 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Ubisoft Montreal |
| Publisher: | Ubisoft | |
| Genre: | Squad-based FPS | |
| ESRB: | Mature | |
| # Of Players: | 1-16 (2-16 online) | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | Xbox Live (online play, content DL, leaderboards), System Link, HDTV 720p/1080i/1080p, Xbox Live Vision Camera | |
| Buy Now: |   |
The lack of enhancements in the core game isn’t really the single-player mode’s biggest problem however. No, that would be the inexplicable graphical problems that occur throughout. While the art direction is solid (everything looks like you’d expect it to) and level design is up to par, technically speaking there are problems that point to a rushed release. What jumped out at me the most graphically are the jarringly poor and blurry textures covering much of the game world, seen throughout normal progress in the game and not just in out of the way areas. Signs, posters (except for the in-game ads of course), and many other environmental objects look like artifacts from the original Xbox, and I’m honestly shocked that the development team let them into the final product. Of course, some low-res textures could’ve been a necessity because the framerate already has some significant issues as well, with mild to severe slowdown during firefights. The worst slowdown occurs in the casino areas; when several slot machines would get destroyed and bullets were whizzing back and forth, the framerate would drop to “still playable but really distracting” levels. Many of the destructible objects (or lack thereof) also didn’t make sense. So I can shoot and destroy glasses sitting on a counter, but I can’t shoot holes into a water cooler or knock over a stack of casino chips? I suppose the odd destructible item choices are also a result of compromises made to preserve the game’s already hurting framerate, but that doesn’t make them any less annoying.
The final problem with the single-player mode lies with one of the industry’s most-despised topics: in-game ads. Recent Ubisoft games like Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter have implemented in-game ads to mixed results, but Vegas 2 has the worst ones I’ve seen yet. First of all, the game is set in 2010…yet there are ads for both the latest Harold & Kumar movie (advertising an April 2008 release date) and Far Cry 2. Now, I’m not against in-game ads in principle, but they should be used sparingly and intelligently to enhance the overall experience. When your game is set in 2010, splashing ads from 2008 all over the place is exactly the wrong way to go about implementing them. There’s also very noticeable product placement for Dodge vehicles, and abundant (but less-offensive) ads for Major League Gaming. As I mentioned before, all of the in-game ads and Dodge vehicles are noticeably sharper than other posters and vehicles in the game, which only makes the blurry textures I mentioned earlier even more obvious.
Where the single-player mode falters however, the online mode once again shines as one of the best in the industry. Here’s where Persistent Elite Creation really comes into play, as XP earned offline transfers over to the online game as well. While advanced players will naturally have access to better gear than newer players, newer players can catch up offline before going online so they don’t have to take all their lumps online. Unlocked gear is also not too overpowered, so even though ranked up players will have the best gear, newer players still have a fighting chance.
Mode-wise there shouldn’t be anything surprising to series veterans, just the usual assortment of online gameplay modes we’ve seen in the series before. Cooperatively players can enjoy the story mode together, joinable at any time, as well as the game’s Terrorist Hunt mode. Adversarial modes include Attack and Defend, Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, Total Conquest, and Team Leader. Attack and Defend is comprised of three different types of matches: Item Extraction (recover intel), Hostage Rescue, and Demolition (one team plants a bomb, the other tries to diffuse it). The Deathmatch modes should be self-explanatory, while in Total Conquest a team must capture three satellite transmitters and hold them for 30 seconds to win. Finally, in Team Leader the team must protect their team leader while he makes it to the extraction point.
Bottom Line:
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 feels more like an expansion pack than a true sequel, thanks primarily to its lackluster single-player mode and incremental improvements in Persistent Elite Creation and online play. However, those improvements are smart ones, with the new experience system in particular adding quite a bit to the overall experience. It’s time for the Rainbow Six franchise to explore new territory, but you’ll enjoy this final trip to Sin City.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 8.0 |
Posted: 2008-07-05 10:24:51 PST