Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. First Impressions.

I just bought UbiSoft’s sequel to their hit from 2006 over the weekend and I thought I would share my first impressions. Having not played the entire game all the way through, it is not my intent to give a full review. Just my first impressions.

First impressions

Rainbow Six Vegas left players with a cliffhanger finale, and we all waited to see how things turned out. Although Vegas 2 follows the events of the first game, it also seems to fill in some of the gaps in the original storyline, covering events both before and during it. Just from the first few missions I can tell you that you jump around in the story time line a fair amount. You start five years earlier then the original time line. There is suppose to be one killer ending but, that is at least 40 hours of game play away for me.

The combat rating system seems to have been improved. I’ve mange an achievement for just about everything I have attempted so far. From rushing into a room without using the snake cam first to sniping enemies at the maximum distance for the weapon I am using. The rewards seem to be linked to your style of play. Run and gun types seem to upgrade there total fire power more quickly while those that snipe get better range weapons first.

I don’t really care about character customization but there doesn’t seem too be much you can’t change about the look of your character. This doesn’t really seem to matter much as the only ones that have seen me are my friends while playing in co-op mode.

Just so you know. The graphics have been upgraded from the original. This version is based on the Unreal 3 engine.

The cover system has been upgraded. No more standing behind creates or thin metal object for cover. You can now shoot through these. I learned this the hard way during the first mission. The superb cover system is there. I wish more games would copy this. Namely Gears of War. The enemy AI seems to have been improved to. Instead of running in a straight line to try and flank you, the AI seems to use a cover, fire, and advance tactics that really improves the realism.

Most of the online play hype has been centered around the 13 new maps and additional game play modes but, what has impressed me the most, is the ability to play the single player campaign in co-op mode with a friend over XBox Live. This has been more fun then anything else for me and really adds an element of realism to this thinking man’s shooter.

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 looks to capitalize on the popularity of the first game with a sequel that offers a proper end to the story and new game play elements. While it does appear very similar to its predecessor at first glance, the new locales, single player co-op mode, and the character upgrade system look like they are a good enough reason visit Vegas once again.

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