Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow

"A Worthy Addition?"

Before I kick the review off, I would like to point out that this game was made as an expansion, NOT a sequel, and I have rated it as such. I have rated this game based on its comparison and improvement over the original. With that in mind, lets get started.

Graphics- 9.0: The graphics really are not all that different, but there have been some improvements to areas that needed it. For instance, the character models of both you're squad and the terrorists have been touched up noticeably, and are more varied from level to level. The levels themselves have also gotten a makeover in areas. One particular level is the Nuclear Power Plant, which looks great with all the glass and open areas. The levels are also less linear and there are more open spaces, not to mention they are twice as large without any graphical degradation.

Sound-7.0: This area has been nearly unchanged. Though the terrorists have different voices, and their screams are just as funny when you ignite them with a phosphorous grenade, the rest of the game seems unchanged. The music has changed, and there is a new announcer, but that's about the extent of it. The announcer seems a little annoying as it gives you more info than what is needed. When the red team successfully captures a canister, I don't need to here “The red team successfully returned the canister to their depot station” when simply “Red team scores” would have been enough. Especially in a large room with like 16 players when scores are happening all the time. Overall though it's really a minor gripe. And again, I rated this category based on its (lack of) improvement over the previous installment.

Gameplay-9.5: This has always been Rainbow's strong point, and it's only improved in Black Arrow. The same tense gameplay is back, and players of the regular Rainbow Six 3 will feel right at home. The levels have been changed considerably in both single and multiplayer. The levels are now much bigger and are more complex, and as a result, you'll be watching you back a lot more. Lean glitching has also been done away with. That's right, not more leaning out in the middle of the street whilst somebody unloads on you with an M60 and you end up killing him without you having a scratch. The new game modes are a nice addition, those being retrieval and Conquest. Retrieval works like capture the flag, only there's just one flag, and conquest is set up with three satellites scattered on the map you must capture. Both modes are nice, but retrieval gets a little old considering the mode was obviously stolen from Splinter Cell 2. The game modes also aren not as fun unless you have a lot of people in a room. To top that off, you should play with people you know, who play ‘clean”, because spawn camping will be a major issue with both modes as when you get killed, you respawn in the same spot every time. However, the larger levels will help with that. The single player portion of the games is much better than the original, as there are now multiple objectives. And now that the level sizes have increased it's more drawn out. The A.I. of the enemies has improved, (though the squad a.i. hasn't). and they will through molotovs, grenades, and use RPG's more often, even indoors. Overall, the single player gameplay is much better in just about every way.

Features & Replay Value-9.0: There was a lot of stuff added to this game, not just the two game modes, and new levels, but the addition of LIVE! 3.0 support will really set this game apart. There are now competitions, clan, and voice support. Lone Wolf will have you going gung hoe just get to the top of the leaderboard, which now keep track of offline single player scores. The levels are a nice change, though it is beyond me why UBISoft decided to keep "“Peaks" in, since it was barely played in the original. No additional weapons hurts also, especially since they just took the AK-47 and strapped a scope on it to use as the dragunov, which is not what the real dragonuv looks like for those that don't know.

Overall (Not an Average)-8.5: As an expansion this game is great. With a much-improved single player, bigger levels, two new game modes, and clan support, Rainbow will still be on top. However, a lack of improvement in certain areas hurt the game, and some glitches from the original carried over. Mainly servers indicating they are open when they are not, as well as in-game freeze-ups when switching vision modes. On another note, as an expansion, I think this game should have been $30 instead of $40, not that it's really not worth $40, but that it is indeed an expansion. If you really loved Rainbow Six 3, trade in the older version at EB-Games and get this one for $30. For everyone else, if there are other shooters coming out soon (besides Halo 2) that you're interested in, save you're money and stick with what ya got. Reason being is because, there are so many games coming out this fall, including lots of FPS games, you would be better off putting that 30 or 40 dollars toward another game if you'll only be playing Black Arrow for a few months, or intend to buy another shooter. Because it's the same gameplay you have been playing the past 9 months.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/15/04