Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2

"Another misfire in the Rainbow Six franchise"

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2

To say that the “Rainbow Six” series has been as uneven as an episode of Family Guy would be an understatement, but when originally released, “Rainbow Six” was a revolution in the modern warfare genre. The moments of brilliance in “Rainbow Six 3” and “Rainbow Six Vegas” have unfortunately been countered by abysmal entries like “Rainbow Six: Black Arrow” and “Critical Hour” that looked like they would perhaps drive the franchise into an early grave. Luckily they managed to rebound in grand fashion with 2006's “Rainbow Six Vegas”, yet sure enough, true to their tradition, developer Ubisoft has once again given us another half-assed title.

Vegas 2's storyline takes place before and after the events of the original with you taking the role of your created player named “Bishop”. You're tasked with hunting down a terrorist plot to (surprise!) detonate a bomb that will kill millions. The storyline is instantly forgettable, the dialogue is hammy and the outcome obvious. I am so sick of modern warfare games recycling the same plot again and again: there's an army of terrorists; they have a bomb, and these apparently grow on trees in gaming because people get their hands on nuclear devices like candy; and you must stop them to ensure freedom blah, blah, blah.

The gameplay is identical to that of the original, far more so than I would like. The only real new additions are several new weapons and the ability to order your squad to toss grenades in designated areas. With that said the gameplay is still solid, you'll find some genuinely thrilling firefights throughout the course of the game, and rappelling down the sides of buildings and breaching through the windows never gets old. What cripples the game here is a barrage of bugs and nuisances that seriously hamper the enjoyment you would otherwise have had. When peeking around a corner you may actually find your character pressing up against thin-air, making it impossible to utilize some areas for cover. Enemy accuracy is unreal, these guys NEVER miss. Even when blazing away with a stationary machine gun from over 100 feet, they'll hit most every shot. Incredible.

The hit detection is also terrible. I can't count how many times I shot an enemy in the head with a precision weapon and they survived, even after ten more headshots followed. For a game that's striving for “realism”, this is absolutely unacceptable and downright embarrassing. The bugs don't stop there either. I encountered multiple other annoyances like enemies surviving multiple point-blank shotgun blast in the backs, to crippling issues such as when my character fell through the geometry of the level forcing me to quit the game and restart. Ouch.

So what has been improved? Honestly, not much. But to be fair, “Vegas 2” does sport a much better experience points system and co-op mode. In the previous “Vegas” your created character could really only gain ranks by completing terrorist hunts online or participating in the multiplayer modes. In “Vegas 2” your character can level up very generously through the single-player campaign and pretty much any other mode available. Weapons are also no longer unlocked by progressing in rank, but instead by achieving so many headshots, kills with explosives or close quarters combat. The co-op mode also works better despite being knocked down from supporting four players to only two. Your characters now take part in the cut-scenes rather than just going from level to level with the story elements removed as they were in the original. The host is also given command of two computer-controlled squad-mates which leads to some interesting tactical approaches to the levels by combining real players with computer A.I. to tackle the beastly difficulty.

As for the Xbox Live support, well…it's there, and essentially the same. I have never been a fan of “Rainbow Six” deathmatch and after “Vegas 2”, I stand firm by my stance. If you loved the originals multiplayer you'll probably still enjoy this though not as much as you might have hoped for a sequel. The majority of games I participated in were populated with whining little kids, and stoned idiots. I was constantly booted from co-op matches as well for taking the game slowly and strategically, as it was designed for instead of rushing in and being killed in the first minute like everyone else.

Graphically, ouch, what happened here? What was a great looking game in the original has turned into a very mixed bag with some impressive weapon and character models meeting bland environments with areas that aren't even textured. There're some nasty frame-rate dips as well when things start getting hectic. The sound is equally uneven, the guns all sound fine but nothing memorable, but to make matters worse much of the dialogue of your squad from the original has been recycled and mixed with new dialogue done by different sounding voices actors. That's just…weird.

The bottom-line is “Rainbow Six Vegas 2” feels more like an expansion pack than the official sequel it's presented as with its $60 tag. Yet even as an expansion and lower price “Vegas 2” still wouldn't suffice. With so many far superior modern warfare games available such as “Ghost Recon 2: Advanced Warfighter” and “Frontlines: Fuel of War” there's no reason to pay full price for this buggy mess. I know “Rainbow Six” fans will no doubt ignore this review, but as long as you keep paying your hard earned money for crap, they'll keep making it, again and again.


Graphics: 6.5
Gameplay: 6.5
Sound: 7.0
Overall: 6.5

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/27/08

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