Rainbow Six: Vegas video game review

What can I say, it was just under 20 dollars when I bought Rainbow Six: Vegas new. It is an older game and having played a couple of the original Xbox titles bearing the same name, I felt it was a bargain coupled with the fact that I am in school and not making money.

Platform: Xbox 360

Publisher: UBI Soft Montreal (Oh Canada!)

Release date: 2006

The hallmark of all previous incarnations of the Rainbow Six series is squad based anti-terrorism missions in first person perspective. In a nutshell, Rainbow is an international force from many countries called into situations where negotiations have failed and action is required to resolve unstable and violent situations involving terrorists.

With that in mind, you don't get an in depth narrative with many unique or inventive plot twists, but rather an overall narrative that more or less links the individual missions together.

Graphics: This Rainbow Six title got really good overall reviews for it's look and feel and I would have to say I agree overall. The environments you find yourself immersed in from Mexico to Las Vegas are wide open with a lot of superb overall detail. I found that just in terms of the minute details the graphics are a little flat; especially in comparison to the Ghost Recon: Advanced War fighter title I have played previously, another Clancy licensed and UBI soft developed series. The characters are realistically designed and move fluently but not on the same level as the characters in the Call of Duty series. You get some nice touches like clothes fluttering in the breeze on a clothes line and vehicles that react to being shot, but overall I thought the fine details lacked a little bit of punch.

Sound: The sound of gunfire, grenades, and explosions are staples for this genre of game and said effects are rendered nicely. You will hear menacing yells and curses from your opponents (there are f-bombs in the dialogue during the game) as you take cover and try to take them down. There is a musical score that serves as ambiance in mission and then becomes a little more prevalent during cut scenes to heighten drama and compliments what is happening onscreen nicely. If you have surround sound you will hear the aforementioned effects and yells of opponents come through your speakers with good overall clarity.

Play Control: Whether it be Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, or Rainbow Six, which all are under the umbrella of UBI Soft in terms of development, the play control scheme is different for each title and for the most part the play control in Rainbow Six: Vegas is pretty tight. I only found the peaking around corners and shooting a little bit cumbersome to get used to because you have to hold one button and then use the analog stick to lean out.

Go Rainbow!

Graphics: 4.3 out of 5.

Sound: 4.5 out of 5.

Play Control: 4.5 out of 5.