I’ll admit that I missed
out on the Rainbow Six games when they came out on the PC so very long
ago but when Rainbow Six 3 was released on the Xbox it made a new fan out
of me that made me look forward to each sequel with complete excitement. So you
can bet that I was excited to find that Ubisoft was going to release Rainbow
Six: Critical Hour for the original Xbox before it would bring us a stellar
new game to the Xbox 360. Sadly, the experience of playing this game has left me
with a bad taste in my mouth and hopes that the next offering will taste a lot
better than this.
The concept behind
Critical Hour is intriguing and, as a hardcore fan, how could I not turn
down the chance to play Team Rainbow’s first outing under the command of team
leader, Ding Chavez? You see, the game retells the formation of the team that
includes Weber, Loiselle and Price as seen through the eyes of John Clark, the
head of the organization. He recounts seven particular incidents in which Ding,
his son-in-law, as well as Team Rainbow, put an end to terrorist threats that
take them to various places throughout the world. If these missions look
familiar, it’s because they have been seen before in the early PC games. In
fact, these seven missions have been chosen by fans and reworked especially for
the consoles.
Once again, you take
control of Ding Chavez and once again you can issue commands to your three
teammates in the same fashion as past games in the series. As I mentioned above,
the single player Campaign mode is seven missions long, each one setting up
distinct mission scenarios that are true to the series. Your first mission,
Operation Fire Walk, acts as a tutorial as well as a mission that has you up
against a terrorist cell that has stormed a lab in Idaho to steal and then
unleash a virus on a populated area. Another mission, Operation Aztec Palace,
has Team Rainbow in Venice, Italy attempting to stop a radical sect from blowing
up a library filled with old books. Each of the seven missions have interesting
scenarios that might not add much variety (with the exception of the two-man
rescue mission that is Operation Razor Ice) to the gameplay like, say,
Rainbow Six: Lockdown. Still, disarming bombs and rescuing civilians is a
big part of the series and it is done nicely here.
What isn’t done nicely,
though, is the fact that while the scenarios are interesting and the level
design is perfect, the missions are quick jaunts that leave you very little time
to explore or add more kills. Even at the load out screen you’ll notice that
your list of weapons is very limited, giving you not much of an arsenal to pick
from before heading out into the field. Still, the biggest disappointment is
that the missions are quickly over before you know it. The missions are good,
don’t get me wrong, but at only seven missions these bite-sized missions feel
rushed. Thankfully, you can go back to each mission in the Lone Wolf or
Terrorist Hunt but even with this the whole game can be finished in a few hours.
Control-wise, nothing has
really changed but then again why mess with the control scheme when it works as
beautifully as this. You can still issue commands to your teammates like
breaching doors, scouting ahead and staying put when you tell them to hold. You
can even use the Xbox Communicator headset to issue commands without pulling up
the Quick Order Interface. The problem is that the enemy AI can be smart one
second and a bit dumb the next. Unfortunately, the same can be said about your
teammates only your teammates make more mistakes that have you restarting the
missions. Strangely enough, I’ve lost Weber in just about every mission. It’s as
if he’s programmed to get himself killed.
Yet the most disappointing
feature in this game, aside from the short missions and so-so AI, is the Xbox
Live multiplayer mode that possesses the most promising new concept I hope to
see in future Rainbow Six games. Aside from the great co-op and
adversarial game modes, the new Persistent Elite Creation Mode is both a dream
come true as well as a nightmare. This mode practically mixes the best elements
of the online multiplayer mode introduced in Lockdown and adds an RPG
element that upgrades your skills and unlocks new weapons as well. You are
judged by your performance on the field and the better you get the more you get
to upgrade your operative. Unfortunately, cheaters have found a way of maxing
out their stats and thus become killing machines that leave honest gamers
abandoning the online multiplayer altogether. Secondly, even using the best
connection, the game still suffers from some heavy stuttering.
On the visual front, even
the game’s graphical presentation lacks the detail of past games in the series.
It brings a PS2-quality to an Xbox game, a sight that just doesn’t suit a series
that has looked great in the past. The lack of character detail, washed out
textures and the soft lighting glow just don’t do justice to a game that takes
us to various locales throughout the world. Even the rag doll effects look
exaggerated in this game.
As far as the sound is
concerned, it just doesn’t have quite the impact we would expect from the
series. There are some distinct sound effects but they are not as detailed. The
sounds of gunfire and explosions sound a bit distant than usual and even
communications from your teammates sound a bit far off. The voice acting, again,
is well done although this time we get no small talk from you teammates. It’s
not bad stuff at all but then again it’s not great either.
It’s unfortunate that
Rainbow Six: Critical Hour took the poor budget title quality route and thus
makes this a title with very little substance and a lot less style. It’s seven
missions are designed perfectly but they are too brief to the point that you’ll
be through with the game in a few hours. Worst yet, the online multiplayer mode,
the most loved aspect of these games, is a major disappointment here. If you’re
a fan, a rental is definitely in order. If you’re new to the Rainbow Six
franchise, I suggest you start at the beginning and skip this one altogether.
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Gameplay: 6.5
The controls are still solid enough
to make for some great tactical shooting fun but your teammates are more a
hindrance than an asset (yeah, I’m looking in your direction, Weber). The good
news is that the mission scenarios and the level design are great. The bad news
is that the missions are quick bite-sized versions and there are only seven
missions in total!
Graphics: 6.5
The graphics aren’t as sharp as past
games in the series. In fact, the game looks a tad worst than the first Xbox
game in the series, Rainbow Six 3. With soft lighting that gives the game
its dreamy look and poor character models, the game’s overall presentation just
isn’t that attractive. Still, the explosion effects look good.
Sound: 6.5
Just about every Tom Clancy game
does a great job of bringing good voice acting and extremely detailed sound
effects to their games. Critical Hour lacks the punch of past games in
the series, although the voice acting is still top notch.
Difficulty: Medium
You can count on the enemies being
smart enough to take cover and fire back with great accuracy. Unfortunately, you
can also expect them to rush at you blindly to their deaths. Even your
companions are prone to such boneheaded mistakes that get them killed quickly.
Concept: 6.0
The mere seven missions are shorter
than the usual Rainbow Six missions but the level design and mission
scenarios are excellently handled. The standard secondary single-player missions
add more replay value but this is all standard Rainbow Six fare. There’s a
multiplayer mode but it has its share of problems.
Multiplayer: 5.0
It’s extremely sad to see a series
that is home to one of the best Xbox Live online experiences you’ll find on the
original Xbox turn out so incredibly flawed in Critical Hour. Aside from
the great idea that is Persistent Elite Creation Mode and the ability to play
with up to 16 players, gamers have found loopholes in the game design that makes
for frustrating matches against cheaters.
Overall: 6.0
As a loyal fan of the series, I find
it very hard to recommend Rainbow Six: Critical Hour to any other fan or
gamer looking for a solid tactical shooter. Even at its bargain price, the game
is over way too quickly and the online multiplayer brilliance of past Rainbow
Six games is a flawed experience in this game. If you’re a die-hard fan a
rental is certainly in order but if you’re new to the series, I recommend you
track down the early Rainbow games.
