Xbox Canada Hooks up a couple of Gamers with a Sneak Peek at Rainbow Six Vegas 2

By KowZ

The Xbox Canada team is always bringing new giveaways, events and special sneak previews to the community. Recently, I was selected to be one of a select few lucky gamers who were chosen to get a special sneak preview of the upcoming Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 being developed by Canada's developer power-house, UbiSoft Montreal. For those not familiar with Ubisoft Montreal’s work, they are the guys responsible for the hit Tom Clancy games (Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six, etc.), the new Prince of Persia games, as well as one 2007’s greatest hits, Assassin's Creed. Not being all that familiar with the Rainbow Six series, I asked around and got some good questions to pose to the team.

Jade introduced me to Philippe Therien, Game Designer, and Carl Caldareri, Product Manager, from UbiSoft Montreal. These guys were a hoot and cracked a few jokes to get things started, but I don't think they were entirely ready for the questions they were about to be asked.

We started off the session by doing a who's who and what everyone in the room actually does. We also started talking about the UbiSoft forums and the active participation of the different members of their team, including the many posts by Philippe. He talked about how he is often kicked out of games because people think his Gamertag is a fake and that he's only pretending to one of the game’s developers. A few Gamertags were traded, and we got into the game.

Philippe and Carl teamed up to show us just how many paths were open and the improved AI, including how two AI team-mates will cover each others’ back without leaving each other exposed to an enemy. The intelligence of the AI amused everyone watching, especially when it started making fewer mistakes then the human players controlling the two other players.

Philippe decided to show off how to distract a guard. Unfortunately, Philippe's controller got the best of him, he ended up blowing his cover a little more than he wanted, and in seconds it was raining enemy bullets. The reactions of the enemy AI were amazing, showing that they really are responsive and not just controlled by a “go-here-do-this” script.

Overall, the game seemed like a hit. Gamers will love experimenting with the new weapon upgrade scheme and counting the many different ways the game scores you on your kills. One of the best things to come in this game is a true two-player co-op experience, where you don't lose out on anything if you play with a friend. Since I'm more of a casual gamer, this allows me to complete a difficult game and get the same experience as a hardcore gamer. This same feature may also be one of the least-liked features, since it is limited to only two players unlike the four-player co-op play in the original Rainbow Six Vegas.

After the presentation, we had a quick chat about the game and the ability to use the Xbox LIVE Vision camera to put your own face on your character (the same way you could in the first Rainbow Six Vegas.) If you haven't yet made the plunge and got a Gold Xbox LIVE subscription, this is one game you will definitely want to play online. Who knows, you may even get a chance to play with the Canadian Xbox Team or one of the game's developers. Keep your eye on the Xbox Community Calendar, and watch the forums for your chances to win prizes. You may just never know when Jade might invite you out to a special preview of your favourite game!