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Audio:		9.5
Visual:		9.5
Gameplay:		9.5
Story:		0.0
Replay:		9.0
Score:		9.5

Platform:	X360
Genre:	Shooter
Players:	1
Release Date:	March 21, 2008
Rating:

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (R6V2) is the perfect example of what a sequel should be. Developer Ubisoft Montreal took great pains in making sure they didn’t mess with the stellar quality of the original while adding depth and diversity to the sequel. It’s a simple formula that many developers fail to adhere to: leave the good stuff and add better stuff. So you’re probably wondering, if they didn’t change the stuff from last year’s version what did they add?

First off, you can now sprint. Not that big a deal you say? When you have to get across the expanse of a warehouse with no cover and there 5 enemies looking to bring you down, you’ll see how big a deal it is. The sprint function also comes in handy when one of your buddies or AI buddies is down and you need to get to him for a nice injection of heal juice stuff. As an added bonus the pace of the games seems to have quickened as a result and this becomes very apparent in some of the single player mode levels where you feel compelled to sprint because of the action taking place. At this point in the evolution of shooters, being able to run should be mandatory.

The next new change is the fact that you can level up both online and offline. What does that mean? Well unlike other games where you can rank up to a major general butt kicker in the single player campaign but start off as a private nothing when you jump online, R6V2 lets you keep all your points and perks regardless. When you consider that some gamers buy a game like this and never touch the single player campaign then you show up to compete with a lobby full of colonels, this parallel advancement is not a major upgrade but a welcome one no less.

The coolest upgrade by far though are the new multiplayer and single player maps. That’s right single player maps. Breaking convention that only online play is deserving of all the upgrades, the developer added some fresh new maps that offer some branching off and varying obstacles that make the story mode a little less linear. If you want to see what top quality level design looks like look no further than this game. On one level you can send off your AI cohorts in on the ground floor while you head up to the roof and snipe enemies through the glass then come through the ceiling and meet up with your team. How’s that for varying paths?

Other game tweaks include about 12 new weapons and a new jump in/jump out co-cop mode which lets a buddy join your game anytime. A cool feature but questionable since the original game offered four player co-op. Also curious is the fact that only one player can control the AI redshirts. Sharing of this mechanic might have made for some more interesting online gaming. On the plus side the multiplayer modes are as good as ever with three new modes: team leader, total conquest and demolition. Of the three, team leader’s elimination style play is as good as it gets for multiplayer.

When you add it all up what you get with this sequel is a solid new game wrapped in a slightly used box. This game looks and sounds better than the original with nothing even remotely comparable to it at this point. It’s clear that Ubisoft went back to the playbook and came up with some great new additions and worthy tweaks. Sure these were safe plays but when you have a game of this caliber, why mess with what works. More than just run and gun plus rehash, you’ll have on hell of a time with Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2.