Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Review
The Rainbow Six series has always taken a back seat to other shooters i.e. Halo, Call Of Duty. However they rarely lack in quality and Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is no exception. It is a perfect example of a game that can remain unchanged. The combination of suberbly refined squad tactics and frantic gunplay add up to make a very satifying and rewarding experience.
The plot is well, there. Same old story, terrorists,bombs,hotstages and Las Vegas. Infact at some points it is quite hard to follow but its not very deep so you can get the idea. It kind of feels like they just found another excuse to go back to Vegas but I suppose thats one of the constraints of the naming choice. The game initially begins in France, at the same time Logan Keller (Rainbow Six Vegas's 1st protagonist) is saving people in Las Vegas before jumping forward five years to 2010. Throughout the game you take control of Bishop, a generic, gruff voiced member of Rainbow. However this game is not about emotional envolvment, its about killing terrorists which is what this game does best.
The gameplay has not changed much since the first Vegas and having not played any Rainbow Six games prior to Vegas im not sure its ever changed. At the start of each level you and your two team mates fast rope out of a low flying chopper (witch is awesome) down to the groud were you are plunged into the action. The cover sytem in Vegas feels really good. Going into cover, peeking out over the top and popping a few shots before returing back down is as fun as ever. You can alo blind fire wich is hardly accurate and should only really be used in desperate times. Obviously it would not be a Rainbow Six game without squad tactics. In Rainbow Six Vegas 2 much like its predocessor, you roll around with two other guys. The ai of these guys has been improved since the first Vegas. When ordering your men to move foward, instead of running blindly to the marked point, one moves ahead while the other stay and covers. Then the covering soldier moves forward while the other soldier covers him. Your men may now deny orders when they are blatantly incorrect causing you to concentrate more on what your doing. Going into rooms is a big part of the Vegas games, this may sound mind numbingly boring, but watching helpless enemies anhilated after blowing the door they were standing next to off it hinges is fantastic. The tactical part of the game is as great as it was in Vegas 1 and really makes you feel like your a trained elite. The shooting feels just as powerful as it always has, making Halo look like a kid with a lollypop.
For me the best part about Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is the guns. There are 5 different types of guns to choose from in the game, submachine guns, light machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, shotguns and shields. There are around 36 guns in the game total and each can be upgraded. Everything from higher capacity mags to laser sights to scopes can be attached to your guns. This makes replayability very viable as playing through a level with just a shotgun in hand is very different to playing with a sniper or assault rifle. You can also customise your armour by balacing mobility and protection for each individual part of your charecter.
Probably the biggest new addition to the game is the xp system. The xp system is an mmo like way of ranking up. Just like in Call Of Duty 4, where every single multiplayer kill awards xp that will eventually let you rank up, unlocking weapons etc. However the difference in Vegas 2 is that this system carries over to the single player experience also. This is great as it allows you to unlock better weapons and gear without having to step foot in the multiplayer.
That is not to say that the multiplayer is bad in anyway. There are 5 game modes to choose from that can be played on over 12 maps (excluding dc), each map is vastly different and is best for certain game modes. The environments range from an abandoned construction site to a theatre to a casino floor. Each mode is pretty standard stuff. The gameplay in the multiplayer component is alought faster than the single player witch is odd to adjust to. The absence of your squad to command turns the game into a straight shooter but an enjoyable one to say the least. Co- Op and terrorist hunt modes return from the first game, each awarding you xp.
The graphics and sound are good, not as cinematic as Call Of Duty 4 and not as striking as Halo 3 (or TF2) but good. The charecter models look fantastic (mine looks like a freakin robot) and the animation very realistic. The environments are a bit bland, the game misses the night time scenes of the first game were the game really shone visually. I guess much like the reall Las Vegas it does not look as good in the day time. In terms of sound designthe game is great. The music sturs in the background with big orchestral scores as, thesound of the different guns is powrful and visceral.
Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is a game were all the pieces were there, they just needed to be put in the right place, and in my eyes they have been. The game is not perfect but its damn near close.
4/5
