Boys with Toys
When it comes to shooters, the guns you'll use play a large part in how successful a game is. And you'll be happy to know that R6 Vegas 2 does not suffer in this arena. Trying out new weapons is always lots of fun. The folks that created the game knew this and made sure that your arsenal was fully stocked with various submachine guns, sniper rifles, and a plethora of automatic weapons that you can customize with laser sights, scopes, silencers, and extra large magazines. In fact, many of the guns used in the previous game have returned. But this time around, your arsenal is larger and many of the new guns seem to pack more of a punch thanks to some excellent use of audio sampling coupled with the Xbox 360 controller's force feedback.
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You'll also learn a lot about the weapons you choose as the gear menu informs you of each gun's stopping power, range, recoil, and bullet capacity. The guns in R6 Vegas 2 just feel and sound great! The game's other audio effects are top notch and are blended well with each new environment you encounter. Ambient noises also match your surroundings and are very realistic whether you're hitting the streets or inside of the game's many interior settings. As for the music score, you'll experience the same music you heard in R6 Vegas. It sounded great then and it sounds great now. The game's background music intensifies along with the action, providing for an excellent cinematic experience.
So, what's new in the game? The most notable addition is the ability to sprint rather than being restricted to walking. This welcome feature is quite useful during the campaign and is almost essential during online play as the combat intensifies significantly. You'll use the sprint feature to run from cover to cover while dodging enemy fire, or to chase down an opponent so you can get a more accurate shot.
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Also new to the game is an enhanced ranking system called A.C.E.S. that notifies the player of any completed goals that unlock new weapons and gear. A.C.E.S. is similar to achievement points, but is built into the game and really gives you the feeling of continual accomplishment the more you play. A.C.E.S. features an XP (experience points) bar located at the top left of the screen, allowing you to follow your progression to your next rank. This is a great feature that players will surely appreciate. It also challenges the player to be creative. Trying out new playing styles is more fun than ever as you learn which tactics award you the most XP. If you've already played R6 Vegas and gained the achievement for completing the campaign on realistic difficulty, you'll receive 2500XP and an increased rank as soon as you pop the R6 Vegas 2 disc into your Xbox 360. XP hounds will definitely appreciate this little gift from the development team, and other bonuses are also available for R6V players, including equipment.
A.C.E.S. also works alongside your ability to customize the character you'll use in the campaign and online. Not only will weapons and protective gear define your character, but you'll also have the ability to change the overall appearance with optional headgear, masks, and even the color of your camouflage. In R6 Vegas 2, you can now increase your rank and gain all these extras during offline play. This is a major improvement over the previous game where you could only increase your rank while playing online. Now, any XP you gain will stick with you regardless of the mode you're playing.
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JarredWalton - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
The simple answer is, we review a lot of hardware that is primarily of use to gamers. Not surprisingly, a large number of gamers read our site. This isn't the first gaming review we've done, and it almost certainly won't be the last.I know Eddie - he's an avid gamer, with PC, Xbox360, and PS3 consoles in his house - and asked him to try writing some game reviews for us. Since he was in the midst of playing R6V2, that seemed like a good place to start. If you haven't noticed, the pickings are a bit slim for new games right now - at least games worth a try.
We would have done the PC version if it were available; we will try to have Eddie do a follow-up with the PC version when it's available. Right now, at least we have a good idea of what the Xbox 360 version offers, so we will better be able to say how the PC version compares.
Maybe next we can have Gary discuss his feelings on C&C3: Kane's Wrath? :)
Hardin - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
The gameplay was pretty good, but I had to stop playing it because of the frame rate issues. They were happening much more frequently than most console games. If the 360 version has frame rates issues then I wonder how the pc version will turn out.thartist - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
It's odd how you intend to avoid personal opinions but end on a mere "SWEET!"I understand very clearly you intention, but the solution will be between the result you hit and those shitty 8.347 ratings out there.
Rating suggestion: Try the five stars rating which you could divide in halves too, try 1-10. That scale gives a good sense of higher and lower quality.
GOLDEN HINT: a significant evolution of the rating system has been the addition of a resume explanation on what's GOOD and what's BAD in the game, including technical problems. It adds that layer of un-bias and clearness to the reader. Implement it please.
(always below 50% is unbearably rotten. Simplify like that too, those games don't deserve attention.)
cmdrdredd - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
Yep, for which I will use IGN. Nice try, but you're way too late here and there's reviewers on other sites with a bigger track record so that you can base their opinion off of what they liked before. So say if they gave Splinter Cell a 8.2 and then Metal Gear Solid a 9.1 and both are similar game types by the same reviewer, it's easy to pick the better one of the two.cmdrdredd - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
Oh, and calling a game sweet tells me nothing. You can be paid by EA or UbiSoft or any other developer to post a positive review. Using the number system is far better to tell a game's worth.whatthehey - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
"Sweet" tells you nothing, eh? Sort of like "8.4, Impressive" tells you nothing, right? (That's what IGN says.) God forbid you read the remaining 6 pages, or even the conclusion. What I gather is that the game is good, and many FPS fans and particularly tactical FPS fans will enjoy it. Since I don't particularly care for the tactical shooter genre, I'll pass. I tried the original Rainbow Six a long time ago and didn't care for it.All that a number system would do is give all you pissers somewhere to complain about how Anandtech is wrong because they gave it an 8.2 instead of an 8.3 or 8.4. But then, you've got shit like Bully getting an 8.7 compared to this game's 8.4 at IGN; I can definitely state that I would rather try this game than Bully, aka "Let's sell lots of games through controversy!"
I wholeheartedly support the AT rating approach. Either a game is great and everyone should try it, it's good an most people will like it, it's decent and will appeal to fans of the genre... or it's not worth the DVD its printed on. Outside of the general evaluation, we're all going to have to read a bit to determine if a game is our cup of tea or not. OMG! Reading! On a website! HOW WILL WE EVER SURVIVE!? Congrats on proving you have the reading comprehension skills of a 4th grader.
Spivonious - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
Like the ratings system. I don't need a number, just a "Avoid", "Play the Demo First", or "Buy It".What I'm confused about is why a console game is reviewed on a computer site. Why not review the PC version once it's released?
gaakf - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
I played the original Rainbow Six: Vegas between breaks from Gears of War for a few months. I achieved a rank of Staff Sergeant/E-6. When I read that people returning to Vegas 2 would get EXP points depending on their rank in the first game, I thought that was really cool.So when I booted up Vegas 2 for the first time, I saw I was awarded Specialist/E-4 rank. That was nice.... until I saw that there was an achievement for getting Private First Class/E-3 rank.
Because I can not go down in rank, I can never unlock this achievement. How did Ubisoft miss something as blatantly obvious as this? The achievement should have unlocked once I was awarded rank. Stupid, just plain stupid.
bill3 - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
Game reviews on Anandtech? I like it.BTW, interestingly, I once came across a rumor that R6V at least on consoles DOESNT use UE3, but actually a souped up UE2. Apparantly if you looked at all the licenses on the box, UE2 and NOT UE3 was the only logo to be found. Might explain the game's alledged poor graphics.
ap90033 - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
Console? Dont care, what I want to know is how will the REAL version for PC be. Wonder if the graphics will be better since the XBox360/any console is weak.