A quick cash in or tactical shooter of the year?
Despite being a huge fan of Rainbow 6, I wasn't expecting much from the sixth instalment of the popular tactical shooter series. The comparatively short development period between Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 and Rainbow 6 Vegas led me to believe that Ubisoft Montreal couldn’t have had the time to add anything even remotely innovative or new to the game.Even the game's title suggests that the developer has been lazy in its approach to this much-loved franchise and that it simply couldn't be bothered to think of a new location for its counter-terrorist operations. Before you've even played the game, you can't be blamed for thinking that Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 is simply a quick cash-in on the Rainbow 6 name, with a simple 'cut and paste' job of the casino locations from Vegas and a swift re-write of a dodgy Tom Clancy novel.
In many respects Rainbow Six Vegas 2 doesn’t add anything new to the series, but I was totally wrong in my assumption that it wouldn’t be a game that stands on its own merit.
Although it does bear many of the hallmarks of the Rainbow 6 Vegas of old-ish, with the same combat mechanics, level design and framework, as far as excitement goes, this sequel/prequel, whatever you want to call it, still manages to thrill in single player mode, provides a cracking multiplayer experience and most of all keeps you entertained right up until the final shoot-out. Once again, the latest iteration in the Rainbow 6 series is right up there with the best tactical shooters around.
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