Saturday
Mar292008
Review: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 4:18PM 
A little under a year and a half ago Ubisoft released the latest title in one of the longest running video gamer series of all time: Rainbow Six. Rainbow Six Vegas was a dramatic shift in many aspects for the series, introducing many new concepts to both the single and most importantly the multiplayer modes which has always been the highlight of the series. Earning several shooter of the year awards in 2006 Ubisoft decided one more campaign was needed to fill in some of the blank spots left behind and thus created Vegas 2 which dropped into stores just this week. But does Vegas 2 expand on where the first game was a hit or does it sink faster than a lead balloon? Read on and find out.
Click to read the full review
A Little Less Conversation
Despite the sequelistic nature imposed in the title Vegas 2 functions as a companion piece more than anything else. Instead of focusing on Logan Keller, the team lead of the previous game, this new title focuses on Bishop, a customizable character players create at the outset of the game whose background history has him being one of the much liked instructors at the Rainbow team’s headquarters in Hereford, England. Thrust back into the operational status when rumors of chemical weapons about to be unleashed in the city of sin, Bishop leads Jung and Walters, Keller’s teammates in the first game, on a series of raids on various locales throughout the city seeking to learn why the attacks are happening.
The Rainbow Six series, spawned off the outstanding novel of the same name, has always prided itself in creating an intricate plot that leads to complete and total ass-kickory of the terrorist threat. However as the series has grown over the years the plots have unfortunately shrunk in size and adequately as well and Vegas 2 is a clear victim of this. As a companion game it does fill in some of the holes from the previous game but it doesn’t deliver them in nearly the grandiose style you would want, which is especially the case for veteran players who already know what and when many of the key plot elements occur. The ending is lackluster even though you finally get to take care of the antagonist of the previous game. Don’t expect to be wowed by the story that much; trust me.
A Little More Action Please
While the story of the game is a disappointment is not. Well, almost. Following in the footsteps of the previous game the controls are almost identical save for the reorganization of a few buttons that ultimately works out better than the first time around. Vegas 2’s controls are almost as tight as they were in the first game thought there are still persistent yet minimally annoying issues that can occur within the cover system, most notably being the fact that some objects in the world you simply can’t take cover behind.
One of the biggest highlights of the Rainbow series has been its focus on hostage rescue and room clearing, something that was perfected in Vegas 1. The sequel continues that tradition with an increased emphasis in this regard, having you invade a variety of different building including recreation centers, casinos, and many other notable locals. Ordering your teammates to clear a room is just as simplistic and is just as fun participating in as simply sitting back and watching your teammates wipe out the enemy, something that, for the most part, works every time. Vegas 2 in several areas increases the number of entry points, thus increasing the replay value by inviting the player back to experience clearings in several different ways.
The most notable new feature is the introduction of a bullet penetration system, something that is a most welcome item to have but is becoming increasingly more common with the advent of titles like Call of Duty 4. While this offers up some changes to the gameplay, particularly in the multiplayer section, the end result isn’t as used as it should be, as most environments are composed of impervious materials like concrete and steel. The variety of weapons this time around has been beefed up to include all the weapons from the previous game as well as a dozen new ones, marking the return of the L85A2 and the Aug assault rifles, as well as two new sniper rifles, a new pistol, several other assault rifles and some submachine guns. All in all the arsenal for Vegas 2 is quite impressive and is very satisfying, though there will always be that one nagging veteran fan who will wonder where his M16 is.
Another feature worth mentioning isn’t exactly new but is more a refinement. The experience point system from the first Vegas seems to have been thrown out the window in favor of the A.C.E.S. system, something that is much more competent than the old one. Tying directly into the series’ signature Persistent Elite Creation system, this new experience system is a welcome change. By performing various actions you are rewarded points based on how your opponent is killed, whether it be via explosives, through cover, or pretty much any way imaginable. What makes this new system such a success is the fact that it ties into both the single and multiplayer, meaning your progress in either, no matter which you play, affects you overall.
What has to be touched on is that of the competency of the AI. What is unfortunately about the Tom Clancy franchise is that, save for a few notable exceptions within the Splinter Cell series, the games with the author’s name seemed destined to have some of the most despicable AI seen in gaming. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is unfortunately no exception to that rule however as both the enemy and friendly AI for the most part seem to have an intelligence level on par with that of your average housecat: it’ll either work when you are in an extremely ideal situation or simply not at all. The enemy intelligence seems determined to either sprint into your bullets, stand there and take it, or fire at you with the accuracy of a six-time NRA competition champion. The math simply doesn’t explain how a shotgun blast from almost one hundred feet away can be an instant kill. The same goes your teammates, as they seem determined to not obey your commands roughly every other time you issue one or perform them perfectly when in the context of a room clearing. Put quite frankly if your teammates fall during a room clearing it is 90% of the time the fault of the player placing them in a compromising position or giving them an ill-thought-out order.
Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty
Rainbow Six Vegas in 2006 was one of the graphical highlights that year. Built on the Unreal Engine 3 like most games nowadays, Vegas was an excellent example of what the engine could do in the hands of a third party developer. Today however it seems that the wow that was Vegas 1 has dimmed in this new title despite looking almost exactly the same. While Ubisoft stated as a goal for the previous game to show off what can be done with the engine using one of the most glamorous cities on Earth as a base to work off of its clear that they weren’t trying to reach that goal this time around. Set during the daytime as opposed to the previous games glitzy nighttime setting, Vegas 2 takes players beyond the strip into some of the city’s more seedy and drab locales. The bright HDRL neon signs and beauty that is the mainstream places to visit in the first game are gone, replaced by locations you simply don’t go to unless you live there, detracting in one of the main selling points of having the game set in Las Vegas. It’s disappointing overall really, coming off with the feeling that you are being given a watered-down version of what made Vegas 1 so appealing.
Vegas 2 fails to fix some of the graphical issues that simply don’t make sense. Does it make sense that I can throw a grenade at a leaf and have it bounce back at me? Does it make sense that a flashbang with blind a player who is wearing thermal goggles? Players will find that, ultimately, what graphical improvements that are made to the game are almost entirely focused on the character models and even then only minor tweaks seem to have been made. It’s also worth noting that Vegas 2 has some of the most blatant advertising outside of the Burger King games that came out a while back. Seriously, is it necessary to have the logo for the MLG league posted everywhere and for an entire map to be devoted to Comcast?
The audio work done for the game is more par for the course than anything else, introducing almost nothing new and seemingly dropping in quality in comparison to the first game. Unfortunately it seems that a majority of the enemy dialogue has been recycle and very little of it is new save for a few instances. Jung and Walters seem to have come down with a case of laryngitis and barely whisper their lines this time around. The weapons and explosions sound just as good as they did before though and players with a surround sound system will certainly find themselves completely drawn into the experience.
A Little More Bite and a Little Less Bark
While the singleplayer portion unfortunately leaves you with an unsatisfied feeling it’s as certainty that the multiplayer portion of the game is the highlight experience. The game ships with eleven maps available to play on the disc, two more being available to download for free as bonus content. Vegas 2’s list of maps has quite the variety of locales to play on, including a few Vegas 1 maps, several classic maps from Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield in celebration of the series’ 10th anniversary, and half a dozen brand new maps. While it does satisfy the nostalgia of several veteran fans with the classic maps the new maps don’t truly satisfy like they should. Several of the new maps make spawn camping quite easy to do in the team-based modes.
The multiplayer is purposefully designed for replayability whether or on the couch with some buddies or played separately across the country. Ubisoft has incorporated a full online co-op mode for two players wanting to experience the singleplayer campaign in its entirety, casting the second player as a user-created character named Knight. The co-op mode is a lot more satisfying, as the experience in Vegas 1 was extremely stripped down and ultimately only worthy of play for achievement hunters. Two new adversarial modes have been added to the game, the first one being and escort mode called Team Leader. This ships alongside with Demolition, a mode that plays exactly like a session of CounterStrike with one team attempting to plant and detonate a bomb and the other team defending the bomb sites. Vegas 2 also sees the return of the classic satellite capture mode Total Conquest as well as the return of the standard variety of deathmatch modes. Of the two new modes Demolition is by far the more entertaining of the two given the tactical nature of Rainbow Six gameplay and is a welcome experience for fans of Call of Duty 4’s Search and Destroy mode.
Close Your Mouth and Open Up Your Heart And Baby Satisfy Me
As a devout follower of the Rainbow Six series and the Tom Clancy franchise overall Vegas 2 feels more like an expansion pack to the first game instead of something truly worthy of an individual product release. Most people won’t be as critical of this game as I am and readers should take note most of what has been touched on won’t become apparent to the average player. While the singleplayer is a lackluster experience the multiplayer is a very enjoyable experience once again. For those of you coming off of your Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 highs Vegas 2 will definitely satisfy you and quite frankly it couldn’t have come at a better time. Don’t expect this one to leave your shelf for at least a few months.
Graphics: 8
Sound: 9
Interface: 7
Replay: 8
Gameplay: 7
Overall: 8
Despite the sequelistic nature imposed in the title Vegas 2 functions as a companion piece more than anything else. Instead of focusing on Logan Keller, the team lead of the previous game, this new title focuses on Bishop, a customizable character players create at the outset of the game whose background history has him being one of the much liked instructors at the Rainbow team’s headquarters in Hereford, England. Thrust back into the operational status when rumors of chemical weapons about to be unleashed in the city of sin, Bishop leads Jung and Walters, Keller’s teammates in the first game, on a series of raids on various locales throughout the city seeking to learn why the attacks are happening.
The Rainbow Six series, spawned off the outstanding novel of the same name, has always prided itself in creating an intricate plot that leads to complete and total ass-kickory of the terrorist threat. However as the series has grown over the years the plots have unfortunately shrunk in size and adequately as well and Vegas 2 is a clear victim of this. As a companion game it does fill in some of the holes from the previous game but it doesn’t deliver them in nearly the grandiose style you would want, which is especially the case for veteran players who already know what and when many of the key plot elements occur. The ending is lackluster even though you finally get to take care of the antagonist of the previous game. Don’t expect to be wowed by the story that much; trust me.
A Little More Action Please
While the story of the game is a disappointment is not. Well, almost. Following in the footsteps of the previous game the controls are almost identical save for the reorganization of a few buttons that ultimately works out better than the first time around. Vegas 2’s controls are almost as tight as they were in the first game thought there are still persistent yet minimally annoying issues that can occur within the cover system, most notably being the fact that some objects in the world you simply can’t take cover behind.
One of the biggest highlights of the Rainbow series has been its focus on hostage rescue and room clearing, something that was perfected in Vegas 1. The sequel continues that tradition with an increased emphasis in this regard, having you invade a variety of different building including recreation centers, casinos, and many other notable locals. Ordering your teammates to clear a room is just as simplistic and is just as fun participating in as simply sitting back and watching your teammates wipe out the enemy, something that, for the most part, works every time. Vegas 2 in several areas increases the number of entry points, thus increasing the replay value by inviting the player back to experience clearings in several different ways.
The most notable new feature is the introduction of a bullet penetration system, something that is a most welcome item to have but is becoming increasingly more common with the advent of titles like Call of Duty 4. While this offers up some changes to the gameplay, particularly in the multiplayer section, the end result isn’t as used as it should be, as most environments are composed of impervious materials like concrete and steel. The variety of weapons this time around has been beefed up to include all the weapons from the previous game as well as a dozen new ones, marking the return of the L85A2 and the Aug assault rifles, as well as two new sniper rifles, a new pistol, several other assault rifles and some submachine guns. All in all the arsenal for Vegas 2 is quite impressive and is very satisfying, though there will always be that one nagging veteran fan who will wonder where his M16 is.
Another feature worth mentioning isn’t exactly new but is more a refinement. The experience point system from the first Vegas seems to have been thrown out the window in favor of the A.C.E.S. system, something that is much more competent than the old one. Tying directly into the series’ signature Persistent Elite Creation system, this new experience system is a welcome change. By performing various actions you are rewarded points based on how your opponent is killed, whether it be via explosives, through cover, or pretty much any way imaginable. What makes this new system such a success is the fact that it ties into both the single and multiplayer, meaning your progress in either, no matter which you play, affects you overall.
What has to be touched on is that of the competency of the AI. What is unfortunately about the Tom Clancy franchise is that, save for a few notable exceptions within the Splinter Cell series, the games with the author’s name seemed destined to have some of the most despicable AI seen in gaming. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is unfortunately no exception to that rule however as both the enemy and friendly AI for the most part seem to have an intelligence level on par with that of your average housecat: it’ll either work when you are in an extremely ideal situation or simply not at all. The enemy intelligence seems determined to either sprint into your bullets, stand there and take it, or fire at you with the accuracy of a six-time NRA competition champion. The math simply doesn’t explain how a shotgun blast from almost one hundred feet away can be an instant kill. The same goes your teammates, as they seem determined to not obey your commands roughly every other time you issue one or perform them perfectly when in the context of a room clearing. Put quite frankly if your teammates fall during a room clearing it is 90% of the time the fault of the player placing them in a compromising position or giving them an ill-thought-out order.
Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty
Rainbow Six Vegas in 2006 was one of the graphical highlights that year. Built on the Unreal Engine 3 like most games nowadays, Vegas was an excellent example of what the engine could do in the hands of a third party developer. Today however it seems that the wow that was Vegas 1 has dimmed in this new title despite looking almost exactly the same. While Ubisoft stated as a goal for the previous game to show off what can be done with the engine using one of the most glamorous cities on Earth as a base to work off of its clear that they weren’t trying to reach that goal this time around. Set during the daytime as opposed to the previous games glitzy nighttime setting, Vegas 2 takes players beyond the strip into some of the city’s more seedy and drab locales. The bright HDRL neon signs and beauty that is the mainstream places to visit in the first game are gone, replaced by locations you simply don’t go to unless you live there, detracting in one of the main selling points of having the game set in Las Vegas. It’s disappointing overall really, coming off with the feeling that you are being given a watered-down version of what made Vegas 1 so appealing.
Vegas 2 fails to fix some of the graphical issues that simply don’t make sense. Does it make sense that I can throw a grenade at a leaf and have it bounce back at me? Does it make sense that a flashbang with blind a player who is wearing thermal goggles? Players will find that, ultimately, what graphical improvements that are made to the game are almost entirely focused on the character models and even then only minor tweaks seem to have been made. It’s also worth noting that Vegas 2 has some of the most blatant advertising outside of the Burger King games that came out a while back. Seriously, is it necessary to have the logo for the MLG league posted everywhere and for an entire map to be devoted to Comcast?
The audio work done for the game is more par for the course than anything else, introducing almost nothing new and seemingly dropping in quality in comparison to the first game. Unfortunately it seems that a majority of the enemy dialogue has been recycle and very little of it is new save for a few instances. Jung and Walters seem to have come down with a case of laryngitis and barely whisper their lines this time around. The weapons and explosions sound just as good as they did before though and players with a surround sound system will certainly find themselves completely drawn into the experience.
A Little More Bite and a Little Less Bark
While the singleplayer portion unfortunately leaves you with an unsatisfied feeling it’s as certainty that the multiplayer portion of the game is the highlight experience. The game ships with eleven maps available to play on the disc, two more being available to download for free as bonus content. Vegas 2’s list of maps has quite the variety of locales to play on, including a few Vegas 1 maps, several classic maps from Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield in celebration of the series’ 10th anniversary, and half a dozen brand new maps. While it does satisfy the nostalgia of several veteran fans with the classic maps the new maps don’t truly satisfy like they should. Several of the new maps make spawn camping quite easy to do in the team-based modes.
The multiplayer is purposefully designed for replayability whether or on the couch with some buddies or played separately across the country. Ubisoft has incorporated a full online co-op mode for two players wanting to experience the singleplayer campaign in its entirety, casting the second player as a user-created character named Knight. The co-op mode is a lot more satisfying, as the experience in Vegas 1 was extremely stripped down and ultimately only worthy of play for achievement hunters. Two new adversarial modes have been added to the game, the first one being and escort mode called Team Leader. This ships alongside with Demolition, a mode that plays exactly like a session of CounterStrike with one team attempting to plant and detonate a bomb and the other team defending the bomb sites. Vegas 2 also sees the return of the classic satellite capture mode Total Conquest as well as the return of the standard variety of deathmatch modes. Of the two new modes Demolition is by far the more entertaining of the two given the tactical nature of Rainbow Six gameplay and is a welcome experience for fans of Call of Duty 4’s Search and Destroy mode.
Close Your Mouth and Open Up Your Heart And Baby Satisfy Me
As a devout follower of the Rainbow Six series and the Tom Clancy franchise overall Vegas 2 feels more like an expansion pack to the first game instead of something truly worthy of an individual product release. Most people won’t be as critical of this game as I am and readers should take note most of what has been touched on won’t become apparent to the average player. While the singleplayer is a lackluster experience the multiplayer is a very enjoyable experience once again. For those of you coming off of your Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 highs Vegas 2 will definitely satisfy you and quite frankly it couldn’t have come at a better time. Don’t expect this one to leave your shelf for at least a few months.
Graphics: 8
Sound: 9
Interface: 7
Replay: 8
Gameplay: 7
Overall: 8
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