Though Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is a standalone title it is essentially an expansion pack detailing the events that happened parallel to the actions of Logan’s team in the first game. Terrorists have taken over some of the ritziest areas of Las Vegas and it is up to the elite Rainbow organization to restore order and apprehend those responsible for masterminding the attacks.
Rainbow itself is a multi-national organization dedicated to fighting terrorism and crime the world over who operate similar to that of SWAT teams but on a worldwide scale. In the sequel the game’s plot centers around Bishop, the leader of a squad of Rainbow operatives sent into help clean up Vegas. Hostage situations, bomb plots, and chemical weapon scares are the high points, and are delivered at an often rapid-fire pace. Most of the story is delivered while the player is actively participating in the game rather than via cutscenes, which leads for plenty of surprising twists and turns to be experienced first-hand.
The new single player campaign alone is worth the purchase price and has many of the same merits that made the original game so great, but at the same time most of the weaponry and gameplay mechanics remain largely unchanged barring a few new weapons and the ability to sprint. The game stands well on its own and doesn’t require familiarity with the first title to enjoy but fans of the series, for better or worse, should expect more of the same experiences that they had with the original.
That all being said the control mechanics are easily some of the most well thought out and diverse in a tactical shooter—bar none. The left trigger makes your character take cover behind objects, allowing them to shoot out from around corners or take cover under concrete barriers or fountains. This system alone deserves its own praise, as it very intuitive and leaves very little guesswork as to what objects actually allow for cover and what do not.
While in cover the camera takes on a third-person vantage point, and players can simply blind fire by holding the right trigger and pointing the camera in a vague direction. For more precise shooting players can swing out around the side of the cover either while standing or crouched, or over the top if the cover is low enough. Much of the game is spent using this mechanic, letting the player conceal as much of their body as they can while trading fire with the enemy.
The rest of the control scheme is just as intuitive and easy to become accustomed to despite how many options it yields for the player. Tapping the X button reloads your weapon, while holding it in brings up the weapon menu which allows the player to press a direction on the d-pad to attach or remove a silencer, change the weapon’s firing rate, and other options. Pressing the Y button switches between the player’s two main weapons and holding it in brings up the weapon menu which lets players equip their pistol or change grenade types. The B button throws said grenades, while the A button is a context sensitive button that allows the player to use ladders, fast ropes, climb through broken windows, and other options. It is a scheme that allows for the player to quickly get at what commands they use most, while at the same time has a great degree of flexibility.
The A button is also used to command the other two members of your squad, which function as a pair and can be used to great effect if the player is tactically minded. Any action the player can do the squad members can do as well, and with many of their actions once they are in position the d-pad is used to give them a specific order from there. Some actions or more mundane such as whether to rappel up, down, or break through a nearby window while others are true tactical choices such as whether you want them to breach into a room by throwing a flashbang or simply blowing the door apart with a charge. Your squad will wait for this order before they act, which allows for the player to get into position from an alternate angle and then give the order so that they and the rest of their squad all open fire at the same time for maximum effect.
