Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3

"A summer of addiction"

I had an addiction, it was something serious, and not to be taken lightly. I tried to quit, but I couldn't. I was a Rainbow Six 3 addict. It was a whole summer where, I ate, slept, and dreamt Rainbow Six 3. I wake up in the morning and it was right to Rainbow Six 3, I took break here and there, but I spent a good 8-14 hours a day playing Rainbow Six 3. Of course when I worked, I couldn't play that much. However my mind kept wondering off and I kept thinking about Rainbow Six 3. Rainbow Six 3 was my first online game where I spent literally hundreds and hundreds of hours. It was my summer of addiction. There was no school, and I had plenty of time to dedicate myself to this game. Readers take note; this review is mostly based on how addictive the online portion is. I will include a single player review, but my main focus will be online.

The graphics in Rainbow Six 3 are more then solid. The lighting effects look great, and the added touch of night vision look great. The game does lag a bit online when it comes to big group battles, but for the most part it holds itself well. The character models look fairly good. The environments do suffice, but at times it lacks any variety. The way an enemy dies really shows off the game's rag-doll physics.

I am going to review each online mode, and what the differences are. The game consists of five different modes, and they are team survival, survival, sharpshooter, mission, and terrorist hunt. Each of them is quite fun, so bare with me while I explain why. Anyways just to touch up a bit on the single player, one will have a set of missions that one has to complete. They have a team that they command, and take into action. It's pretty straight forward, but the fun is online.

Team survival is the most addictive, and most challenging of them all. Man where do I even start. Well for one I spent over hundreds of hours in this mode alone, and well over fifty hours on a single map. Anyways there will be two teams, and the goal is to eliminate all of the other team. What is really cool is the strategy behind it. One can use grenades to clear rooms, or simply work with a teammate on how to take out the other team. Rainbow Six 3 is about precision, and it takes a lot of skills to be able to get good at this game.

Survival and sharpshooter are two modes that rely on individual skills rather then team skills. Survival is where one tries to outlast everyone else. Sharpshooter allows others to respawn when they die, but sometimes there are spawn killers, so that can be a downside. Another downside is the lean glitch, where players can be impervious to gunfire when they do this.

The missions and terrorist are quite fun, if one isn't looking for competitive action. Also it is more effective to use other types of weapons here. One cannot simply rush through this part and expect to complete it. One should bring flash grenades, and smoke grenades to help cover one's track.

There is a lot of strategy here. It isn't just run and gun. One really needs to find a right strategy to win. For example when one first starts out, one should go to a place where one can expect to see enemies. Take cover and take aim. Be careful on how far one leans out of those cover spots, or one can expect to be killed by a headshot. The game also forces one to lean and look to see if there is any impending danger.

What is really cool is the realism behind it. When one is sniping someone who is not expecting it, one must be careful. This is because if one misses they might give away their location. So take aim and look for that headshot. If one cannot get a good shot away, one should relocate and try again. It is also effective to bring grenades that can help one clear a room. The downside is one can give away their position if the room is too big. So flash grenades can be effective too.

The sound is really good. Explosions seem rather realistic. Gunfire sounds great, and really brings out the action. The music is fairly solid at times, especially its team. The theme gives this whole macho and commando feel to it. When the team leader gives commands in the single player mode, it is portrayed quite well. Overall music and sounds are quite good.

This game has everlasting value. One needs to have the time to dedicate themselves to this game. It is a very competitive game, and one can expect a steep learning curve. So if one expects to get good, one needs to expect to devote some time. However once one gets good it becomes so much fun to play and compete. It is very addictive and one can expect to find it hard to put down.

The game presents a very nice commando feel to it. One feels like they are in the Special Forces when they are commanding team rainbow. The overall atmosphere is very good as it portrays the events very well. The online interface is simply addictive and not to be missed. I literally spent hundreds of hours on this game.

Overall Rainbow Six 3 is one of the most addictive games I have ever played. It surely is a game where I have spent the most time. Rainbow Six 3 is not without its flaws though. The lean glitch, and hard learning curve might turn some people off. However the superb level designs, and overall content of this game are more then enough to satisfy anybody. This is simply a great tactical shooter and should not be missed by anyone. However I would recommend one to have Xbox live before they buy this game. Not to say the single player is bad, but to get the full experience one must have Xbox live.

Pros
+ Xbox live
+ Very competitive
+ Very fun online modes
+ Very addictive
+ Superb maps
+ A lot of strategy
+ Solid graphics
+ Teamwork
+ Requires skills to be good at this game

Cons
- Lean glitch
- Hard learning curve
- Single player is lacking a bit

Graphics - 8/10
Gameplay - 9/10
Sound - 9/10
Value - 10/10
Presentation - 9.5/10
Overall - 9.3/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/22/05