Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2

"Multiplayer will carry this title but don't ignore single and coop play!"

I played Rainbow Six Vegas for only a little bit right before I picked this title up, Rainbow Sex Vegas Two. It was an ok game only because I came from the run and gun gameplay of Halo and Cod. So at first I just wasn't impressed and was kind of "meh" about getting the second one because I really didn't think I'd enjoy it. I was wrong.

Gameplay - 9
To start this is a very tactical game. It is not the typical run and gun game that most first person shooters are. There is a cover system that can be used to camp corners or move strategically from room to room. They've added a sprint button in the game but to my dismay, left out a melee button again.

For the single player campaign, the game play lasts about 6 hours on Normal (as that's as long as it took me and my brother to beat it on Coop. So I'd say it's safe to assume that it's slightly shorter on Casual and decently longer on Realistic. The story starts before Rainbow Six Vegas and ends up going past the first game, so it's kind of a prequel and sequel. Doing the story on coop made the game fairly easy and we never really ran into any rough spots. There was only a hand full of times where we both died and had to start at a check point and the only reason we both died was because we'd split up when we could and we were going ape stuff on them haha. There is also the Terrorist hunt. It's like you are hunting big game that shoots back at you. Fun.

The multiplayer is similar to Rainbow Six Vegas. There are some new game types that add some excitement and will keep you entertained for a long time. Multiplayer handles very well and if you liked the first game you will like this one too. There is minimal lag (unless you get a bad host) and the mechanics work out very nice in the end.

You also earn aces points and xp in both single and muliplayer modes. Then the guns, gear and camo you unlock can be used in both modes. The rpg style element ads a whole new level to the game.

Controls - 8
The controls are pretty easy to pickup and almost exactly the same as Rainbow Six Vegas. They added a sprint button but it still doesn't have a melee button. I know I mentioned this up above but it's hard to loose after getting so used to one in other games. Sometimes you want to "stick" to a wall and you end up sticking to a different one because if you are in a corner or if you are just a few millimeters closer to the other area. I'm sure with time this will happen less but at first it can get annoying.

Graphics - 8
The graphics pretty good! They really show the horse power of the 360 well. They're not as high quality as Call of Duty 4 but are leaps and bounds better then Rainbow Six Vegas. If you are disappointed in these graphics you need to go sit in a corner... seriously... go.

Sound - 7
There is only so many times you can hear an explosion, foot steps, gun fire, etc. Its not that it's bad, it's just that I've heard better on my surround sound system. There is no problems with sync times or anything, it's just nothing outstanding.

Replay Ability - 10
10 Huh? Well it really depends on if you are taking the game online or not. If you are then by all means a 10 is true because you will be playing hours and hours and even days online. For a $60 price tag for days of entertainment, yea a 10 will suffice. Now if you just want to play the offline version because either you don't have any friends or you just like playing along and don't like the online aspect (my uncle) then replay ability is probably around a 4 to 5. With it being around 6 hours on normal I'm not sure if you'd really want to play it again and if you did would you really play it a third time. Less then 15 hours of gameplay (saying you go through the game twice) is kinda lame. But that's not why you want this game now is it?

Rent or Buy? - Buy
This is a classic question that really comes down to if you are going to play online or strictly offline. If you are a single player person you can beat this in a weekend without even trying, so a rent would work very well for you. However, if you plan on spending any time online and getting good at it this can only be picked up as a buy or it's going to cost you a ton of money in rental fees.

Overall (8/10)
Pick the game up, play it, love it, gamebattle it up and get pwned (only if you play my clan :P)! But seriously, this is a good game and good change from the run and gun tactics of Cod or Halo. Have fun, be safe and don't forget your bullet proof armor. (Or not for more mobility!)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/08

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