Games for Lunch: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
In a nutshell: What happens in Vegas seems to get a lot of people killed...
7/10/2008 8:12 PM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 3
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: March 18, 2008
Systems: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PS3, PC
ESRB Rating: M
Official Web site
0:00 The sum total of my Tom Clancy' experience is contained in
the 44 minutes I spent with the Ghost Recon 2 demo.
This one got heaps of praise, though, so I'm willing to venture out of my comfort zone a bit.
0:01 This minute spent downloading a quick Xbox Live update, watching a bunch of company logos, and watching a loading screen.
0:02 Jump directly to a title screen, with a slowly rotating view of a large, empty hangar in the background. Military-style trumpet music plays like a dirge in the background.
0:03 I can choose from eight faces, all stereotypically ethnic, all pretty ugly. I can add some facial hair and war paint too, but it all looks kind of ridiculous on these misshapen faces.
0:04 The single-player Story mode can be played in "Casual," "Normal" or "Realistic" difficulties. Does that last one mean my character has to go to the bathroom every few hours? Now THAT'S realism! I choose Casual, confident that it will still be way too much for me.
0:05 A heartbeat plays over a black screen and speeds up as we jump to Pic Des Pyrenees, France, "five years ago." The POV goes immediately to a first-person view over a snow-capped mountainscape. I have to advance to the lower observatory to get my mission briefing.
0:06 The objective shows up as a small white dot on my vision along with the distance. Basic two-stick controls for walking and looking. The walk is kind of slow, and I can't seem to run or jump or anything yet. Hrmm.
0:07 A couple of guys in suits talk a blue streak about some hostages that were looking at a new communications tower. There's a negotiator in there, but he's just a ruse. We're sending two heavily-armed teams to surround the tower and storm in. I'm already a little overwhelmed.
0:08 I wait for the order on my headset, whirl around the doorway, and take out the single guard who's caught unawares. "First kill goes to Bishop," says a random squadmate. "Thanks... I guess that means the first round's on you," says my character. It's a little weird hearing my own characters voice boom through the speakers in first-person. Most of these guys are the strong silent type, I guess.
0:10 I sneak up on a couple of snipers that are pinning down the other team. Neither seems to notice when I take out the other one just a few feet away. Oh, well.
0:11 My teammates seem pretty superfluous so far, hanging back while I do all the killing. I hope this doesn't last.
0:12 I take out a bunch of guys by shooting right through their thin, sheet-metal blockade, but I get taken out myself as I try to pick up an AK47. It doesn't seem to take many hits to do me in, despite the ostensibly Casual difficulty.
0:13 I play it stealthier this time, leaning around the corner to take out the guys as they tell an off-color joke. Gotta remember not to leave myself exposed before it's safe.
