Rainbow Six: Siege Preview: Every second counts

It's been six years since the last installment of the Rainbow Six franchise. Ubisoft's big reveal may not have been what many expected, but it gave us a glimpse at the upcoming multiplayer-focused, team-based tactical shooter Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege.

Rainbow Six puts the multiplayer element first in Siege and relies heavily on team planning and coordination to win. During the gameplay demo, we were placed in a 5v5 hostage rescue scenario as either a member of the Rainbow Operative attempting to save the hostage or an Enemy trying to hold your ground. It’s a case of breach vs fortify; and every decision counts.

At the start of the round, the Enemy team coordinates to reinforce walls and barricade windows and doorways to limit access to the hostage. All the while the Rainbow team scouts the area with remote drones to find where the hostage is being held, and observes the enemy team’s actions to find the weakest defense point to breach.

Once the set timer runs out, the real challenge begins. Enemies might set up shields to hide during fire, or cycle through the cameras in house to identify the Rainbow’s location in the house. Rainbows will need to breach walls or rappel into the house to gain access to the hostage. Regardless of which side you play, team communication is your strongest asset. The responsibilities of each team are simple and straightforward.

The most delightful aspect of the demo shown was the very destructible environment in Siege. Want to shoot holes in the wall to gain viewpoints or break a wall to make your own makeshift doorway? In this game, you absolutely can. Build the wall up, tear the wall down. The wall creates a stronghold and it’s up to your team on how to utilize it.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege is expected to release sometime in 2015 on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.