Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 First Look

Tactical shooters have long been Ubisoft's forte and as far as tactical shooters go, you cannot go wrong with the long-established Rainbow Six franchise. After a long cycle of various successful PC games, the series shifted towards the console market. The last addition to the series, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas made its debut on the Xbox 360 and was regarded as a decent contribution to the popular shooter license.

Some PC gamers weren't too happy and have shunned the franchise because of this, arguing that the game was watered down to appeal to the average console owner. True enough in some ways; although Ubisoft did make a few changes to reel in console gamers, the familiar tactical depth and intense combat were still pretty much in there. On the other hand, it's not like the game was perfect. If nothing else, the game was criticized for having demanding system specs - gamers had to have Pixel Shader 3.0 at least on their cards. Besides, it left players with a somewhat abrupt and unsatisfying ending. Hopefully, the developers make amends this time around.

The next edition in the series, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2, once again tasks players with defending Sin City (Vegas), as it faces a rising terrorist threat. More than this, Vegas 2 actually focuses on what occurred before Las Vegas was attacked. Ubisoft Montreal made it clear that players will get to venture through new unique locations (outside the US) before arriving to Vegas. In any case, according to the developers, the story features a far more satisfying conclusion than in the previous game, offering a completely different and exotic new location. (A climactic final battle in the Molten Core? - Ed)

What's more, customizable characters will surely add to the mix, as players can create and evolve their own identities during both single-player and multiplayer modes. The customization system was dubbed Persistent Elite Creation and it gives gamers an opportunity to determine a detailed appearance of their characters. Additionally, the story evolves depending on whether the player chooses a male or female character. And it's also very important how you customize your character, since it strongly influences how the rest of the Rainbow team looks.

Contrary to what certain naysayers may think, Rainbow Six Vegas stands as a decent team-based shooter, with several elements that made the game instantly fun to play. For one thing, some aspects of the combat felt quite realistic, while the game was very easy to get into. Maintaining this familiar formula, Ubi draws upon certain features, such as the intuitive cover system, to make experienced players feel right at home. Each team member can approach an object and easily use it as cover simply by holding down the right button or key. This allows for a suitable tactical advantage in many situations, which is why the developers are using the same system in Vegas 2. Except now characters have the ability to sprint from cover to cover, making your team even more efficient against enemies.

Only slight changes were made when it comes to cover mechanics. Bullets penetrate objects such as a drywall, making it rather lousy protection against enemy fire.

Enemy behavior, by the way, received adequate improvement too. The AI now has access to additional equipment and uses varying tactics as often as possible, so the gameplay will feel exciting and different each time you play the game. In Rainbow Six Vegas, there were a few obvious AI glitches, like enemy soldiers tossing smoke grenades, thereby obstructing their own vision as much as the player's. Such faults were tweaked, merely by giving the enemy additional equipment. Consequently, when they throw smoke grenades in your direction, they will immediately utilize night vision or thermal vision, both of which enhance visibility.

As expected, new weapons as well as new locations play a huge part in Vegas 2. As you progress through the game, you'll be able to visit spots like a convention center, monorail station and even a strip club (hot dog!). The refurbished weapons roster now boasts 11 new guns. To make things more interesting, additional clothing and brand new camouflage were also thrown in for your team.