Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2

"A Very Satisfying Tactical Shooter"

Rainbow Six Vegas 2, the latest entry in Tom Clancy's considerable library of shooters, retains nearly all of the features of the first, while expanding upon them in predictable, but undeniably effective ways.

Visually, both the original and its sequel are nearly identical. The graphics are fairly well detailed, with well-rendered and animated environments and characters overall, and particular care given to the weapons. Textures, particularly on character models, can appear a tad muddy at times, but do little to detract from the game. The game also suffers slightly from the "jaggies," or jagged edges on objects on screen, but not terribly so. The game also maintains a good framerate.* So, while not enough to dazzle anyone, the graphics are more than acceptable, especially considering the amount of customization players are allowed in their character's appearance.

*With the EXCLUSION of Split-Screen, which suffered from poor framerate constantly.

Sound quality, much like the first one, is a largely mixed affair. The guns maintain a unique and distinct sound when fired, a definite plus, and the audio quality itself is quite fine. However, the ever-annoying "infinite gunfire sound" glitch seems to have carried over in full force. Those familiar with the original should have already caught on to what I mean, but for those who haven't, basically it is a glitch during multiplayer where, for whatever reason, after someone in the match fires, the audio for that gunfire continuously loops, until the player who's gunfire you're hearing is killed or leaves the match. That aside, what music you do hear does fine, and is usually from an ambient source, typically from speakers in the current area you're in (in-game). Voice acting in the game is acceptable, while not particularly impressive.

Multiplayer voice quality (headsets) seems to be average, nothing special, and therefore not worth mentioning besides acknowledging that it works without any real hitches.

Controls are mostly what you would expect. By default they are set to the standard R1=Fire, Left Analog=Move, Right Analog=Aim, etc., but these can be customized. Gameplay, however, is where the game distinguishes itself, particularly from the popular "run and gun" format most shooters use. The Cover button (L1 by default) presses you against whatever available cover you're standing by if you move the left analog in its direction. Move the left analog up, or towards the edge of your cover, and your character will stand up and aim over it, or lean out to shoot around it, giving you a clear shot. You also have the option of executing a blind fire maneuver, which has your character shoot over or around cover blindly, with only a modest degree of accuracy, useful for providing cover fire for your allies, or killing an enemy foolishly rushing your position, while only exposing yourself a minimal amount to enemy fire. Pressing and holding the square button will bring up a display of options available to the weapon you're currently wielding, including silencers and alternate rates of fire, selectable by corresponding directions of the D-pad, while triangle brings up a similar menu containing your available guns and grenades.

One of the new features in this sequel is the useful Sprint button (L2 by default), which sends your character as fast as he can go in whatever direction you point him, but at the expense of being unable to fire, and only for a short distance, indispensible for covering the distance to that next bit of cover. Although, thanks to the new bullet-penetration feature, that cover may or may not help. Whether a bullet penetrates, or is stopped by cover, depends on the cover material, and the penetration rating of the gun, lending a new layer of strategy to the game that the previous installment lacked. For example, you will no longer be able to hide behind a black-jack table turned on its side with complete safety - if the enemy has a gun with decent penetration, rounds will rip straight through, and possibly you as well. Squad commands seem to have remained the same, with Select by default toggling your squad's RoE (Rules of Engagement), and the X button issuing commands such as Hold Position, Follow Me/Regroup, or Move to Position/Door, and the D-pad controlled entry methods when entering doors, although these orders can also be issued by voice command via headset.

The X button also functions as your general "action" button, executing commands such as climb, rappel, open door, and the like when applicable. The snake cam also remains, usable when aiming at the bottom of a closed door and pressing the action button, allowing you to assess the situation beyond the door, and to mark terrorists in order of priority for your allies using the L2 button. The R2 button retains its use as the vision mode toggle, with a tap enabling/disabling the current vision mode, and a press and hold opening the list of selectable modes.

Overall, Rainbow Six Vegas 2's story isn't particularly interesting, but provides a suitable context for the action in the single-player campaign to unfold, as you play as Bishop (in name only, the character model is your own, customized avatar) and follow him as he tries to stop the latest series of terrorist acts. Without revealing too much, I will say that it is a tale of betrayal and revenge, and brings a competent end to the games' story.

The multiplayer and character customization, however, is where Rainbow Six Vegas 2 really shines. As in the original, multiplayer matches consist of a gametype (Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, etc variants) in any of quite a few maps, supporting up to 16 players simultaneously. Gameplay tends to be tense and intense, with bullets often coming from unseen enemies or through cover, enemies crashing through the sky-lights, or erupting into the room through a door blown off its hinges by a breaching charge, C4, frag grenade, or other sources of destruction.

Ranks are treated much the same, with experience awarded through kills and the bonus to the winning team at the end of the match, but is now also gained through the single-player campaign, with higher ranks getting you new armor, camouflage, and other equipment such as clothing. There is also a new A.C.E.S. system, divided into three trees. The first tree is the marksman tree, which gains its particular points through headshots, long-range kills, and the like. CQB is the second, requiring blind-fire and other close-quarters kills, and assault is the third, in which promotion requires kills using explosives, and killing shielded enemies. Each level in each tree of the A.C.E.S. system gets you either a new weapon useful for that playstyle, or an XP bonus towards your character's rank.

What does all this get you? A fantastic array of weapons, armor, clothes, headgear, and camouflage with which to make your character truly unique. Although, if even that's not enough for you, and you happen to have a Playstation Eye you can actually get the game to generate your real face for use in-game, with a satisfying level of accuracy.

In conclusion, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is a fun, well-done tactical shooter with minimal flaws. Fans of first-person shooters who want a break from the straight-forward run-and-gun playstyle of most other games will likely be very pleased with this title, and fans of the original should like-wise enjoy it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/10/08

Game Release: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (US, 03/18/08)