Xbox 360 Game Review - Tom Clancy"s Rainbow Six Vegas 2
The second installment in the Vegas series sees the now famous Rainbow Six team head back to Sin City for another round of terrorist thwarting action.
While it might not be a completely new experience for many 360 gamers, it's been updated and polished enough to warrant a welcome return.
The Vegas series is a mixture of third and first person action set within the bright lights and seedy streets of Las Vegas.
The game is essentially a tactical shooter that uses a squad management system to provide an experience that's both full of action and reliant on implementing a good strategy.
Normally we'd mention the plot to introduce the game, but the single player storyline offered in Vegas 2 is barely worth talking about.
Much like the original game, the story mode serves more as a six hour tutorial and introduction to the online game than as a serious effort for solo gamers.
You will find a variety of reasons to go shoot terrorists in various Vegas venues, but no narrative that's comparable to Tom Clancy's writing, or even most other 360 games.
Luckily the lack of story doesn't make the single player a totally pointless effort.
The AI is absolutely top notch and the level design is brilliant.
The experience system -- which allows you to unlock different goodies in both single player and multiplayer -- makes continued play more rewarding.
Newcomers will find the controls a little alien at first but players are introduced gradually and once you've figured out how everything works, it's actually very intuitive.
Of course, the real appeal of Vegas 2 is on XBOX Live.
The game doesn't disappoint in this area offering a full section of different game types and maps to enjoy that will extend the lifespan of the game indefinitely.
At the time of writing, the Vegas community is still very active online, not least because it's the only tactical shooter out for the system.
Due to the plot and strategic element of the game, the community is also more mature than you'll find in games like Halo or Gears of War.
Graphically, the game is a little repetitive in places and features some rather flat textures, but overall captures the gaudy feel of Las Vegas to brilliant effect.
Characters and animations are top notch as are most of the graphical effects, all of which occur without any slowdown at all.
If you've played the original game however, you'll notice that there hasn't been much in the way of new graphical features added between versions.
Tom Clancy games have been well known in the past for sacrificing fun for a realistic portrayal of the action.
The Vegas series has changed all that and marks the point where the Rainbow Six name finds a perfect balance between realism and pure enjoyment.
If you're looking for a deep single player experience, Vegas 2 is both short and slightly unfulfilling.
However, if you're a Live gamer, you owe it to yourself to try out one of the most popular games for the system.
While it might not be a completely new experience for many 360 gamers, it's been updated and polished enough to warrant a welcome return.
The Vegas series is a mixture of third and first person action set within the bright lights and seedy streets of Las Vegas.
The game is essentially a tactical shooter that uses a squad management system to provide an experience that's both full of action and reliant on implementing a good strategy.
Normally we'd mention the plot to introduce the game, but the single player storyline offered in Vegas 2 is barely worth talking about.
Much like the original game, the story mode serves more as a six hour tutorial and introduction to the online game than as a serious effort for solo gamers.
You will find a variety of reasons to go shoot terrorists in various Vegas venues, but no narrative that's comparable to Tom Clancy's writing, or even most other 360 games.
Luckily the lack of story doesn't make the single player a totally pointless effort.
The AI is absolutely top notch and the level design is brilliant.
The experience system -- which allows you to unlock different goodies in both single player and multiplayer -- makes continued play more rewarding.
Newcomers will find the controls a little alien at first but players are introduced gradually and once you've figured out how everything works, it's actually very intuitive.
Of course, the real appeal of Vegas 2 is on XBOX Live.
The game doesn't disappoint in this area offering a full section of different game types and maps to enjoy that will extend the lifespan of the game indefinitely.
At the time of writing, the Vegas community is still very active online, not least because it's the only tactical shooter out for the system.
Due to the plot and strategic element of the game, the community is also more mature than you'll find in games like Halo or Gears of War.
Graphically, the game is a little repetitive in places and features some rather flat textures, but overall captures the gaudy feel of Las Vegas to brilliant effect.
Characters and animations are top notch as are most of the graphical effects, all of which occur without any slowdown at all.
If you've played the original game however, you'll notice that there hasn't been much in the way of new graphical features added between versions.
Tom Clancy games have been well known in the past for sacrificing fun for a realistic portrayal of the action.
The Vegas series has changed all that and marks the point where the Rainbow Six name finds a perfect balance between realism and pure enjoyment.
If you're looking for a deep single player experience, Vegas 2 is both short and slightly unfulfilling.
However, if you're a Live gamer, you owe it to yourself to try out one of the most popular games for the system.
