Weapons and gadgets, hurray for the ballistic shield!
Weapons and gadgets
Before you jump into a multiplayer match you can select the template that’s best suited to your gameplay. There are four templates to choose from: Recon, Assault, Demo and Sniper. So if you’re the sort of person who enjoys finding an area on high ground and camping, you could choose the sniper option; you’ll have a PSG1, MK23, and some smoke and frag grenades. As you progress through the game you’ll be able to unlock more sniper rifles and more weapons or pick up weapons from any opposition that you’ve killed. The assault template was my personal favourite and you’ll initially start out with an M249 SPW, meaning that you’ll have plenty of clout in close quarter battles. The range of weapons allows you to pick and choose your style, and like the best Rainbow 6 games, you’ll soon have your favourite which you’ll stick with time and time again. Weapons also have upgradeable items such as laser scopes for snipers which improve your targeting ability!
The targeting reticule on each of the guns will only reach a certain distance depending on the chosen gun. If the target reticule is visible over an opponent you’ll be able to take him down, but if you can see him and the reticule is not visible, it means that he may be out of your range. For example, I was perched up on a high balcony with a PSG1 sniper rifle and could make out an enemy down below, after zooming in, the targeting reticule didn’t appear over his body, I shot a few times anyway but the enemy must have been out of range as I couldn’t take him down. Unfortunately by that point I had given away my position and fast-roped down the first floor in a bid to escape. I'm not certain whether the targeting of the sniper rifle that I experienced on this occasion was a fault or whether it was a feature of the game.
Click for larger imageBreaching charges have the same devastating impact as they had in previous games and are great for surprising the enemy or creating a diversion on the opposite side of room. Grenades can be thrown using the ‘B’ button and smoke grenades are great for taking out groups of enemies as you sit back and watch them get thrown around in all directions. Tear gas and smoke grenades are back, so it’s always worth bring a gas mask with you or getting ready to use your heat sensor vision to see through the smoke.
The ballistic shield is an addition that I’m really looking forward to getting to grips with. By pressing your left trigger you bring the shield up in front of you and see the view of the environment through the narrow eye slot. In your right hand you carry a pistol that’s only suitable in close range attacks. As enemies pummel their bullets at you they’ll bounce off and need to be extremely accurate in taking you out. I found the shield ideal for use before you are entering a smaller room. There may be someone waiting in there for you to open the door, but surprising them with a shield means that they’ll have to extremely accurate in their shooting to take you out and at close quarters you’ll have the advantage. You could always bounce a grenade at their feet or call out to a team mate who may be in a better position to hit him from the side or behind.
Other devices on offer include the radar jammer which when activated will de-activate any GPS device in the area meaning that you won’t be seen on the map, and if you’re close to the objective point, their map marker will disappear.
The AI
I played a number of terrorist hunt missions in co-op mode and for the most part the AI was extremely responsive and the action was intense. If I was spotted I’d often see the red markers appear on the map indicating that the enemy was trying to close down my position from all angles. On other occasions I would see them take cover and peak their head around a wall intermittently and patiently waiting for the chance to get a clear shot, but there were also numerous moments where they didn’t react. For example, an enemy came charging towards me machine gun clutched close to his chest, but for some reason didn’t find it appropriate to shoot until he was practically face to face. There were other occasions where they wouldn’t react to my gun-fire and seemed slow to respond if there was more than one person shooting them from different angles. We understand that there may be some tweaking still to be done with the AI so we’re not too concerned for now. Overall though, the AI were good enough not to ruin the terrorist hunt missions and playing co-op, while anxiously searching through missile rooms, research labs and casino floors ladened with roulette tables was an intense, exciting experience.