Now we're venturing back into our nation's most deliciously sinful city to see what Ubisoft Montreal has been able to add to what is still considered one of the Xbox 360's best games. Fear not, fare readers, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 isn't simply new maps and character models, instead you'll find a game that Ubisoft describes as a conglomeration of features that were left on the cutting room floor from the first game. Yes, this is indeed the true Vegas experience in a way only Rainbow Six can deliver.
The star of Rainbow Six has always been the multiplayer, and while it's the single-player and co-op that seem to be getting the bulk of the development attention for Vegas 2, don't think that you Xbox Live lovers are getting left out in the cold. Packed under the hood you'll find 13 new maps, some of which were pulled directly from Raven Shield (some are straight copies, others have seen some architectural changes). Not to mention the new abilities, customization options, modes and the newly designed leveling system.
Some FPS fans might forget that it was the first Vegas, not Call of Duty 4, to first offer a character progression system to its multiplayer component on Xbox 360. The more you played against others on Xbox Live, the higher your rank got. As you progressed new weapons were unlocked and you really got the sense that you were earning something for your hours of dedication. Vegas 2 is taking this feeling of accomplishment one step further with the advent of the A.C.E.S. leveling system which works in tandem with the usual rankings of Private, Lieutenant and so forth.
A.C.E.S. stands for Advanced Combat Enhancement and Specialization and will probably remind some of what was in COD4. A.C.E.S. separates accomplishments into three categories: Close Quarter Battles (CQB), Assault, and Marksman. There are 20 levels for each category and each level yields a different reward. So for earning your rank as a level four Marksman you might unlock a new sniper rifle, whereas unlocking level six in Assault will get you an extra 750 experience points. It's how you takedown your foes that determines which category earns the points.
Killing an enemy that's behind cover -- your bullets can now penetrate surfaces like wood, drywall, and other flimsy substances -- will earn you three points towards your Assault category, as will making a C4 kill, killing a shielded enemy and other things that make sense given the name. Marksman is grounded in long range kills, headshots, or killing someone while they're sprinting or rappelling on a rope. The CQB category is leveled up by using blind fire to take down the bad guys, killing someone from behind, or making a kill while visually impaired. We asked if it would be possible to combine two categories for one kill (for instance, if you land a headshot while blinded) but didn't get a clear answer if it would make it into the final game. Here's hoping it does.
So the A.C.E.S. system earns players weapons, armor and bonus experience, but the rankings are where you'll be able to unlock new aesthetic customizations such as clothing. The team at Ubisoft said that they went to great lengths to add in a lot of new clothing types, and while they may not change your strategy much, it's still nice to show off new duds to your buddies. Just as before you'll be able to equip clothes to your head, face, chest and legs.
Vegas 2 also comes complete with two new adversarial modes of play when dueling on system link, split-screen, or over Xbox Live. The first is called Demolition. It's a classic scenario really; one team is the attackers who are trying to plant a bomb at one of two detonation points, the other team is charged with defending those points. We demoed the mode on a map called CQB Training, an environment flush with bombed out cars, targeting dummies and lots of tight indoor corridors that constantly reminded us that the map was designed for close-quarter encounters. After planting the bomb the roles flip-flop a bit as the attackers are then defending their planted bomb and the defenders are trying to attack that point to try and defuse it within one-minute's time. Needless to say once the bomb is armed things can get seriously heated.
The next mode which we demoed on a map called Villa is known as Team Leader. It's the classic VIP setup with a twist. Each team has a leader that, once killed, strips the rest of the team of their ability to respawn. It goes without saying that you'll want to keep your VIP alive for as long as possible. Unlike other games, Vegas 2 manages to provide incentive for the VIP to venture out into the world bag a few kills. If you're killed by the opposing VIP then you're eliminated from the round. You'll need to walk the fine line of playing aggressively while still keeping yourself hidden from the bulk of the other team. Since Villa is a multi-tiered environment with plenty of rappel points to get the drop on the enemy, it was important to keep my character's head on a swivel and to keep an eye on the location of my team's VIP (designated on the HUD by a star). Though you can achieve victory through the barbaric method of downing the opposition, Team Leader also gives each team one extraction point. Get your VIP to that point and you're home free.
New modes? Check. New maps? Check. New leveling system? Check. But what about any real changes to gameplay? Fear not, you'll have a few new abilities to utilize online (or off). First and foremost, you can now sprint. The duration isn't as long as it is in COD4, but it's enough to quickly escape a grenade blast and move from one piece of cover to another without fear of getting easily gunned down. It's clear that Ubisoft Montreal didn't want to turn Vegas 2 into a run and gun type of game and while hearing that there's a new sprint feature might make some fans shutter in fear, we can say with certainty that isn't the case.
Next up is the retooled radar system. By "retooled" we mean that the ever-present radar in the upper-right hand corner of your screen has been removed. Now you'll have the ability to perform a thermal scan which brings up a similar picture-in-picture view of the battlefield as the traditional radar but you won't know which bodies are enemies and which are friendly, you'll just know where they're located on the map and only for a short time. It forces a much more tactical approach to gameplay as players will now have to peak around most corners and keep an eye on their six if they hope to survive.
Even though it's clear that Ubisoft Montreal isn't trying to reinvent the wheel with Vegas 2's multiplayer, there's still enough new content to please the massive stable of fans. Picking up the controller and venturing back into Sin City was a blast to be sure, and it's also nice to know that each addition enhances the player's experience in some way. The new A.C.E.S. leveling system works wonderfully with the traditional rankings and the fact that you can now bring your accomplishments to the single-player game is some seriously sweet icing on the cake (check back in a few weeks for our detailed impressions of single-player and co-op).
After spending a handful of hours with Rainbow Six Vegas 2 it's clear that the latest rendition of the long-running series is one sin that will be worth committing once March 18 rolls around.