What Happens In Vegas 2...Is Totally Awesome
- July 07, 2008 12:11 PM PST
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The late, great Elvis Presley once sang that in order to survive in Vegas, all you needed was "a strong heart and a nerve of steel." Of course, the King never had to shoot it out with terrorists but when it comes to the action packed Rainbow Six Vegas 2, his words still ring true anyway. So join us as we return to the city of sin to put our hearts and nerve to the ultimate test, Rainbow Six-style!
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Letting an enemy get this close to you isn't the best idea; that scope's there for a reason, you know?
With its quick pace, memorable locations, and smooth controls, the original Rainbow Six: Vegas helped revive the longstanding tactical shooter franchise. While the sequel Vegas 2 doesn't shake things up as much as its predecessor, but it's still got enough glitz and glamour to eat up large chunks of your free time.
Deep Cover
As I said, Vegas 2 doesn't veer that far off the beaten path forged by the first Vegas title. Not much has changed gameplay-wise, which is a good thing for battle hardened vets who fought their way through the first title. You're still cast as a highly trained anti-terrorist specialist who roams around with his squadmates, picking of evildoers with an impressive array of firepower. You still rely on cover, blind-fire to distract opponents and peek out for the well-executed pin-point precision shot. You also command a squad of highly trained operatives as you clear rooms and secure objectives.
Every kill rewards you with XP but how you kill determines what bonus points you earn in three A.C.E.S. categories.
Thankfully, the controls, which were tight and intuitive in the first installment, haven't changed much. Controlling your own character is a breeze and commanding your two AI companions quickly becomes second nature. Center your reticule on a patch of ground, an objective, or a closed door, and a simple button tap sends them on their context-sensitive way, ready to go loud or breach-and-clear at your urging. They're not perfect: sometimes they seem to think they're safely behind cover even as bullets streak into them by the dozen, and asking one to toss grenade can be tantamount to suicide under most circumstances, but they pull their weight, effective follow orders, and only very rarely get stuck on corners or each other.
Bright Lights, Sin City
Of course, the gameplay is only half the equation here in Vegas 2: the rest is made up by the game's exciting and dynamic setting. From the saturated purples of a night club's decor to the themed booths of the convention center, Las Vegas once again proves to be a rich and satisfying playground to explore. Unfortunately, the six main missions are still disjointed hops between discrete engagement zones, which dampens the impact of the overall world. The game also relies heavily on cheesy invisible script triggers that makes the world feel like a series of jack-in-the-box showdowns, but such complaints are softened by an increased quantity of assault pointsdoors, skylights, bay windows, etc.that allows for more tactical creativity.
Recruit a human compatriot for co-op, and this tactical flexibility makes each detailed environment a joy to play through multiple times. Sadly, only two players can take on the main campaign and only the host can command A.I. squadmates, but players can enter and exit at will without interrupting their friends' progress. The game could have used more checkpoints so that players who don't survive firefights aren't needlessly punished but story elements no longer mysteriously disappear when you head online and every narrow victory and harrowing defeat is more meaningful and memorable as a shared combat experience.
