'tactics and squad based elements back in Vegas'
 Developer:Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Category: : Squad based action
Multiplayer: 1 - 16 (Xbox Live)
Official Site
Platform: X-Box 360
Might look like: Rainbow Six Vegas
Date posted: 25 April 2008
Written By: Ian
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The return to Sin City:
So, after 18 months, Ubisoft have delivered a sequel to rainbow Six Vegas, but does it up the ante from the frankly ridiculous first game in the series? Does it end with another stupid cliffhanger? And can it keep up the competitive multiplayer aspect of the first game?
Casino Gameplay?
The gameplay is the one area that has been worked on.
Someone at Ubisoft perhaps read my review of the first game, because for this outing, the number of terrorists has been greatly reduced, but the overall difficulty has been souped up.
You now die very easily (full armour is a must on realistic), and the AI and accuracy of terrorists have been increased (with the bizarre exception of terrorist hunt, which is now a joke as enemies run towards gunfire like headless chickens, lining up to be shot).This is a good thing, as there are now only 1-2 areas where there are a ridiculous number of terrorists!
There is a useful new sprint function (although in multiplayer it just sometimes doesn't work properly), and you now gain XP across all game modes, which is great.
You also collect ACES across three categories, which rewards you for things like headshots or killing rapelling enemies, which allow you to unlock new weaponry. This makes the single player far more enjoyable than in the first game from a gameplay perspective, especially as your team-mates have also been sharpened up.
  
However, the story has little baring on the first game (where did Irena escape to!?!), and despite the conclusion being pretty final, offers little satisfaction and far less pace than the first game.
The story also (mainly) takes you away from the night-time street and casinos of The Strip, so visually, and from a gameplay perspective, much of the appeal is lost as you are fighting in the suburbs, offices, and Nevada desert.
Developer 'Ubisoft' obviously thought variety is good, but at the same time, a lot of the charm has been lost.
Furthermore, the two sections where you fight alone are stupid, pointless and annoying, and hark back to the gameplay flaws of the first game. Don't even attempt them on realistic without the help of a co-op partner.
Incidentally, the co-op works far better now, although for no apparent reason it now only supports 2 players, whilst 'T-hunt' still has room for 4.
Graphics and Sound
The graphics and sound in Vegas 2 are a disappointment. They are still great, but offer no improvement whatsoever over the first game.
Graphically, the fact that many levels are now set in office blocks, or outside in low-rise areas actually look less impressive than the first game, as there is less detail to show off. The frame-rate can still take a dive, and now, when you get shot, there is a nasty pixellated effect, which looks frankly silly.
Don't get me wrong, Vegas 2 looks really good, but its such a shame that no improvements to the engine were made at all.
From an aural perspective, the game gain offers nothing new, and most of the sound effects and even some of the voices are clearly re-used versions from the first game, which is just lazy.
The game packs a nice punch, and the surround mix is really impressive, but again, the lack of innovation, or even effort is a big disappointment.
Better Multiplayer?
Multiplayer works so much better than in the first game. A rudimentary matchmaking programme is in place, so its unlikely someone at the first rank will be placed with a load of elites, which means that incidents of being instantly kicked are less common (although this still happens).
  
Also, the persistent XP means that rank is less important at first sight, as it could have been gained offline.
Performance is improved over the first game, although it still suffers from the universal Unreal Engine 3 problem of the host (and to an extent, their team) having a huge advantage. However, its still a blast to play, although its somewhat unfortunate that many of the maps are recycled from the first game, whilst many of the new maps are forgettable, so its mostly old maps being played over and over, which could leave you to get bored.
Conclusion
"Rainbow Six Vegas 2" is a more accomplished game than the first game. It feels less ridiculous, and the new sprint and XP systems are worthwhile, as with the new multiplayer modes.
However, the fact that there are no graphical updates, many of the maps, graphics and sounds are re-used and recycled, and the whole sense of being in Vegas is pretty much gone, means that some new flaws creep into the game.
It's a huge amount of fun, and provides great multiplayer as ever, but this is a fairly by-the numbers sequel, even if I did enjoy it far more than the first game.
-Ian
Ratings
Manual:
79 % |
Graphics:
80% |
Music & Sfx:
85% |
GamePlay:
78% |
|
This game scores
 
on our 5-point Rating System
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