned previously, is better than Gears of War's.
The gameplay all together is very solid. Shooting is marvelous and you can always see the reticule positioned over a terrorist's head. The different visions as well will be utilized, as the environments can become dark. Thermal, which has always annoyed me in past games, is actually pretty cool, and I used it on many occasions. However, the environments can become very dark and hard to see sometimes, and the visions really ruin the HD, next-gen nature of these games. Also, the levels as a whole can become either repetitive or dull in nature with the exception of many of the wide casino spaces and lobbies. The Mexican beginning feels like it begins more in Ghost Recon rather than Rainbow Six as well. Fortunately, complaints end about there.
The story, while nothing terribly original, immerses the player in a terrorist-infested world that the world of today is. Numerous attacks are being conducted throughout Vegas, and it is up to your team of three to stop it. Why they only use a team of three beats me, but it adds to the suspense. Speaking of which, this game is hard. I mean really hard. Not only on realistic will fairly-seasoned gamers become frustrated during some shootouts. It is very similar to some of COD4's frustratingly intense sequences, but, if you give it the effort, you will pass and make it to the next area. Also, a pretty difficult mode called Terrorist Hunt is part of single player and tasks you with eliminating an area of all the terrorists and scores you on that. It is really hard and requires determination considering no snake cams are allowed as well as you are alone without your team. It is a fun bonus mode on top of an already stellar game.
Additionally, the multiplayer and co-op play is top-notch. Many modes and maps will keep any hardcore gamer satisfied (by the way, this gamer is not for the casual; it requires precision and is best suited for the experienced with a gamepad). To this day, numerous gamers still frag it out on the online matches, and rightfully so. Many will find COD4 and Halo 3's multiplayer options a little heftier in depth, but Rainbow Six Vegas was revolutionary for the time and still a hell of a lot of fun nowadays.
The feeling of leading your two elite soldiers through casinos never gets old, no matter how repetitive some of the levels can be. And that is the beauty of Vegas: the game is slightly flawed, but the positives greatly outnumber the negatives and I still don't regret giving this game such a high rating. It is truly that great. With the sequel approaching, I don't think I will trade in this game for the new one (which I normally do with sequels), and I feel as though my library of games will be incomplete without this one. With an excellent single player, a fun bonus diversion game, and one of the best multiplayer experiences on Xbox Live, Rainbow Six Vegas rocks and is quite simply, amazing.
