Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six

"It's REALLY here, and it's REALLY worth it!"

It's here! It's really here! Rainbow Six, a port of the PC title of the same name, was eagerly anticipated last fall as THE first-person shooter to round the fledgling Sega Dreamcast library out. Well, setback after setback occurred (for whatever reason), and it began to look like it was never going to see the light of day. It did, and I have to tell you that it was worth the wait.

GRAPHICS: 8/10

How do I rate the graphics? Do I rate them against the original PC title from two years ago? The other console versions? The rest of the Dreamcast library?
Against the PC original, the Dreamcast REALLY cleans up. The polygons are smoother, they're crisper, and more fluid than they are on a PC, even one with a good 3D video card. The characters breathe, move, and shoot a lot more fluidly. The walls will fill with bullet holes, and all the character models show damage nicely. The pools of blood that well up around a dead person can be shut on/ off, but if you're playing this game, you probably wanted a slice of real combat. Real combat involves blood; sad, but true. I digress. They may not be as polished of character models as you'll find in DOA 2 or Soul Calibur, but they're leaps and bounds above the other versions of R6 released on other systems. They do look really nice, though, and do their jobs effectively.
The environments look appropriately realistic, and involving. Rainbow Six is a visual treat when compared to the other iterations of the game (PC, PSX, N64), but may not be for people seeking another pretty face.

SOUND: 8/10

The sound effects in the game are pretty good. Bullets ricocheting off walls, the chatter from radios found around several missions, the in game voices. Nothing spectacular, but solid. The music is decent and not at all overpowering, but, best of all, can be shut off.

STORY: 10/10

It's a game based off of a Tom Clancy novel, fer crying out loud! It's going to have a very interesting story, full of techno-political terrorists and a host of frighteningly plausible scenarios. Further information, however, is classified (read: Would spoil the story.) If you like Clancy's books (and, better yet, if you've read this magnificent book), you so won't be disappointed.

GAMEPLAY: 10/10

This is truly the most important category. Great gameplay can save a mediocre game, just as poor gameplay can damn a promising one. Now replace the word 'gameplay' with the word 'control.' Great control made games like 'Medal of Honor' succeed, just as poor control schemes made 'Rainbow Six' on the Playstation an abysmal failure.
Before I get started critiquing this versions controls, let me state that if you've ever played the game on PC, you'll find there are so many things you have to do: give go-codes (Codes that tell the other teams to start making their move), change rules of engagement (Do you just charge into a room, sweeping the area for terrorists, or do you worry more about potential hostages that might be around?), change your team's speed, switch between teams, change weapons, go into/ out of sniper mode, switch on/ off NVGs (Night Vision Goggles), and so on, and so on, and so on...
Setting up the control scheme is probably what took so long to get the game out, and it was worth it.

Action mode:

The action mode is the main part of the game. You and your teams are in the field, disposing of the bad persons who are causing such a problem that only a specially trained counter-terror team like yourselves can solve.
The analogue stick controls your look up/down and turn left/right like a super sensitive mouse. The 'A' button is the default for move forward, 'Y' is to backpedal (these are the only two buttons that can be switched). You strafe left and right with 'X' and 'B' buttons, respectively. The right trigger is to fire/ throw grenades. The left trigger acts as a speed toggle (i.e. you walk, backpedal or strafe a little quicker. Not as stealthily, and THAT does matter, though.)
All the other features are contained within combinations of the DCs Digital pad.
Hold Left and 'A', and you get your primary weapon. Left and 'B' gets your secondary. Left and 'X' is your primary item; With 'Y,' it's your secondary item.
Down and a Letter key changes an aspect of your view: Sniper mode, NVGs, First/Third Person mode (First is better :p), and map mode.
Go codes are done by holding the left trigger, the Start button, and pressing A, B, X, or Y.
You get the idea, yes?
A very efficient scheme that allows everything you need to do to be easily done... once you get used to it. Fortunately, they've included a training mode. Use it wisely; use it often. You'll get used to it in no time flat.
One word of warning: the game autosaves to the VMU after each completed mission, so make sure before moving on to the next mission that everyone walks out alive, because in this game where one shot can kill, when your people die, that's it, they're gone FOREVER. Therefore, don't die. Simple enough.

Planning Mode:

There's also an intensive mission-planning setup where you select your teammates, their gear, their team setup, and map out the mission.
It is this map making screen that lets you really exercise the right trigger. You use it to select the different menu icons, to place waypoints (the stops along the path the team must walk), select the go-codes, and the initial ROE (rules of engagement) for the teams. The D-Pad moves the map up/down/left/right, the analogue stick rotates it and zooms in and out.
If you're ever stuck in planning mode, just press 'Y', an it will display the list of functions for you.

REPLAYABILITY: 7/10

The problem with a linear first person shooter is that when you're done with a mission, that's usually it. You're done. It's over. With this one, you have access to all your previous missions, and you can replay them to your hearts content. However, the results don't change things. If Ding Chavez dies on the third mission and you save it, he's never coming back, no matter how well you do in practice. On the other hand, practice makes perfect; so try out each level first.

What keeps this from a perfect ten is the lack of online team play; this game ruled the team play internet game field on PC, and it would have been nice to have some other humans as backup on a mission. Oh well, you can't have it all. I suppose.

BUY/RENT: BUY

If you're familiar with the game, or want an intense military thriller, buy this NOW!!! Stop reading this paragraph, and go buy this fabulous game!
If you're not 100% whether to buy this or not, or aren't sure this type of game is for you, please rent it. Most places will let you rent five days for five dollars. Use that time to make your decision. I have a feeling you might like what you find.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/18/00, Updated 05/18/00