Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown

"The Greater Good"

Rainbow Six: Lockdown was one of the more anticipated titles for the Xbox around the time of its (the game's) release. On paper it had what a decent First-Person Shooter should have - fragfest multiplayer online, solid looking campaign and even something innovative - a distinctive statistical advancement system. The final product however, is more or less disappointing. While it still has various aspects to be proud of the overall conclusion is simple - This game is meant to be played online. Fans of previous games in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six juggernaut will feel right at home, assuming of course they can bring their game online.

This is one the few areas where Lockdown actually earns credit. As a First -Person Shooter the focus is heavily on filling your opponents with lead and trying to survive yourself. That impression might come off as generic to many and for good reason, it is very generic. As stated earlier, if you play online you will be treated to some of the better entertainment your Xbox system can provide from gunning down other players. To keep this concept from running dry quickly the player now has direct control over their online avatar. You make purchases and can customize your appearance and stats, this is largely unheard of in the field of FPS's, but it is executed very well nonetheless. This feature gives a faint Role-Playing element, and I can easily see it returning for future games. The controls work exceedingly efficient, if you play the other versions of this game you will get the impression that they were tailor made for this console. The fire button is of course mapped to the trigger buttons and this tradition carries on strong. While they may feel awkward at first, after getting used it to what function each button serves you won't have any other issues with the control scheme. Campaign modes for First-Person Shooters tend to be fun and a decent alternative to those who cannot bring the pain online. Sadly, Rainbow Six: Lockdown gives a resounding feeling that Campaign is in the past and no longer desirable. This of course couldn't be further from the truth, as many still play offline rather than online. The main problem is its almost as if the creators of this game stuck their hands in the bag of generic and over-used campaign concepts and pulled out whatever they got first. Usually a sense of balance is taken into the production of FPS's between online and offline play - well the scales have dramatically tipped to the side of online, leaving many gamers out in the cold.

Not much can be said about Story, as this is a First-Person Shooter. The only portion of a story is told through the bleak Campaign mode. The basic premise is simple - you are part of an elite anti-terrorist squad and its your duty to stop Terrorist A from completing Objective B. This concept does not evolve throughout the game and in due time, each terrorist you bag can give you a sense of relief to know that your one step closer to finishing this bland experience.

Thankfully all is not lost in the audio and visual fields of Lockdown. Graphical presentation is on par with most FPS's and the Xbox only fortifies the visuals. Character sprites are down in solid detail. Texture can be a bit blocky at times but that is to be expected. Particle effects look well, from the explosion of a frag grenade and the smoke that follows. Sound is good enough for this game. The soundtrack belongs and fits the mood for the most part, so no major complaints there. Gun shot rounds are heard clearly and can be used for strategy, depending on how close the shot was fired from and whatnot. Overall, the Xbox version looks and sounds better than its Playstation 2 and Gamecube counterparts; so that is a all-around plus.

Equal to most games in this genre. Very good for extended periods of online gaming (assuming of course you can play with someone online) but otherwise most will lose interest in the lackluster single player mode and not even bother to finish. If you have ample time to go fragging via Xbox Live you will not be letdown, no matter how many years from now that may be. Lockdown has strong replay value if you have the capabilities to go online, otherwise most will never pick this game up again.

For this game my recommendation is very down the middle. If you have Xbox Live and are a fan of FPS's then I say buy this game and enjoy the time you spend with it. On the other end of the spectrum if you offline play is your only option then I suggest you rent this game just to check it out, but your purchasing money in the long run would better be spent somewhere else.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/28/06, Updated 05/16/08

Game Release: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown (US, 09/06/05)