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dkirschner's Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas (360)

[June 5, 2012 10:41:20 AM]

Feel like closing a couple of these...

Typically not a fan of squad-based tactical shooters, but Vegas was pretty sweet. Picked it and Vegas 2 up last year due to some really high reviews, so thought I'd give them a shot. I haven't played one of these types of games in a long time, since the first SWAT (I think that was squad-based...), and immediately I noticed how intuitive the controls were. That's an issue I always had with squad games, too many menus and commands and micromanaging AI. But this, this control scheme is magical. If you want to change add-ons for a gun, you just hold the gun's button and hit left, right, up or down to select whichever add-on. It's SO EASY. And giving orders is just done with the D-pad, and when you see a context-sensitive object, a rope or door or something, the D-pad commands change so your squad interacts with that object. There are clear pictures and it's just very very easy to understand and use.

There's also not the prerequisite of years' worth of interest in weaponry and military gear to understand the guns and grenades and tactics. It's simple enough for me, which I really appreciate. I actually think about my loadout and use most of the options available to me, which I rarely do even in games that I fully understand.

My AI teammates are also not suicidal or (too) dumb, which I also really appreciate. Sometimes they won't listen to move commands or one will get stuck somewhere, but generally they listen up, take good cover, make good decisions, and don't aid the enemy in bringing about my demise. They are especially useful for sending into the middle of a firefight because they can hold their own. If I'm scared to go forward, like if I think there is an enemy hiding, I'll just send them out in the open. Sure, they get shot, but they'll draw fire, and if they don't see the enemy and shoot him, I can. Usually my two guys are an even match for any outnumbered situation. But a weird thing, if they get shot down, I can go heal them or order one to heal the other, but if I get shot down, I die and it's game over. Why can't they heal me on their own? Reminds me of Gears of War, perks of playing with others (even if they're AI) -- you can heal them.

The level design is excellent. All levels have multiple pathways, flanking routes, many are vertical with 2 or 3 levels. I mean, staging a shooter in Las Vegas is just brilliant! The first time I had to infiltrate a casino that the terrorists took over was incredible, blasting enemies and slot machines, money flying everywhere, the ding ding ding of jackpots, the blinking casino lights, smoke grenades temporarily obscuring vision, AI yelling to one another...seriously cool stuff. I must say I could care less about the story, but the game is so fun and urgent that I was happy to go rescue a scientist, and then go rescue another scientist, and then save a hostage, and then infiltrate another glitzy casino like I cared about saving Las Vegas from terrorists instead of wreaking havok throughout it myself.

Unfoooooortunately I got stuck :( I'm kinda near the end and I still have Vegas 2, so I don't really care, but it's too bad I'm not good enough to beat this part! I'm in a theater. One of my squad mates needs to hack this computer there on the stage while the other squad mate and myself defend him from incoming enemies who pop out from the balconies to snipe (which I shoot like whack-a-mole) and who stream in from the hallway outside. Those are the deadly ones since they all just run and take cover behind the rows and rows of chairs, tossing smoke grenades so I can't see them. My hacker teammate just keeps on dying every time. I went to walkthroughs for tips and I still couldn't get it. The walkthroughs make it sound like an easy enough fight (and all refer to some ominous 'hardest part of the game' later on), just hide behind a box and shoot enemies, maybe throw a grenade here or there. I really can't do it though. So on that note, I'll just put Vegas back on the shelf and pull down Vegas 2 when I feel like some more Sin City shooting.