Luck Be a Lady

Squad-based and full of tactical scrumptiousness, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Vegas puts you in charge of an assault team intent on stopping a terrorist attack on Las Vegas, Nevada. It's the latest in the series of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six titles, and it's the pinnacle of the series—so far. For the first time, Rainbow Six unfolds on Xbox 360™, taking advantage of all the power, performance, and polish that the mighty next-generation console has to offer.

Welcome to Sin City.

Graphics have reached an all-new high in Rainbow Six Vegas. The characters pop from the screen, brought to life by rich textures and realistic animation. Xbox 360 strips away clunky edges to reveal flesh and blood, the fantasy made real before your eyes. Suspension of disbelief comes easy when the graphics are this pristine.

The folks at Ubisoft have taken all the lessons learned from previous chapters in the franchise and have used them to make a rich stew of intrigue and action that will feed your gaming hunger. Moving through intense levels in a first-person perspective will keep you invested in the outcome of the game, and in getting your squad out alive.

Three S's

• Squad: Your team consists of you, Michael, and Jung. You won't succeed or survive without them. You control your character and issue orders to the other two. This mechanic has been greatly improved and simplified from previous Rainbox Six games.
• Stealth: Your character's continued health and well-being largely depend on how sneaky your team can be as they go about taking out the terrorists. You won't always be able to stay hidden, but the longer you do, the better your chances will be. Crashing into a room with guns blazing may look cool in the movies, but in Rainbow Six Vegas, as in reality, it won't get you anything more than a Swiss Cheese rating down at the morgue.
• Smarts: If you really want to come out on top, plan your tactics in advance. Often you can visually or electronically scan an area before you enter it and find out how many enemies you will be facing. Their numbers and locations should determine your plan. In Rainbow Six Vegas, you'll find that your smarts get you much farther than your luck does.

Vegas, the Entertainment Capital of the World.

Rainbow Reality
Realism remains the highest priority in Rainbow Six Vegas, just as it was in the game's previous volumes. It takes only a bullet or two, three if you're lucky, to put you on the K.I.A. list. But at least you get a warning. After a severe injury, your vision goes red and blurry. This 'redout' simulates the pain and shock your body experiences, but it also gives you a second to find cover. In other games you might miss your rapidly depleting health bar, but you won't miss a redout.

All non-player characters, including both your squad and the enemies, react with unprecedented intelligence. Your enemies, once they know you're there, will take strategic steps to counteract your actions, reducing your chances of success. Your team has to be smart enough to react to your enemy's reactions.

Rainbow Six Vegas combines squad-based, tactical, and first-person shooter gameplay in a realistic and engaging environment. The story never stalls as you try and stay one step ahead of the terrorists, and you may have a hard time turning the game off once you get started. This is one of those great "just one more…" games that keeps you up past your bedtime.

Article by Angel Leigh McCoy