Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear

"A great mix of strategy and action!"

Intro
Ever since I got into SWAT based games, I've bought Tom Clancy video games. They play out what it is like to be in a SWAT team. Now, Ubi Soft and Red Storm have brought this great title to the Game Boy Advance.

The plot of this game is based off Tom Clancy's book. It focuses on the secret life-saving team known as ''Rainbow.'' These groups of skilled members are here to help make the world a better a safer place, by saving hostages, defusing bombs, and infiltrating enemy locations. Most would not expect much from a top-down game that is based off a first person shooter, but this was made very well.

Controls-6/10
This is a very important element in creating a successful game, and sadly, this game doesn't have very good controls. Though they aren't the best, the also aren't the worst. The basic functions (move, shoot, reload) are very easy to do and require a flick of the finger. My beef about the controls is all the tricky combinations you must use to rescue hostages, manually aim, etc. One example is that I was trying to save a hostage using the controls, and due to the tricky combo, I accidentally shot and killed the hostage instead of saving it! My other beef is that there are only 2 different control configurations, and the only difference is the game switches the button A, with B. So with every command, you replace A with B, and vice versa. I would have scored controls better if they had customizable controls or more control schemes.

Graphics-8/10
Admit it: most of you buy games if they look real well for the system. At first, I was skeptical of the overhead view for a First Person Shooter game. It reminded me of Rainbow Six for the Game Boy Color! But once I bought this game and tried it out, I was proved wrong. The graphics are VERY impressive and have no slowdown for a Game Boy Advance game. Some good points were that you could tell the different operatives (recon, assault, sniper etc.) by just looking at their armor and helmets. There are also many choices of camouflage to wear in your mission to blend in with the environment. The overhead view also gets kudos for making it very easy to think. Low points for graphics are that it is hard to tell what gun you are holding without looking at the icon that tells you what you are holding, and the sniping isn't too great in my opinion. Also, I got confused at first with the ammo numbers. I couldn't tell how many clips I had left, and how many rounds I had in my magazine. They should label those.

Sound-10/10
Sound is another crucial detail that makes a game great. What good is it if you can't hear where enemies are? Rogue Spear impresses me the most with its stunning sound. It's absolutely perfect stereo sound, and the voices are very clear. The accents of the terrorists are very well done, and the firing sounds of the guns are nice. The footwork is real cool too, and is important too. You have to hear enemy's footsteps in order to think well. I was most impressed with the sound with its amazing environment changes. You're outside, you can hear snow crunching. You step in a basement, and you then hear the low buzz of the fuse. This was my favorite element of the sound in Rogue Spear, although sometimes the sounds did not match with the texture you were on. I also enjoyed the menu music very much, and it had much passion.

Gameplay-8/10
This is probably the BIGGEST thing to make a great game, and Rogue Spear nails it. There is a mixture of assaulting missions, sniping missions, and recon missions, which puts the many characters to good use. The game engine is very strong and well done. The plot is very good, and each level follows the story line. This game has a few bugs, but they don't affect the game TOO much, but some really drag the game down. The common bugs such as gun jams, guards getting stuck in doorways, and sometimes my guns fire silently. What really is bad about my teammates is sometimes, then just run off, which is a bug. Not only do they run off madly, but they lose their sense to do anything, and usually end up getting slaughtered. Sometimes, you also get stuck on walls if you aren't careful. One thing about my teammates also, which isn't a bug, is that sometimes they don't always help me take out the enemy, and just sit there. Most missions are hostage missions, which sort of made me disappointed, but it is still good. The 2-player co-op and 4-player death match mode were awesome, but I think it would be nice to have 4-player co-op mode.

Overall-8/10
In conclusion, I'd like to say that this is a must-have for any strategy gamer, or just any plain gamer. I'd definitely buy any sequel/similar game. If you aren't too sure, rent this game first. You WILL be satisfied.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/15/02, Updated 10/08/03