Rainbow Six: Vegas 2

We'll begin with Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Since I have Gamefly (amazing), reviews like this will be fairly steady and will usually be for the PS3, unless otherwise noted. If you played the first Rainbow Six Vegas, then you're in for a lot of the same stuff in the second iteration. That being said, this is a good thing. The series uses a common element found in shooters these days: a cover system. Games vary tremendously in their utilization of this system and I'd say that R6 is one of the better ones. The biggest reason for this is that the context of the game seems particularly suited for this type of gameplay. R6 isn't about open map combat and large locales flooded with enemies of all types; it's about close quarter firefights, sometimes interspersed with stealth-oriented missions where silent, quick kills are more rewarded than charging in guns-a-blazing. So in this context, hiding behind a pillar, slot machine, or planter, popping out to fire off some well placed shots is more satisfying and appropriate IMO. This is just a more visceral experience.

The story is honestly nothing to write home about. It's not terrible but it's not very inspiring. The gameplay and action will keep you coming back here, not the compelling drama. Additionally, some elements of the story require the player to understand characters from the first game. Not much, mind you, and certainly not enough to stave you off if you haven't played the first one, but it's there. Moving onto the graphics. This is one of those games where I was never really impressed or disappointed by the graphics. The character models are weak compared to say, Gears of War, but they're not the worst. The lighting is the strong suit here and the different types of imaging add to this. Overall, things look good enough but this isn't the title to pop in when you wanna show off your new plasma.

Now sound. I think some players underestimate the effect of sound on a game, but I consider it to be of vital importance. R6 is a bit of a mixed bag. First of all, the gun sounds are good; great even. The guns all differ in how they sound, both loud and with the silencer on. This is a huge plus because this game relies on the immersion of semi-realistic cues, both in the feeling and sound of the game. Too many shooters have sub-par gun sounds and that instantly ruins an important facet of a... well, shooter. Other parts of the game also sound great, like the explosions, flashbangs and movement of your team. That being said, other elements aren't so impressive. The music is a bit lackluster and repetitive. I did like that the music typically matched the mood and pace of the game. If some shit just went down, then it's crescendo-ahoy. If something dramatic happens, cue the John Williams horns. Other than that though, the music doesn't stand out. Another aspect that bothered me was the way the vocals were mixed. Unless you have a great 5.1 or better sound system, be prepared to wonder what the hell is being said half of the game. Whether it's the loud music, the drone of helicopter rotors or machine-gun fire, the vocals are often drowned out and muffled, to the point of being inaudible. Since this isn't the most story-driven game out there, it's not gonna completely break the experience but it's definitely annoying.

As for replay value, there's a lot here. The game utilizes an XP system, both in Single and Multi player. I enjoyed this aspect, since it gives the impression of constant progress. If your teammates get a kill, you still get a point. There is, however, a distinct advantage to your getting your own damn hands dirty. There are 3 different areas you can accumulate additional points in: Sharpshooting, CQB (Close Quarters Combat) and Assault. Different kinds of kills offer different points. For instance, shooting a guy climbing down a rope across the building will net you a Sharpshooter point in addition to your XP point. Sneaking up on a dude and putting a shotgun in his asshole and pulling the trigger will net you an Assault point. As you progress and gain these points, you unlock different weapons or items, typically associated with that focus (i.e. Sharpshooting = Sniper Rifles, CQB = Light Machine Guns). Of course, there is the other, much darker side to this type of system and it is admittedly a big problem. The fact that the player MUST play through any given amount of times or participate in tons of online games just to unlock weapons, clothes and items presents a problem. It means that a lot of the cool gear is available to you until you've put in a nearly egregious amount of time into the game. Not really cool. Additionally, I don't play Multiplayer since I'm not really a fan of being pwned by some 12 year-old British dickwad, but I imagine not having certain kinds of gear presents a distinct disadvantage at times. Again, think COD4. So it's a two-sided coin.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the game. It's a fun action game that has stealth and espionage aspects but doesn't pretend to be Splinter Cell. I don't have the patience for full on stealth games and I like that R6-2 allows the player to choose his/her own adventure. Wanna be a lazy ass and watch your team fuck shit up? Cool. Wanna take the lead and play like it's a standard FPS? Fine. Or you can balance the experience and utilize it all. And that's not even mentioning the variety of tools like goggles, cams, grenades, breaching methods and imaging. It's a pretty meaty game that offers a plethora of approaches and rewards each in different ways. I, for one, appreciate that. Sure, you gotta put in some time to get new stuff, but quite frankly, you could successfully complete the entire game with the MP5N. Over and out, bitches.

Overall Score (out of 100): 82