Rainbow Six Vegas Xbox 360 Review

Rainbow Six Vegas offers one of the best online components to a game since Halo 2. There are a multitude of modes and up to 4 player co-op of the entire story mode and terrorist hunt scenarios. There’s an online experience system and you can customize your own online persona. I was actually driven to buy and play this game from all of the other reviews and critical acclaim that the game had received. Let’s just say that Rainbow Six is a very deserving title of all the positive reviews and remarks.

Gameplay: 9/10
Pros: The cover mechanic is far superior to Gears of War’s and there are almost too many weapons, all with customizable scopes, lasers, etc. The 1 player campaign has a nice streamlined and easy way to command your team and some of the firefights in the casino are truly epic. There are tons of different multiplayer options both online and on a single console (split screen co-op for example).
Cons: Online, it is very hard to understand why you win/lose a firefight. Unlike Halo 2 which has a clear health indicator, R6 Vegas uses a blur mechanic (the blurry it is the closer you are to death). This is really cool offline, but online there have been times I swear I should have killed my enemy first, and vice-versa. Online is very intimidating at first because of all the modes, weapons, options, etc.

Graphics: 9.5/10
Pros: The graphics are gorgeous! The neon lights of Vegas, the strip and all of the locations look amazing and near photorealistic. There’s really nothing that looks bad in this game. Check out the video above to see that.
Cons: This is a slight critique, but I don’t think that the rifle fire lines that burst from your rifle are exactly lined up to where you are aiming or where they actually hit. I’ve seen my fire look like it’s hitting a car only to have the guy slightly right of the care get torn to shreds by my rounds. It really only happens when you are using the scope, but seems off.

Sound/Music: 9.5/10
Pros: All the guns sound different and get your adrenaline pumping. The voice work is topnotch and the music wraps up and rounds out the package. One of my all time favorite things is shooting up a slot machine only to hear the pings and dings and tune go crazy before it shorts out.
Cons: There is no voice overview or direction during a co-op game whether on the same console or online.

Lasting Appeal: 10/10
Pros: With 4 player online co-op, 16 player competitive multiplayer including attack and defend, team slayer (sharpshooter), team survival (no respawns last team standing wins), etc. there is plenty to keep you occupied. Add to that a fully customizable online identity and an experience system that unlocks new outfits and features leaves you with the best Xbox Live experience around.
Cons: Fairly short 1 player experience, though more significant and lengthy than Gears of War.

Average: 95.00%
Tilt: +/- 0.00%

As many options and finesse that this FPS has, there isn’t the same visceral excitement that some matches of other Online games create. Don’t get me wrong R6 Vegas is a must-own title, but its steep learning curve hurts its instant appeal and can be very frustrating online. R6 takes time to get used to before you can really enjoy it. I was lucky enough to meet someone online who sort of walked me through some strategies and general tactics as well as suggesting a weapon for me to use after seeing how I played. I was pretty frustrated up until that point, but since have really started to rack up some kills and contribute to my team. Don’t judge R6 Vegas by the demo, its way better. This title will offer you new thrills for months if not years to come and is a great title to help you wait for Halo 3. Check it out, rent it, buy it. Rainbow 6: Vegas is a winner.

Verdict: 95%