Launching off the popularity of the first Vegas title, Ubisoft tosses the player right back into Sin City for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2. While the campaign picks up at the tail end of the events from the first title, the timeline for Vegas 2 follows events that occurred before and after the first title. Rather than continuing the story of the protagonist from Vegas (Logan Keller), Ubisoft opted for a customized experience instead. Designed by the player, the character goes by the name of Bishop and seems more comfortable in the role of team leader than Logan.

The presentation quality is top notch and uses the same cinematic cutscene format to allow the story to unwrap. The narrative initially begins in 2005 with the team infiltrating a hostage rescue scenario in the Pyrenees, a slyly designed introduction mission. Five years later, the team is tasked with tracking down the Cabreros brothers, a duo that is threatening use of chemical weapons on the U.S. Bishop and his team are sent across a variety of high adrenaline situations in Las Vegas and eventually Costa Rica toward the finale. The story intertwines extremely well with the pacing of the action and a storyline from the previous title will be wrapped up nicely by the credits.

Gameplay

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By changing Bishop into a player designed character, this allowed Ubisoft to use the custom character across the single and multi-player modes. Additionally, experience points (XP) can now be earned in the single player (or co-op) campaign rather than only during multiplayer combat. The developer’s also included an interesting bonus if the player has completed the first title. The game checks to see if the player has a Vegas saved game and automatically awards enough experience points to reach the first rank. Similar to the previous title, ranks offer new clothing options and weaponry to be used in the online modes.

Identical to the previous title, Vegas 2 is all about using your squad effectively. Directives are once again sent from the directional pad and allow the player to choose between play styles. If you prefer to run & gun, feel free to lead the charge into enemy filled rooms. If you prefer a tactical approach, there’s nothing more satisfying that issuing a well timed door breach to catch patrolling enemies off guard.

Ubisoft added a sprinting feature in Vegas 2. Players can sprint from cover to cover in a more fluid, expedited fashion than the previous title. It’s advised to learn the advantages (and disadvantages) of this feature quickly as the A.I. has been ramped up a bit in difficulty. In realistic mode, the A.I. is superior at using tactical positions to flank your team. They can also send your team to the morgue if the player doesn’t apply proper tactics when breaching windows. Hostage situations seem more difficult as the enemy will react quicker to the team’s presence and kill the innocents.

The multiplayer section includes several adversarial choices and a much appreciated two player co-op mode. The objective based, team modes are personally the most enjoyable when paired with a proper team. Like any other Xbox Live title, it’s very possible to be paired up with a group of strangers that all run in different directions as the match begins. Story Co-op mode is quite entertaining, but often suffers from connection drops. It’s also not as fluid to jump in and out of co-op like Gears. On an added note, owners of the 360 camera will be able to scan their face into the game for multiplayer. Just be prepared to take several pictures before it gets it right.

The achievements in Vegas 2 aren’t designed to tax the skills of the casual gamer, but rather use up a large chuck of time. About half of the total gamerscore points can be attained by running though the campaign once, but a large amount of the total achievements weighted to spending time with terrorist hunt and multiplayer. Achievements like attaining the rank of Elite or killing 1000 players in adversarial matches will take tremendous amounts of time. Overall, it’s a balanced set of achievements that offers rewards to both the first timers and veterans.

Graphics & Audio

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Visually, Vegas 2 is nearly identical to the previous title. I’m sure this fact alone shaved many, many months off the short development time. Unfortunately, that means that it pales in comparison to more recent offerings. The game uses the Unreal 3 engine to light up the city of Las Vegas. The team animations are very fluid and seem completely natural when pinned under fire or grappling down a glitzy hotel. Lighting effects come in handy when determining enemy positions via the flashes from gun barrels. The game engine handles a bevy of action and a large amount of on game characters at any given time. The framerate doesn’t take any discernable hits and offers a very stable experience.

Listening to bullets ricochet off nearby cars or the radio chatter of teammates is just as good as the previous title. Using a directional sound system is preferred as sections of the game will use swarming enemies. The voiceovers, while all unknown actors, are absolutely top notch. Accents used are authentic and the voices offer an increased amount of immersion to the player.

Conclusion

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This title certainly doesn’t launch the Rainbow Six series into new territory, but it does use the previous build to create a high action sequel in a little over 18 months. The well thought out narrative, addictive action and variety of choice in multiplayer make this title a worthy successor to carry on the Rainbow Six franchise. It is well worth the full retail price if you enjoy battling over Xbox Live and a must rent if only to run through the 7 to 8 hour single player campaign at least once.