Rainbow Six Vegas 2: Xbox 360 Review

Multiplayer

If you're into multiplayer action, expect some of the best around in R6 Vegas 2. All the familiar game modes are there, including three new ones: Team Leader, Total Conquest, and Demolition. Although welcome additions to the game, none of the three offer a style of online play that we haven't seen before. For instance, those who played Counter Strike will feel right at home with Demolition, whose objective is for one team to blow up a target as the other defends it. Meanwhile, Team Leader is very similar to the VIP mode in the GRAW (Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter) series where your objective is to protect a member of your team while advancing from one point on the map to another. All of the available multiplayer modes are a lot of fun, and it is recommended that players try out each one to gain a sense of the types of games they find the most appealing.

Today, adding a multiplayer element to most games has become the norm and is expected by those who want their money to provide more gameplay hours than the time spent with a single player campaign. Cooperative gameplay is yet another element in R6 Vegas 2 that meets this need. In co-op mode, those who enjoyed the campaign can revisit it with a friend. Unlike the co-op mode in the previous game that limited players to going from point A to point B, the co-op in R6 Vegas 2 allows players to experience the campaign in its entirety, not leaving out any of the objectives or in-game commentary. While this is an improvement over the previous game, players are now limited to one additional player instead of three. Another drawback is the fact that only one of the two players can command the two AI teammates, whereas having one AI squad member assigned to each player would have been ideal. Still, playing the campaign cooperatively is one of the most enjoyable features in R6 Vegas 2. Even if you didn't like the campaign, having a friend at your side that you can communicate with during the game may make all the difference.

Players can experience cooperative gameplay online, as well as offline via split-screen, which is important for those without a high speed internet connection. For those who are adamant about continuing their experience offline, Terrorist Hunt is yet another appealing mode of gameplay that split-screeners can enjoy. This allows players to visit all of the available multiplayer maps and take down the terrorists that occupy them. Terrorist Hunt is a returning feature from the previous game and can be enjoyed alone or with friends, online or off.

R6 Vegas 2 gives players 12 different multiplayer maps right out of the box. Even though the campaign is set in Vegas, the available maps take you to a number of different locales inside and outside the city. Those who enjoyed some of the locations in the campaign can revisit a few of them in maps that were created based on those areas. But if your desire is to get away from the strip altogether, you've got that option as well. For instance, the map called Import/Export will take you to a deserted Mexican town, while Oil Refinery brings you back to the days of Raven Shield, an earlier installment in the R6 series. And for those who loved Kill House in the last Vegas game, a new and improved version of this map has returned for your enjoyment. Players may also recognize Three Kingdoms Casino from the previous game's campaign. However, this was never released as a multiplayer map until now. Despite the rehashing of a few of these maps, there's really not a lot to scoff at there. If you're itching for some new maps right away, you can download two more by using a code that you'll most likely find on any gaming site. These plus the promise of additional downloadable map packs should more than satisfy the multiplayer enthusiast. All of the maps are a lot of fun to maneuver around in and should provide for plenty of great multiplayer goodness.

One last new feature that deserves recognition is the game's online matchmaking system. This feature is largely new to console games that offer online play and was first brought to light when Halo 2 was released on the original Xbox in 2004. In a nutshell, matchmaking attempts to pair gamers up with other gamers of a similar skill level or rank while playing online. This helps to even the playing field for those who wish to join in a random game where the skill level of its players is uncertain. This matchmaking feature worked quite well with Halo 2 and gained some significant improvements in 2007's Halo 3.

Halo 3's matchmaking not only focuses on the parties you join, but also those who can join your party. For instance, let's say that you are playing a private online Slayer (standard deathmatch) game with a few friends and you decide that the game might get a little more interesting if you had some more players for a Team Slayer game. In this instance, matchmaking insures that the ranks of those who join your party fall within the highest and lowest rank of your existing team members. This is where Halo 3's matchmaking shines as it will actually push players in for you as you want them. What's happening is that you're using matchmaking to bring others in who are also using it. It works on both ends simultaneously, and the results are spot on.

Sadly, R6 Vegas 2's matchmaking system is not nearly as involved. You can create a custom match and invite your friends, but you can't use matchmaking to filter out joiners if you open your game to the public, and it will not push other players into your game. Rather, additional players will just trickle in or not at all. Joiners must either be using matchmaking themselves while looking for a game to join, or just find your game on the server and jump in without using the matchmaking service, regardless of their rank. So in essence, R6 Vegas 2's matchmaking system simply acts as a filter for those looking to join a random game. While it works in theory, the match you started may end up with players of a much higher rank who joined by simply choosing a match from the list of active games on the server.

While playing online is a great way to experience the great features R6 Vegas 2 has to offer, not everyone has an interest in it. Some players would rather have a friend over and sack out on the couch together for more a more intimate gaming experience. This is where the game's split-screen mode shines. With it, two players can experience the co-op campaign, Terrorist Hunt games, and even one-on-one matches. Playing games via split-screen can actually be more fun than playing online and can become much more competitive since your opponent is sitting right there next to you, and joining up for the co-op campaign can be even more fun as you take down the oppressors of Las Vegas together. While the amount of fun you'll have with the game's multiplayer modes can be dependent upon those you choose to play with, R6 Vegas 2 sets the stage for an excellent experience, regardless of how you play the game.