Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Review
Return to the city of sin
by Chris Davis
reviewed on X360
A Little More Action Please (cntd)
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 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 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.
Something that 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 as both the enemy and friendly AI for the most part seem to have an intelligence level 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 for 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 it is clear that they weren’t trying to reach that goal this time around. Set during the daytime as opposed to the previous game’s glitzy nighttime, 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.
8.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
