Rainbow Six: Vegas

Again with the more recent FPS games, this Rainbow 6 is the newest game that I've gotten. I've never actually played a Rainbow Six game before this, but Vegas is probably the most realistic game I've ever played...to the point that it's annoying. It's about the Rainbow 6 team, a group of elite special ops, trying to stop a terrorist attack on Las Vegas, Nevada. You have pretty much whatever standard military weapons you could want at your disposal to fight several hundred terrorists with 2 teammates. The numbers are really the only unrealistic thing about the game. Other than that, it's as realistic as a game can get. If you get shot more than once, you're going to die. Headshots are instant kills. This applies to your enemies...and you. Your teammates are probably the most durable creatures in the entire game. While I enjoy the fact that enemies go down very easily, it's extremely frustrating to have to replay certain parts of the game countless times until you realize that there is a second door that is used to get a good sniper setup going. Even this wouldn't be so bad...except that there is no quicksave function. This means that every time you die, you will start back at the last checkpoint (usually every 10-15 minutes apart). When you die halfway through every shootout...the time used adds up.

The weapons are very accurate, no matter which ones you use. Obviously sniper rifles are going to be the most so, but you can take out enemies at medium range with all the weapons, with the shotguns being the only possible exception there. My only complaint about the weapons is the similarity between them all. Submachine guns, Assault Rifles, and Light machine guns are all practically the same. The best choice for pistol is almost always the desert eagle: it's always an instant kill. I found that my best equipment combination was C4/Frag, Desert Eagle, Shield, and either a sniper rifle or Scar-H. Depending on the situation, I might swap the shield for a light machine gun, but I found that the shield was the only way to survive in several instances. As much as I love using my teammates as decoys, they don't last long enough for me to snipe everyone from a higher angle before I have 5 guys shooting at me. Cover is also a must. If you are out in the open for any longer than 1 second...you will die. Even if you think the coast is clear, send out your lackeys to go ahead first.

Overall, definitely fun and challenging, but it got really repetitive...follow these steps:
1. Snake Cam the area- always send your team to grenade the most populated door while you find the higher ground to snipe from.
2. Always have a gun with a scope on it- you'll need to hit someone that is in a turret without getting too close. The one time you don't have it is the one time you'll need it most.
3. Find cover for you and your teammates. You won't survive without cover, and your teammates can't do squat without you in the room helping. Keep yourself safe yet within eyesight of your team.
4. Paranoia is only bad in real life- this is a game, you'll have people being WAY too ready for your arrival. You can be the sneakiest player in the world, but you'll still get noticed after the first or second enemy goes down.
5. Read your reason of Game Over- I was surprised when I saw after the 4th time of "dying" that I wasn't being killed...my objective was failed or my teammate had been fragged. Check that stuff, even though the screen is the same, your cause is right above the Reload from last Checkpoint option.

It really becomes second nature after about the 5th room or area, and it never really gets any harder, so it really got a sort the DOOM feel to it: "Enter room, clear room, find door, repeat" except there wasn't the problem of poor lighting or demonic images everywhere...just nightvision opportunities and Axe: Body Spray ads.

Rating: B