Tom Clancy's
Rainbow Six: Siege
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Dev: Ubisoft
Pub: Ubisoft Release Date: 01/12/2015 Format: PC, PS4, Xbox One |
8/10
James Davie |
At first glance, Rainbow Six: Siege appears like any other pretentious First Person Shooter. Count in the military uniforms, the elite weaponry, the explosions, the intensity, the emphasis on multiplayer and the attractive visual display- it has all the makings of a by the numbers shooter with minimal thrills. But something unassuming happens; you jump in and mingle with unknowns in multiplayer, being set up with an attack mission, roving about as a dumbbell drone surveying the location you're about to besiege, locating your opposition and the bombs you need to secure. Then you ready to pounce with your allies in toe, breach the wooden and metal fortifications, hunting down your foes like they were scurrying pray. Suddenly, out of nowhere you're gunned down unsuspectingly because a camper busted a plank of wood, so he could get the drop on you in the sneakiest way possible, penetrating bullets through a gap nobody could possibly detect. At this point you realise you're out, as you become spectator for the remainder of the round.
Make no mistake, the new Rainbow Six is infinitely more hardcore than the Vegas offerings over half a decade ago. Don't expect typical FPS tropes like regenerative health and health pick ups to be a necessity, because Siege wants you to die and ensures the most dominant team will rip you to shreds in the time it takes for your microwaved burritos to ping ready- too bad they taste of bitter defeat. Your best bet is to be vigilant, stay in the company of your allies, and pick the most covert places to huddle before your enemy breaks through your wooden and metal barge boards. And this is only in multiplayer, when in actuality the entire game is just as hardcore- which is very refreshing in the ever cramped me-too FPS market scene.
Make no mistake, the new Rainbow Six is infinitely more hardcore than the Vegas offerings over half a decade ago. Don't expect typical FPS tropes like regenerative health and health pick ups to be a necessity, because Siege wants you to die and ensures the most dominant team will rip you to shreds in the time it takes for your microwaved burritos to ping ready- too bad they taste of bitter defeat. Your best bet is to be vigilant, stay in the company of your allies, and pick the most covert places to huddle before your enemy breaks through your wooden and metal barge boards. And this is only in multiplayer, when in actuality the entire game is just as hardcore- which is very refreshing in the ever cramped me-too FPS market scene.
To bring context to the forefront, you are one of several deadly operatives, tasked with taking down a new breed of terrorist organisation, the biggest threat to national security since 9/11 one could say. In order to fight this rising menace, you're assigned to take part in ten Situations- covering the only true extent of single-player only activity in the entire game. Situations put you in the centre of scenarios you'll contend with in the Multiplayer component, but are there to acclimate you to the gadgets you'll need to use to succeed in your missions. Bomb defusing, hostage rescue and defending are just some of the tasks you're required to carry out. More interesting are some of the locations included such as police swarmed airplanes and idyllic mansions and seedy biker bars-keeping the settings varied and interesting throughout. Much like the multiplayer, the Situations are designed to be short-lived killing sprees, but they never become disposable. At the end of every Situation you are ranked out of three stars depending on how well you've carried out your mission. Sometimes you're required to speed run, accruing the fastest times possible or successfully completing a Situation with so much health left. Mastering all the situations will take a lot of time, especially on Realistic difficulty- kudos to you if you can survive a hostage defend mission on that difficulty, may the guardian of gas masks and riot gear guide you to prominence in overcoming this barbarically treacherous obstacle.
Terrorist Hunt returns as the classic Rainbow Six mode, and like everything else in Siege, is upgraded to hardcore. You can play alone or with randomers online, and just like in the multiplayer, you really have to work cohesively to make it to the end. On normal difficulty things are just about manageable, but Realistic is magnanimously fiendish. But it's in the element of surprise of wherever the attack might come from that gives Terrorist Hunt its ample appeal. Insurgents can repel down and bust through wondows, set breach charges that explode through walls, and fire piercing shots from difficult to view angles. It's tense, it's pulse-raising, but golly is it a blast to play in both senses of the word. It's true, after the twentieth time of defending a hostage or disarming a bomb it does grow a little cruddy, but as with the refined core of the Rainbow Six experience, it's carefully managed, hardcore to the bristled teeth and is an evolution of the franchise- where less is more and quality shines a ray of individuality away from the grey skies of haphazard design and typical FPS gameplay.
No matter whether you're kill streaking in multiplayer or putting A.I drones in their place in Terrorist hunt or conventional multiplayer, you'll earn a currency called Renown. For every kill you make, barricade you put up, drone you destroy and barbed wire mesh you bash to bits earns you a bit of renown on top of a levelling boost. Essentially it is in-game currency that allows you to purchase skins and attachments for your weapons as well as new operatives to play as. Accruing renown does take some time and dedication but the customisations are worth it to make your preferred optimal loadout. Additionally, once you purchase an operative with Renown, you get a new miniature intro for your newly acquired mercenary- even if they are terrible.
Terrorist Hunt returns as the classic Rainbow Six mode, and like everything else in Siege, is upgraded to hardcore. You can play alone or with randomers online, and just like in the multiplayer, you really have to work cohesively to make it to the end. On normal difficulty things are just about manageable, but Realistic is magnanimously fiendish. But it's in the element of surprise of wherever the attack might come from that gives Terrorist Hunt its ample appeal. Insurgents can repel down and bust through wondows, set breach charges that explode through walls, and fire piercing shots from difficult to view angles. It's tense, it's pulse-raising, but golly is it a blast to play in both senses of the word. It's true, after the twentieth time of defending a hostage or disarming a bomb it does grow a little cruddy, but as with the refined core of the Rainbow Six experience, it's carefully managed, hardcore to the bristled teeth and is an evolution of the franchise- where less is more and quality shines a ray of individuality away from the grey skies of haphazard design and typical FPS gameplay.
No matter whether you're kill streaking in multiplayer or putting A.I drones in their place in Terrorist hunt or conventional multiplayer, you'll earn a currency called Renown. For every kill you make, barricade you put up, drone you destroy and barbed wire mesh you bash to bits earns you a bit of renown on top of a levelling boost. Essentially it is in-game currency that allows you to purchase skins and attachments for your weapons as well as new operatives to play as. Accruing renown does take some time and dedication but the customisations are worth it to make your preferred optimal loadout. Additionally, once you purchase an operative with Renown, you get a new miniature intro for your newly acquired mercenary- even if they are terrible.
So if operatives are so cool, why are they behind a nondescript pay wall? Yes, it would be better if these were unlocked naturally instead of being barred behind some arbitrary abstract currency, but their worth to you is dependant on how much of a leadhead you are. Your standard SAS officer carries an assault rifle, a mediocre handgun, a few stun grenades and a breaching charge. Other operatives may carry more specialised and tactical equipment like EMP grenades that disable plastic explosives and both thermite and gas grenades to obscure the vision of enemies. Operatives are basically avatars with different loadouts, but finding the one suited to your style of play is where Siege will find most comfort among the Rainbow Six elite.
You might mistaken Rainbow Six: Siege at first glance as another serious shooter about terrorists that need to suck lead and get dead. After several minutes of playing it however, it morphs into one of the most visceral and hardcore shooters to come out in some time. Siege rewards those who tread lightly and who're adept to its systems, so it won't easily appeal to every kind of FPS player but those who stick at it will certainly find more than a bare bones offering here. The single player portion is disappointingly and frustratingly light, but the multiplayer is where it all clicks together nicely. Not to say you'll play it for more than a couple of months, but while it's fresh and it gets its hooks into you, the multplayer whether in Terrorist Hunt or standard 5 on 5, is a tremendous adrenaline rush. The levels are varied enough to be semi-memorable, but you'll most fondly remember how you and your squad flanked the enemy at a critical point in the match and how your deft planning paid off in a crescendo of satisfaction as you relive your kills via a post-match replay. So while it still could use more personality and more single player options, Siege is a marquis FPS that still has its charms almost eight years after its previous entry.
You might mistaken Rainbow Six: Siege at first glance as another serious shooter about terrorists that need to suck lead and get dead. After several minutes of playing it however, it morphs into one of the most visceral and hardcore shooters to come out in some time. Siege rewards those who tread lightly and who're adept to its systems, so it won't easily appeal to every kind of FPS player but those who stick at it will certainly find more than a bare bones offering here. The single player portion is disappointingly and frustratingly light, but the multiplayer is where it all clicks together nicely. Not to say you'll play it for more than a couple of months, but while it's fresh and it gets its hooks into you, the multplayer whether in Terrorist Hunt or standard 5 on 5, is a tremendous adrenaline rush. The levels are varied enough to be semi-memorable, but you'll most fondly remember how you and your squad flanked the enemy at a critical point in the match and how your deft planning paid off in a crescendo of satisfaction as you relive your kills via a post-match replay. So while it still could use more personality and more single player options, Siege is a marquis FPS that still has its charms almost eight years after its previous entry.
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+A non-conformist FPS at heart, hardcore as hell too
+Pleasing and surprising varied locations for such a serious shooter +Terrorist Hunt and Multiplayer's tactical depth and nuances -Anaemic single player offerings -Still a bit too robotic, little personality -Multiplayer modes lose their freshness fast despite their quality |
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