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

Having been a
Rainbow Six fan since the series first appeared on the PC so long ago, I’ve
watched the series evolve and add new elements to the tactical shooter genre
that would make the Tom Clancy franchise such a fan favorite. When Rainbow
Six Vegas was released not to long ago on the Xbox 360 and finally on the
PlayStation 3, the game was not only one of the best first-person shooters to be
released on the next-generation platform but also one that would change the way
we look at the Rainbow Six series. Now Rainbow Six Vegas makes it
to the Sony PSP but, unlike the console version, this one is far from gaming
perfection.

Then again, this
is the first time a Rainbow Six game appeared on the PSP and for a first
attempt, the game isn’t altogether bad. Surprisingly enough, even though the
game’s title is the same as the console version, the game revolves around
different characters whose actions are connected to the events told in the
console game. The game’s story begins after a terrorist cell has taken two
Rainbow team members hostage during a mission in Mexico. Intel
comes in from an unknown source that the two Rainbow operatives have been taken
to a place in Nevada. You assume the role of Brian Armstrong, a seasoned field
operative as well as a second teammate named Shawn Rivers who acts as
Armstrong’s sniper backup. Together, the pair fights the same terrorist threat
their brothers Keller, Walter and Park are fighting in the Sunset Strip.

You’ll start the
game as Armstrong who is an expert in field operations of the tactical kind so
his load-out equipment consists of submachine guns, heavy arms or pistols. After
a short mission briefing you can pick the equipment that best suits the
environment or mission scenario. As Armstrong, though, you’ll be doing a lot of
close quarter fighting so the more compact your firearms are the better.
Meanwhile, when you take control of Rivers, you’ll be armed with your trusty
sniper rifle, a handgun and both flash bang and explosive grenades. The game
switches between the two men in different checkpoints throughout a level and
both play quite differently. For one thing, Rivers is tasked with clearing a
path for Armstrong by getting the higher ground and picking off bad guys with is
sniper rifle. Meanwhile, Armstrong is bursting through doors to complete the
primary objective and clearing enemies scattered throughout.

Naturally, the
PSP version of Rainbow Six Vegas doesn’t play a lot like the console
version but there are a few gameplay elements that do show up in this one. Lean
against the wall and the game’s primarily first-person view moves into a
third-person view just like in the console game. This allows you to peek around
the corner without having to lean like in most shooters as well as shoot without
exposing yourself too much. It’s good to see the series’ tactical elements
intact even though a few gameplay features have been stripped away in the
process. There are no bins in the game that allow you to grab more ammo clips,
switch weapons or even do something about your health. Breaching feels less
precise than in the console version, although you can still slide in a Snake Cam
underneath a door to see who is behind the door and you can target enemies to
keep track of their position.

The game’s
mission structure has also been stripped down along with the level design to
make for a series of five bite-sized levels. If you wanted to you can zip
through each level, seeing all the you really need to see the game without
missing very much. Now this does sound bad but considering the fact that this is
a PSP game, the short level design might be a perfect fit for those who take
their game on the go. You can actually play the single-campaign mode in short
bursts, saving the game at each checkpoint and picking the game up again to
finish a level. For those who like to sit back at home and play a lengthy
single-player campaign mode you’ll be in for a very unpleasant surprise.

Still, what is
here is actually pretty good and you’ll even make your way to Calypso Casino as
well as areas the other Rainbow team did get to go during their portion of the
dangerous mission to save Las Vegas. It’s a nice tough having to deal with
familiar Vegas characters like Johanna Torres who feeds you information
on board a helicopter as she does in the console version as well as deal with
associates of the nasty terrorist Irena Morales who is but a bit player in a
much bigger picture.

Control-wise,
everyone who has ever played a first-person shooter on the PSP can tell you that
without a second analog stick the shooting action can get a bit awkward. You’ll
be using the face buttons as a way to look in any direction while movement is
handled using the analog stick. Thanks to some framerate stutters, sometimes
switching weapons doesn’t happen immediately and sometimes taking quick potshots
don’t register as quickly as you would like it to in a game that requires fast
reflexes. Then there’s the enemy AI that is often too dumb for their own good.

The good news is
that the game included an online and offline multiplayer mode. Up to four
players can take each another on in a Survival and Team Survival game mode and
battle it out in a number of maps like a bank or familiar classic Rainbow Six
maps from the early PC games. I had logged on to a few four-player matches and
experience a drop in the framerate like in the single-player mode but, for the
most part, the action was good. This will be reason enough to keep playing this
game long after you finish the single-player mode.

The game’s
visuals aren’t exactly pretty either, although there are certain levels that do
look decent enough. Still, the PSP can handle better visuals than this but at
least the overall presentation isn’t bad at all. Your Rainbow team isn’t
detailed when you get a good look at them in the third-person perspective but
you can tell Armstrong apart from Rivers. The backgrounds are the biggest
disappointment, though.

I’m a huge fan
of the way the console Rainbow games handle sound whether it’s the
soundtrack or the incredibly detailed sound effects. You’ll find a score in the
game but it’s not heard too often and the sound effects are barely there so
don’t expect to hear an enemy toss a frag grenade or change ammo magazines. At
least the voice acting is top notch.

Rainbow Six
Vegas for the
PSP is a decent attempt to bring the series to a portable format and despite
some weak control issues, framerate problems and a short single-player campaign
the game could have been better. The fact that the game isn’t a port of the Xbox
360 and PS3 version is a nice touch and online multiplayer works well enough
serves to make this a game hardcore Rainbow Six fans will like but not
love. You might want to consider renting this one before considering a purchase.

#Review Scoring Details for Rainbow Six Vegas

Gameplay: 7.0
The game’s
controls take some getting use to but once you get the hang of it you’ll be
intercepting enemies as a field operative and taking out bad guys from a
distance as the team sniper. Unfortunately, the single-player campaign is pretty
short and stops when things get interesting. At least there’s online and offline
multiplayer.

Graphics: 6.9
Visually, the
game isn’t pretty but it gets the job done. The character models, much like the
backgrounds, look really plain. The game’s visual effects aren’t stunning either
but at least the game’s menu looks good and there are some familiar areas from
the console version.

Sound: 6.5
The music is
dramatic and fits the theme nicely throughout the game and the voice acting is
actually very good. The sound effects lack some punch and sometimes you won’t
hear an enemy open a door until it’s too late.

Difficulty:
Medium
The game is
challenging but not for the right reasons. It’s the controls that will give you
the most trouble because the enemy isn’t as smart as they are in the console
version. Rivers’ role in the game sees less action thanks to his sniper status.

Concept: 7.0
The fact that
this two-man team working to aid the other Rainbow team from the console version
is a nice touch and it works well for the portable medium. There are enough
weapons to pick from in the load out screen for both the single-player and
multiplayer modes.

Multiplayer:
7.6
A few
framerate stutters aside, the online multiplayer works rather well but doesn’t
light the PSP on fire with its Survival and Team Survival action. Up to four
players can take each another out in a number of different maps like the
Presidio or the Siberian Base from the PC original Rainbow Six.

Overall: 7.0
While the game
is a worthy attempt that falls a bit flat in certain areas, Rainbow Six Vegas
for the PSP isn’t perfect but is a small step in the right direction. With a
short campaign mode and a number of features cut from the gameplay, this does
feel like a stripped down version of the amazing console version. Still, for
what it’s worth, Rainbow Six fans will get a kick out of this one.