Rogue Spear: Urban Operations
- April 20, 2000 00:00 AM PST
Granted, Rogue Spear wasn't that dramatic an improvement from Rainbow Six, but even a conservative sequel was enough to maintain a devoted following. Urban Operations builds upon more of the same concept - a few simple touches here and there, and a few more venues to play around in.
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Because terrorists are a cosmopolitan bunch, they're instigating their fiendish troubles upon all corners of the globe, and it's up to your crew to see them rightfully pushing up daisies. Yes, the Clancy-esque glorified plotline is as blunt as ever. But like any good traveling band, you'll be dropping in on Istanbul, London, Venice, Mexico City, and the final heyday somewhere in China.
These five missions will be lucky to last the average player two days. Yet before you dismiss Urban Operations to be the equivalent of Rainbow Six's equally meager mission pack, there are some interesting side orders that just might be to your tastes.
First, the long debated, much awaited SAW makes its first appearance, with a fully automatic 200 round clip that'll clear a crowded room faster than you can pull a fire alarm. For a more accurate Russian model, there's the RPD. And of course, Heckler-Koch's answer to the G3A3, the multipurpose light-automatic HK21, which can readily switch to an accurate single fire mode. If you're a sniper who demands stealth, consider the new AW covert rifle, with subsonic 7.62mm rounds. The SAW will definitely give the game a new balance, but it's too early to say if its addition will be accepted in the multiplay arena.
And you might want to give the computer AI another chance. Sporting genuinely creative improvements, enemy terrorists now mimic the online experience. They'll bob around cover. They'll even use grenades. And they are clinical pyromaniacs, bombing the schnapps out of their own comrades without hesitation, so long as it might bring harm to an unwitting human-controlled player.
Alongside this upgrade, Red Storm has ushered in two new custom modes: Defend and Recon - and it's these additions that exemplify the mission pack's single player value. In Defend mode, in which the SAW is usually a necessity, the terrorists will rush your location and force you into retreat from grenade attacks, but you'll need to stand moderate ground and prevent them from flipping the Almighty Switch. Recon mode should seem familiar: you'll need to place a surveillance bug somewhere on the level and return unnoticed. Five previously cakewalk levels suddenly become a significant challenge.
Dig deeper and you will find five classic Rainbow Six levels as well as over a half dozen new multiplayer maps - some of questionable design, but most worth checking out. Unfortunately, the network code is on par with Rogue Spear; it would have been nice to return to Rainbow Six's efficiency.
If you're still playing on the Zone, you'll easily get your money's worth from Urban Operations. And if you have any sort of soft spot for Red Storm's fiendishly challenging first-person philosophy, you'll find some of their toughest batch within.
