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Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (Xbox 360)

Manufacturer: Ubisoft Entertainment Part number: 52321

$18.99 - $24.99 at 5 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
4.5 stars Spectacular
Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 13 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Description:: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six makes its next generation hardware debut in the most dramatic installment of the renowned First-Person Shooter franchise to date. Team Rainbow takes to the chaotic streets of Las Vegas as a terrorist siege in "Sin City" threatens to take world terrorism to new, uncontrollable, heights. The future of global security hangs in the balance as ... Read more

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Gamespot editors' review

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (Xbox 360)

price range: $18.99 - $24.99

Reviewed by: Jason Ocampo
Reviewed on: 11/21/2006
Released on: 11/20/2006

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It's pretty easy to imagine that plenty of eyes rolled when Ubisoft revealed that the next game in the Rainbow Six franchise was going to be set in Las Vegas. It sounded like a move that only the creatively bankrupt would undertake, and the Rainbow franchise is certainly getting up there in terms of years. It also seemed kind of fitting, since Vegas is where all the washed up entertainers eventually wind up. Well, any such notions are a big mistake, because this new Rainbow Six is like the new Las Vegas. It's refreshed, reinvented, and ready to take on the world, and it's also one of the best tactical shooters on the Xbox 360 to date.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegasscreenshot

You'll go from the slums of Mexico to the glittering casinos of Las Vegas in this intense tactical shooter.

In Rainbow Six Vegas, you play as Logan Keller, the leader of one of Rainbow's elite three-man counterterrorist assault teams who is called into action after an operation in Mexico goes bad and, for some reason, the terrorists strike the casinos and high-rise hotels of Las Vegas. Your job is to stop them and ascertain their intentions, which involves the standard McGuffin device that will kill millions and a secret military base hidden inside a massive hydroelectric dam. The story borrows a few too many plot twists seen in other Ubisoft games, namely Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, and the lack of a satisfying resolution also makes the plot feel like a paper-thin reason to battle an army of terrorists in Las Vegas of all places, but it's easy to overlook because the combat in Rainbow Six Vegas is simply excellent.

What elevates this chapter of Rainbow Six is the cutthroat tactical combat, which is far above anything seen in the series. The combat elevates the action for shooters in general, but Rainbow Six Vegas happens to arrive on the heels of the superb Gears of War, and it's eerie just how similar the combat systems in both games are. It's hard to say that one cribbed from the other, since both games were in development at the same time, but it's easy to get the feeling that the maturation of tactical combat is an idea whose time has finally come, and the result is a lot of intense action as you scramble for cover from all the bullets headed your way.

In Rainbow Six Vegas, just like in Gears of War, slabs of concrete are your best friend, along with the edges of doorways, slot machines, the side of an SUV, and pretty much anything else solid that you can put between yourself and the enemy. By moving up to those objects and holding down the left trigger, you can "hug" the cover and then poke your body out from the sides or the top to shoot at the enemy before ducking down again. Or, if you're under heavy fire, you can poke your rifle around the corner and fire blindly to keep the bad guys at bay. The game seamlessly transitions from first-person to third-person perspective when you do get behind cover, so you get a very cinematic effect of watching yourself huddle while bullets impact around you.

If you're in trouble you can blind fire around corners to keep the bad guys at bay.

You don't fight alone in Rainbow Six Vegas, either; you're usually accompanied by your two teammates. The artificial intelligence does a great job of controlling these agents as they follow you. Pathfinding, for instance, is very rarely a problem, as they can navigate the cluttered environment effectively, and they use cover just as well as you do. Controlling your teammates is simple, too. By simply pointing at a spot on the ground and tapping the A button, you can tell them to move to that position. Point at a door and hit A, and they'll "stack up" to it, or get into position to clear the room. Hitting down on the D pad tells them to either hold place or fall in behind you. In fact, the controls for the game in general are pretty intuitive and simple, and we found it effortless to do complex tasks, such as snaking a flexible camera under a door, calling out the targets inside to our team, and then executing a simultaneous takedown from two different angles.

What also promotes Rainbow Six Vegas over its predecessors is the sensation that you're really playing as an elite commando. For instance, these new Rainbow agents borrow a page or two from Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher, and you can play in a highly mobile and agile manner. You can quickly rope out of a helicopter onto the top floor of a skyscraper, run over to the side, and leap over the edge on a rappel line, all in a few seconds. While on the rappel line you can hang upside down, lower yourself far enough to see into the target room, then call out the location of the terrorists inside. Then, on your command, your team will burst through the window and clear the room. This isn't just a mere gimmick, either, as the levels are designed so that most rooms have multiple points of entry, so you can determine your takedown strategy for each one. Admittedly, one of the contrivances in the game is that bad guys in a neighboring room seem unaware of all the gunfire and explosions going on down the hall, but at least this lets you execute textbook takedown after takedown throughout a level.

On the normal difficulty level, Rainbow Six Vegas is a moderately challenging game, though it's fairly forgiving thanks to the fact that you can absorb a fair amount of damage before you die. Rainbow Six Vegas uses the same kind of health system found in Gears of War and other shooters, so there are no health packs or health meters to worry about. Instead, when you take damage your vision begins to blur, and if you take too much damage you die. However, if you manage to find cover and avoid getting shot for a few seconds, your vision begins to clear and you'll be back at full health. This lowers the frustration level considerably, as you don't have to worry about rationing the health meter like you did in this year's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter.

Another cool element is the feeling that you're a highly mobile commando, capable of rappelling into danger on a moment's notice.

However, if you ratchet up the difficulty setting to "realistic," Rainbow Six Vegas becomes an incredibly tense and difficult experience--in a good way. In realistic mode, the amount of damage you can absorb before you die is much lower than in normal mode, and this makes you really rely on using real-world tactics and playing a lot more conservatively (and, well, realistically). For instance, instead of charging across an open area like you might on normal difficulty, you'll probably want to pop a smoke grenade to provide concealment; otherwise, you'll get cut down before you get halfway to your destination. Realistic mode will result in you dying a lot, but when you do, you'll realize more often than not that it's because you did something stupid, which means you get to learn from your mistakes and be smarter for it.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 13 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 13

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9 stars

One of the best

by cjlehnert on April 12, 2007

Pros: Game play, intelligent AI, great visuals, difficulty

Cons: No melee option

Summary: Let me start off by saying that I am only reviewing this game based on the single player campaign. I have not tried the multiplayer stuff yet and from what ...

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Summary: Let me start off by saying that I am only reviewing this game based on the single player campaign. I have not tried the multiplayer stuff yet and from what I hear that is the best part.

Also I am not a huge fan of the Tom Clancy series of games (Although I did read one of his R6 books). I don't really know why but I have always shy'd away from them. A friend of mine recommended this game. So I gave it a try. I am only a couple of missions in on the single player mode and I love it. It is not as good as gears of war (what game is) but it certainly deserves every accolade it has gotten.

The AI in this game is great. I have have mostly played FPS's on the PC and have seen some good AI come and go. The AI in this game is probably some of the smartest I have encountered. Another user posted how the AI flanked him/her. This has happened to me as well. Also hearing the enemies call out to each other is pretty cool.

The difficulty is what really helps make this game. Unlike most games where you can take multiple shots before you're pushing up daisies; in this game you can't really take too many shots (two, maybe three). A lot of this is related to the distance your enemy is away from you, the weapon, etc. For example A shotgun blast in close range will drop you in one shot. The same shotgun fired from a distance will not drop you but the spray from the shell will certainly hurt you. I especially liked how even when I was in cover the spray was able to hit me via debris etc.

My only complaint is the lack of a melee option. THere have been a couple of occasions where I unexpectedly got close to an enemy and the ability to knock them silly, then shoot them would be nice. Keep in mind I consider this a very small negative.

This is a great game all around.

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2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

I love this game becase of the ability to hide.

by longtine on March 17, 2008

Pros: great graphics and great multiplayer compatibility

Cons: ummm.. i guess there are less graphics in multiplayer because of all they have to load.

Summary: If you want a sweet shooter with many weapons available to you right away buy this game. Or wait until 3/19/08 and buy the SEQUEL!!!

Summary: If you want a sweet shooter with many weapons available to you right away buy this game. Or wait until 3/19/08 and buy the SEQUEL!!!
9 stars

One Of My Favorite Tom Clancy Games

by DylS123 on July 12, 2007

Pros: Great graphics, Nice sound, Good AI, Fun missions, and Excellent online play

Cons: Not too many online games, Laggy online play sometimes

Summary: This is an excellent game. I really enjoyed playing this game. There is an excellent story line but I don't understand why the terrorists speak Spanish in Mexico and ...

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Summary: This is an excellent game. I really enjoyed playing this game. There is an excellent story line but I don't understand why the terrorists speak Spanish in Mexico and then when they get to Las Vegas they speak perfect English? But that did not bother me too much because you end up killing them anyways no matter what language they speak. Just like many other FPS games it is a game where you have to hunt down terrorists and...well...kill them. This is my favorite Tom Clancy game simply because the graphics are amazing and the gameplay is a lot of fun. I really enjoy the online play, mostly the Co-op Story Mode. There aren't that many people playing online when I am playing but that may be different for others. One major problem I noticed behind the story is you don't really find out much about your main character. Yes it is Rainbow Squad but I do not remember who this main character is. I guarantee that this game will give you the FPS experience you are looking for. Maybe even more then that... but you will have a lot of fun with this game.

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9 stars

Great game; great multiplayer

by jessev1823 on May 21, 2007

Pros: Graphics, online gameplay

Cons: cant send invite on online ranked match

Summary: Very good game, and enjoy playing it online. Graphics are great and good maps.

Summary: Very good game, and enjoy playing it online. Graphics are great and good maps.
10 stars

Best Game for 360 YET!

by hxcdi3hard on May 4, 2007

Pros: Amazing multiplayer online!!!!!! Great co-op story mode!!

Cons: Long load times for single player

Summary: One of the best games for 360 yet..... best for online!

Summary: One of the best games for 360 yet..... best for online!
10 stars

you hunt terrorists

by cool dhru on May 2, 2007

Pros: really fun!

Cons: you can't respawn on multiplayer terrorist hunts

Summary: this game owns all

Summary: this game owns all
9 stars

Best R6 in a long time

by gifters on April 2, 2007

Pros: Solid Campain and Multiplayer

Cons: Some in game glitches

Summary: Initially there were a few balance and in game glitches that downed online play but a lot of those have been fixed / adjusted. Online play was never unmanageable. Vegas is ...

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Summary: Initially there were a few balance and in game glitches that downed online play but a lot of those have been fixed / adjusted. Online play was never unmanageable. Vegas is great with SDTV's when compared to games like GRAW 2 with SDTV

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7 stars

FUN AT THE BEGINNING, BORING IN THE MIDDLE

by devo36 on March 27, 2007

Pros: COOL GRAPHICS, REALISTICS WEAPONS

Cons: VERY REPETITIVE

Summary: IS THE SAMETHING IN ALL THE SCENARIOS, OPEN DOORS AND SHOOT YOUR ENEMYS, RESCUE OVER RESCUE, WHAT MORE ELSE?

Summary: IS THE SAMETHING IN ALL THE SCENARIOS, OPEN DOORS AND SHOOT YOUR ENEMYS, RESCUE OVER RESCUE, WHAT MORE ELSE?
10 stars

Awesome...

by kinggorman on March 8, 2007

Pros: The Whole Game

Cons: None that I can think of

Summary: Besides 15 yr old kids tooling on me in XBox live, because 25 year olds have to go to work & stuff, this game is sick. It ruled my life ...

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Summary: Besides 15 yr old kids tooling on me in XBox live, because 25 year olds have to go to work & stuff, this game is sick. It ruled my life the first week I had it

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8 stars

The computer is no longer easy

by lifendz on January 9, 2007

Pros: Amazing A.I., Graphics that make you proud of your 360, Gun sounds are authentic, multiplayer

Cons: Storyline is weak at best, no melee combat

Summary: I got gears and this for christmas. I played gears nonstop for a week and then finally put this game in. My cousin and I were initially turned off by ...

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Summary: I got gears and this for christmas. I played gears nonstop for a week and then finally put this game in. My cousin and I were initially turned off by the controls and simulation feel. In this game when you're dead you're dead. There is no saving your partner like in gears. You can put respawn on but that really makes the game feel cheap. To appreciate it you have to leave it on no respawning. But anyway, we played this and were hooked. The computer not only reacts smartly to you but will change their location if you play a stage enough. Advancing on the enemy takes team work and communication. Best moment was taking cover while I was being fired upon. While trying to snipe the enemy firing at me, another flanked and took me out. Great game. My one complaint is that there is no melee attack. Sometimes you'll come up close and personal with the enemy and you're unable to just pummel them. This is especially frustrating when you have your sniper rifle out and don't have the time to switch weapons.

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Ubisoft Entertainment
Part number: 52321
Description: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six makes its next generation hardware debut in the most dramatic installment of the renowned First-Person Shooter franchise to date. Team Rainbow takes to the chaotic streets of Las Vegas as a terrorist siege in "Sin City" threatens to take world terrorism to new, uncontrollable, heights. The future of global security hangs in the balance as you battle to defend classic Vegas locations and environments like Fremont Street, the Strip, and interactive casinos. Experience Las Vegas like never before - through revolutionary next generation technology as team Rainbow works against the clock to keep one of the world's most recognizable cities from complete and utter devastation.

Product Basic Spec
Platform Xbox 360
ESRB rating Mature - Blood,Strong Language,Intense Violence,Suggestive Themes
Genre Action
Context Realistic
Number of players 1-16 Players
Connectivity Online,System Link,Scoreboards
Difficulty Medium
Learning curve About a half hour
Customization Downloadable Content
Offline modes Cooperative,Competitive
Online modes Cooperative,Competitive

Game
Developer Ubisoft Montreal
ESRB Mature
ESRB descriptors Blood,Strong Language,Intense Violence,Suggestive Themes
Release date 11/20/2006

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Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (Xbox 360)

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