Few game franchises have undergone the number of changes and rebrands that Rainbow Six has since its inception. When it originated back in the days of the PS1 and original Xbox, it was the go to for players that wanted a more tactical approach to their shooter. One of the most prevalent changes to the series with the Rainbow Six: Vegas releases was the addition of a third person perspective when in cover. The last entry in the series Rainbow Six: Siege has changed the game again, adding fully destructible environments and limited time events, the latest of which is akin to Left 4 Dead.

Kicking off year 3 of Ubisoft’s 10 year plan for the title, the Outbreak event went live on March 6th, 2018 and will run through April 3rd, 2018. After spending a good amount of time in the mode, I can confidently say that not leaving this mode active or expanding upon it would be a huge oversight on Ubisoft’s part. Outbreak works in a similar manner to the terrorist hunt mode, which allows groups of 3 to work their way through 1 of 3 scenarios, mowing down zombies and creatures created by a strange event. The objectives you’ll face will range from attacking enemy hives, defending explosives, or simply killing all of the afflicted creatures populating the level. With each scenario taking up to a half hour, the missions are a bit longer than the standard matches.

The enemies you’ll face feature original designs, but their attacks are ripped straight from the L4D series. Tanks require the group to work as a team to shoot their weak spots in the middle of their backs, in addition to other enemies that will pounce or grab players incapacitating them. The only design missing is the larger enemies that puke on you, drawing the attention of other infected. This mode doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it works well enough. The only downfall is that players who wish to tackle the objectives by themselves cannot do so, as matchmaking or entering with a full party are the only options.

For players that are new to the title, Rainbow Six: Siege offers tactical shooting at its best, featuring realism that is missing from many modern day shooters that support hiding behind cover for a few seconds to regain health. In this, one well-placed shot can mean certain death. That said, slow and steady almost always wins the race. The game can be played in a PvE environment via Terrorist Hunt, or PvP in other modes; either option tasks players with a specific objective at the beginning of the mission and are randomized. Sadly, there is no campaign to be found, with tutorials for each operator taking their place without any context or overarching narrative. There’s a bulk of missions, many of which have been released post launch via free updates (which games in general need more regularly), with the biggest issue being the inability to select, or even vote, on a specific mode or stage. This isn’t a deal breaker by any means, but as a fan of the past iterations, it is a letdown seeing the options to select the density of the terrorists or specific modes missing.

Since we’re on the topic of customization, veteran players may be disappointed knowing that they can no longer customize their own operator. Instead, we’re given the option to choose from a pool of a number of pre-made characters which are limited to specific abilities or weapons. While each character can be customized using unlocked skins which are acquired by the dreaded loot boxes, and their designated weapons have a few standard options available, the freedom offered in previous entries is missing. At launch, you were required to level up and unlock specific operators; owners of the full game will find that the year one operators have now been unlocked at no cost. The biggest issue in regards to the operator options is that when playing a match made game, only one of each character can be selected.

As a veteran Rainbow Six player, I am happy to report that the AI issues which were prevalent in previous games have been improved greatly. Many of the enemies will still stand around twiddling their thumbs like they did in the past, but they will no longer swarm on you from the darkest depths of the level if stealth is broken, which gives the player a better chance of survival in the event a shot is missed or an enemy is overlooked. While they are not perfect by any means, they are much more worthy adversaries who will fire blindly through the destructible environment if you make yourself known.

The level of carnage that you can inflict on the environments included is astounding, allowing players to shoot holes through almost any surface. This works on many levels, as most entryways are boarded up, allowing you or your teammates to set up tactical attacks or create shortcuts throughout the level. It is a huge risk and will likely result in a certain, swift death, but blowing a hole through the floor and jumping into a room to take the enemy by surprise is a great rush if pulled off successfully.

Rainbow Six: Siege isn’t quite as addicting as previous entries, but once the steep learning curve is mastered, it is an extremely rewarding shooter for those who are tired of the mindless bloodbath that the likes of Call of Duty or Battlefield have become.

9 out of 10

Pros

• The Current Event is Stunning
• Destructible Environments
• Slower Paced Gameplay

Cons

• Lack of Customization and Gameplay Options

Rainbow Six: Siege was developed and published by Ubisoft. It was released on PC, PS4 and XB1 on December 1st, 2015, and can be purchased for $59.99. The game was not provided to us for review on X1. If you’d like to see more of Rainbow Six: Siege, check out the official site.

 

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