Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Posted By: Chris on Nov 06 2008

When it comes to the tactical shooter, the Rainbow Six series is certainly known as being at the head of the pack. With the recent release of Rainbow Six: Las Vegas 2, we can see that this claim still holds up. Las Vegas 2 brings more of the beautiful graphics we saw in the first game, an engaging story, a fun filled multiplayer experience, and some extra features that we certainly missed in the first one.

Graphically, Rainbow Six is top notch. The character models are beautiful, and show a great deal of detail. The weapons models are also quite appealing, and have a good size and feel to them. Simply put, they feel right looking in the hands of your character. The customization options available to your armor and gear also give a nice personal feeling, brining you closer to your character. With all of the appeal of the latest graphics being put out by the Unreal 3 engine powered game, it’s a shame to go into a multiplayer game or a terrorist hunt and see that your weapon is missing textures. While they will eventually load up, the fact that you are able to run about while they haven’t loaded is nothing but disappointment.

The single player side of Rainbow follows the story of Bishop, and how he intertwined into the first game. The player gets to play out events that happened right before the first Vegas, and then of course get to finish the job, playing after the cliffhanger of the first. The story is decent, although there is nothing original here. It is simply there to push you on, to take out more bad guys. The voice acting was a nice touch, although there are many times when it feels like your character, and your team mates, are being forced to speak their lines. During the beginning of the game, your character, says something to the effect of “Hey we are a team, and we take care of each other” at a point where it seems very out of place. This is something you experience frequently, during the course of the game.

Multiplayer is the reason why many of the Rainbow fans love these games. The first one had a strong following on the XBOX 360, and the second certainly delivers. Joining a multiplayer game is, for the most part, painless. There are times when the player will get thrown into a game that has a bad connection, however for the most part, games are easy to get into, and fun to play. Along with that, the time it takes to list the multiplayer games, especially the actual gauge on latency is horrendously shameful. Co Op is where this game shines. Joining in a game where players are actually working together is always rewarding, and produces a great deal of fun. While the issue of lag can still be present, it appears to operate more smoothly, playing a Co Op game. While playing the Co Op game, there is no easy way for a player to join in with another friend to play a match. The party system introduced in a few other games, where you are able to group up before joining a game is a great idea, and the ball was dropped with Rainbow in this regard.

The ACES system introduced in this game is, at the very least, interesting. This new feature allows a player to skill up in three areas of combat, those being assault, close quarters combat, and marksmanship. Specific actions gain points in one of these three areas, and each category has levels associated with it. Once you gain a level in a certain combat category, you will gain a reward. Even levels usually reward Bishop with a new weapon, while odd levels will give out experience. Experience is how Bishop gets promoted in Rainbow, which in turn allows access to extra gear and custom camouflage for your character. This option to wear custom camo is appealing in that what you wear in the single player game is also the same gear you are wearing when you play a multiplayer game. Moving from single to multiplayer also carries over the experience that you receive; therefore you can play through the single-player game and unlock extra weapons and gear, then join a match online and use that same unlocked gear to fight the enemy. All of the experience you gain during that multiplayer match is then carried over. If you get promoted in a online terrorist hunt match, jumping back into singleplayer will show that new rank on your shoulders.

The new features added to the sequel are, for the most part, welcome additions. The ability to sprint between cover is welcome, as sitting in the open is the quickest way to get taken out. Having the ability to tell your team when and where to throw a smoke grenade, or where to toss that frag grenade is certainly needed, however there are times when your team will get hung up, and aren’t able to throw that grenade. This usually happens when you are trying to get a grenade tossed up or down a set of stairs, or terrain that isn’t flat. The placement of enemies during the single-player mission has also been changed. While you still have the one or two goons that sit behind a door chatting about what’s going on, many of the enemies have been placed in obscure areas that you aren’t used to looking for. Many times there are enemies placed in areas that you can’t get to, but can still fire at, and at other times, you will see that there is a sniper sitting on top of a high-rise building trying to hit you. Varied enemy placement, combined with the greater control of your team, allows for a greater tactical feeling during the game.

The Rainbow Six series has certainly improved with the release of both of the Las Vegas titles, and the second in the series is a blast. Graphically, the game won’t disappoint, even though a few un-textured weapons are unsightly. The story is as generic as they come, and the voice acting is a bit forced, though it gets the job done by moving you from area to area. Multiplayer brings a lot of fun to this game. Players will certainly enjoy the Co Op Story mode and Terrorist Hunt Co Op, however the difficulty of getting in a game with a friend is aggravating. The customization options for your character are fun and rewarding, giving you that unique feel, and the ACES combat system does a good job of showing the player which areas he or she plays well in, and what areas they need work on. The features provided, such as the ability to tell your teammates to throw a grenade or the ability to sprint for short distances, is useful, and certainly are nice additions to a great game. Despite some minor flaws, Rainbow Six Las Vegas 2 certainly is a solid game, and an enjoyable experience.