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Vegas 2's multiplayer feels very familiar.All this talk is fine but we wanted to check it out for ourselves, and luckily we got the chance to do just that with a two-hour four VS four multiplayer session that really helped us get an idea of how Vegas 2 is shaping up. Before each match starts the game allows you to choose a class template from assault, recon, demo or sniper. This template gives you a load out which you can tweak if you fancy it. You can then choose your outfit from base equipment and items you've unlocked.
The game will come with 13 new maps and a number of new game modes. We played one of the, Demolition, a Counter Strike type game mode which sees one team assault and one team defend, on the Convention Centre map. Here one team needs to place the bomb (from a choice of two clearly marked areas), the other disarm it. The first thing you notice is that you do indeed level up very quickly. After one game I found myself upgraded to a Private second class, with access to new items - ballistic goggles, tactical helmet and a balaclava.
AdvertisementRainbow Six Vegas 2's multiplayer remains a slow-paced, considered affair, which lends itself to hardcore gamers despite the concerns of "dumbing down". The emphasis here is on tactics and realism, and so it doesn't take much for you to die. Because of this, you'll always be worried about sticking your head out from behind cover (Vegas 2's cover system works well - left trigger to get in cover, move left thumbstick to peek out). Compared with CoD4, it can feel like things are going at a snail's pace, but then that's what Rainbow Six is about. This isn't run and gun. This is duck and cover. This is the thinking man's shooter.
Vegas 2 is no revolution, it's more of an evolution.Demolition didn't really do it for us. We had a much better time with the Team Leader mode on a paint ball style map. Here, one member of each team is the team leader. The aim is to get your team leader to the extraction point without getting killed. The twist is that while the team leader is alive, your team mates can re-spawn. But if he dies, that's it - no more re-spawns. This led to some caged and very tactical matches. Add to this the fact that only the team leaders can see each other, and you've got the potential for some really satisfying, communication-led match-ups.
By the end of our second match we had already levelled up to Private first class, and opened up some more gear, including a Raid BDV, cargo pants and a long sleeve shirt (woo!), as well as a 10G Microsoft Achievement. We moved on to another game mode, Total Conquest, this time on the Villa map (huge, posh mansion house - lots of glass to break). The aim of the game here was to capture and hold all the satellite transmitters for the duration of a countdown. This was the poorest game mode of the lot, although we can see it being a lot more fun with more communication between team mates. It was during this game mode that we levelled up again to the Specialist rank, opening up the DPM Desert Camo, Cadpat camo and Russion camo gear (double woo!).
Although we can't be sure about the whole game, one thing we can say about the multiplayer with a degree of authority is that this is no revolution. Fans of Vegas will feel instantly at home with the sequel. Sure the graphics have been improved somewhat (feel a little bit dated, still not as impressive as CoD4) and Ubisoft Montreal has implemented some subtle but useful gameplay tweaks which will please fans (the jury' still out on two-player co-op). But does it do enough to draw newcomers to the series? We fear not. Will its PEC system prize away the many millions of online gamers who have contributed to make Activision's shooter the number one played game (on and off) on Xbox LIVE? Probably not. The bar has well and truly been raised.
It's quite possible that the CoD4 comparisons will be inconsequential. We'd very much hope that both games can co-exist in a happy-happy-joy-joy military FPS utopia. Perhaps the real issue lies elsewhere. At the top of the preview we said Ubisoft has quite a job on its hands moving the series and the genre forward. From what we've seen, Vegas 2 won't do either of these things to any great extent. A true sequel? Perhaps not. But we still expect Vegas 2 to be one of the better first-person shooters released this year.
Don't forget to check out our Rainbow Six Vegas 2 video preview for plenty of in-game footage.
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