Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas – 360 – Review

Sin City.
The Entertainment Capital of the World. Home of Wayne Newton. Las Vegas goes by
many names, but pretty much everyone can associate the city with the bright
lights and towering casinos set upon the Las Vegas Strip. Thousands of people
from all around the world walk the streets every second of every day in Vegas,
one of the most enticing vacation spots on Earth.

And then
something goes horribly wrong.

A
terrorist attack on one of the major casinos along the Strip sends the city’s
population in an uproar, and it’s up to Team Rainbow to swoop in and restore
peace to Vegas.

Tom
Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas is the latest game in the well-established
franchise, and perhaps the most important one in years. Last year’s attempt to
revitalize the series as an action shooter was seen by many as a disappointment,
meaning that Vegas was a game that would re-establish Team Rainbow as a force in
the shooter-game world, or reiterate the idea that the series had officially run
out of steam. Fortunately for us, the former proves true, as Vegas is a
powerhouse of a game, with a well-balanced mix of intense firefights and the
tactical strategy elements on which the series has made its name. Complete with
new elements (like the great new cover mechanic) to keep things fresh, Vegas
does a great job of putting Rainbow Six back at the top of the tactical-shooter
heap.

Vegas
actually starts you out in Mexico on the trail of a Mexican terrorist named
Irena Morales. After a botched attempt to grab Morales in the Mexican town of
San Joshua del Mosquiera, a plot to attack Las Vegas is unveiled, bringing the
action to the home front.

Rainbow
Six: Vegas adds a few new features that may seem subtle on paper, but change the
gameplay in some fundamental ways and give it a more cinematic feel. For
starters, you can now recover health by taking cover and not getting hit,
similar to Call of Duty 3 or Gears of War. However, you are still by no means
invincible, as one or two well-placed shots may spell curtains for your soldier.

The second
big addition to the gameplay is the use of cover. Your character can now duck
and cover behind objects, and lean out from cover to fire. Similar to Gears of
War, you can do a blind shot, which keeps you out of your enemy’s line of fire
but results in a very inaccurate shot, or you can lean out far enough to get a
decent shot, but this opens you up quite a bit.

The
teammate commands have been streamlined as well. The A Button serves as a hotkey
that will allow you to command your squad to perform location specific actions
like rappel or fast rope down a level, or prepare to breach a door. Once your
units arrive at a door, a list of commands that you can perform will open on the
D-Pad allowing you to properly set up your plan of attack.

Graphically, Rainbow Six: Vegas benefits from the Unreal Engine 3 and the
results are excellent. The character models look great, but it’s the
environments that steal the show. Vegas looks awesome, with superb lighting and
details.

Sound-wise,
Rainbow Six: Vegas is also pretty impressive, with a dynamic score that shifts
with the on-screen action. The sound effects are also great, and sound
phenomenal in a 5.1 surround sound setup. The voice acting is also generally
good, though some of the performances feel a little flat and uninspired.

Rainbow
Six: Vegas delivers on both the action and strategy elements that have been the
foundation for the series, making for well balanced gameplay with intense action
and incredible graphics. Check it out if you’re a fan of shooters.

Review Scoring Details for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas

Gameplay: 9.5
Great duck-and-cover mechanics, easy-to-master teammate commands, and some truly intense
shootouts. All in all, some of the best gameplay elements yet in a Rainbow Six
title.

Graphics: 9.5
Vegas gets full
benefits from the vaunted Unreal Engine 3, with great-looking character and
weapon models, rich environments and impressive lighting effects.

Sound: 8.5
The dynamic
soundtrack adapts to fit the mood of the game, and the sound effects are solidly
done in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. The voice acting can be a little bit flat at
times.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 9.5
The storyline is
told more cinematically than in previous Rainbow Six games, emphasizing your
main character above just going from mission to mission. The result is very
captivating, and will keep you glued until the end.

Multiplayer: 9.5
The four-player co-op is very solid, and the huge maps make for one online experience not
to be missed.

Overall: 9.5
Tom Clancy’s
Rainbow Six: Vegas was the shot in the arm that the series desperately needed,
and stands as one of the premier shooters of this or any year.