Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas Demo Review

Yet another video game demo review, this time it’s Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas demo. My first ever experience with a Rainbow Six game.

Firstly, W-O-W. Impressive and then some.

The graphics are really something else, very gritty and totally immersive. The effects when you get shot (and die) are very convincing. The gameplay feels very life-like too, not that I know what it’s like to be shot at, but you know what I mean. I found myself very quickly looking around every corner, hiding behind every box/crate/wall to stop dying every couple of minutes. I couldn’t do my usual gung-ho maneuvers. I also found out really quickly that knee shots do NOT kill the bad guys like it does in other shooting games.

The one confusing aspect (or maybe it’s just me) is the toggle between first and third person when you take cover (LT button) behind crates, walls, boxes and the like. It’s goes from first person perspective to third person perspective when you take cover, which is good, but when you stop taking cover it whizzes you around back to first person mode and it was pretty disorientating at first. Something I’ll have to get use to still.

I should mention that game is a cross between a first person shooter (FPS) and a squad based game. In the demo, you have two team members with you, who you can instruct what to do, but unlike the squad based games I’ve played so far, it’s mostly in first person view (except for the take cover thingy) as opposed to third person view. This make the game more immersive for me, and shooting is easier too.

Blood and gore effects are nicely done, quite realistic. When you shoot a guy and there’s a wall behind him, there’s nice blood splatter on the wall. It’s a little gruesome perhaps, but adds to the realism of this game.

I also liked how the demo asks you whether you want the “Normal” mode or “Realistic” mode. I went for the normal mode, but I’m assuming realistic mode means one shot and you’re dead.

I’ve played the demo probably half a dozen times and still haven’t got to the end. That just says:

1. I’m just a sucky gamer (very possible)
2. I’m too impatient (definitely part of the problem)

One more thing mention about the demo, it’s set in Las Vegas (duh) in a casino called “Dante” which is under contruction, the game layout really gives you that feeling of a construction site. You land on the roof top of the casino and make your way down, shooting almost-hordes of bad guys around, who aren’t always that easy to kill because they take cover. The AI is pretty smart too, the bad guys don’t stick their heads out practically screaming “shoot me please”, but they keep their heads down and only expose their gun and hand, usually pointed at you and usually spraying bullets in your direction.

This demo is so worth the download and it definitely makes me want to spend money on this game.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas is to be released in Australia mid-late November.

More reads:

• Wikipedia on Rainbow Six: Vegas
• Gamespot on Rainbow Six: Vegas
• Official Rainbow Six: Vegas web site