Back in 2006 there were two games duking it out for your attention; Gears of War and Rainbow Six Vegas. With the hype meter on overdrive for Epic’s stop and pop shooter, it was surprising when Ubisoft Montreal’s reboot of the Tom Clancy tactical action game busted down the holiday doors and stole some of Gears of War’s thunder. You could argue forever as to which one was better, but ultimately Vegas probably stole more of your time with its deep multiplayer offering. A little over a year later, we have a sequel in the form of Rainbow Six Vegas 2. It may tread a little too closely to expansion pack territory, but it is definitely a reason to hop back into the city of sin and breach and clear your way through hordes of terrorists.

Even if you respect Tom Clancy, you have to accept that he is not a good novelist – it simply can’t be argued with. He has a heap of knowledge and it bodes well for mindless (yet militarily accurate) stories of freedom under attack, but none of them are particularly good. For example, here is what you can gather from Rainbow Six, the novel that started it all: eco-terrorists are evil and they hate anyone who isn’t a dirty, leaf eating, shrub munching hippie. And, in another fantastic display of social insight, here is what you can gather from the first Vegas game: terrorists from across the border are evil and they really hate tourists… talk about insightful worldly views. Now, Mr. Clancy did not pen the Vegas script, but the very fact that his name is on the cover means that the bar isn’t set very high – you shouldn’t be expecting anything more than a pointless action romp, and not even a good one at that.

Vegas 2 picks up where the first one left off; Gabriel has betrayed you and your team because he’s angry about some bad stuff that went down during a mission in France five years before the events of the first game. You play as a new character named Bishop, but it’s completely inconsequential other than the new persistent character feature (more on that later). The story is unclear and it won’t hold your attention – it would be nice if developers would start hiring Hollywood writers to pen a good action script. But then again, that probably isn’t why you are playing this game.

So the singleplayer story is complete letdown – no surprise there. But, the real stars of first Rainbow Six Vegas were its refined tactics and awesome set pieces in a glowing neon paradise gone to hell.

In an attempt to separate this iteration from the last, you will get to see the grittier, grungier, brighter side of Vegas – hardly any neon and no strolls down the strip. Why would I want to see a city that prides itself on gaudy nightlife during the light of day? There is a reason why Las Vegas comes alive at dark – any other time it’s gray, boring and monotonous. Regrettably, in the attempt of showing the city in a different light (no pun intended) there are hardly any memorable locations or set pieces in Vegas 2, but luckily the core gameplay will keep you fighting through.

One of the few levels that takes place in that neon glow you remember… if only it had lasted longer

Not much has changed for team Rainbow: stack up your duo (Michael and Jung) in front of a door with the A button and have them breach, smoke, flash or frag the next room. Meanwhile, you usually take a different entry point to flank the terrorists. The success of your assault on each room depends on carefully planning beforehand, and then adapting on the fly should that plan fail. This formula is repeated over and over again but each burst of action is complex, full of adrenaline and controlled intuitively with a simple interface – it never gets old.

On the technical side of things Vegas 2 somehow fares worse than its predecessor; occasionally the frame rate chugs to five frames per second, which is simply unacceptable considering the first Vegas ran smoothly. A year ago it was all about the glitz and this sequel is all about the grunge – not only is Vegas 2 stylistically dull, it doesn’t see a single leap in the graphics department. With dozens of fantastic looking games that came in 2007, the grand Vegas you remember hasn’t aged very well.

The audio department fares better with cracking gunshots and flashbangs ringing in your ears. Voice acting is solid even though the script is a complete throwaway – it’s still neat to wait in front of a door and listen to terrorists crack jokes with one another, before you come in and drop them all in a hail of bullets. But, in another exercise of cutting corners, much of the audio and score are recycled from the last.

The meat of Rainbow Six has always been found in its multiplayer – Vegas 2 delivers the goods, and then some. The entire singleplayer mode can be played through in co-op mode both online and off - playing with a friend improves the experience considerably. Terrorist Hunt makes a return with its supercomputer AI, which again performs far better than anything on display during the campaign mode. Your favorite multiplayer modes like Attack & Defend and Total Conquest make a return, as well as a new mode called Team Leader. It offers an excellent twist on “protect the MVP” game type found in many other titles. And rejoice, because you can finally invite friends to ranked matches.

Rappels and fast ropes make their return and yes… you can still cap terrorists while hanging upside-down

What ties all these styles of play together is the new persistent character creation. When you load up the singleplayer you have to create Bishop from scratch and that created character will exist in every mode you play, stats and all. The new A.C.E.S system (Advanced Combat Enhancement Specialization) adds RPG-light elements to the game: kill at close quarters and get CQB points, kill at long range or with precision and get Marksman points and finally, kill through cover or take down defenses and get assault points. Each of the three styles provide upgrades and weapons specific to your area of expertise – it is incredibly addictive and is tailors the game to your experience.

More often than not, when a sequel comes out it only tweaks the basics set out by the original, yet revamps the game in other areas to make it feel like a completely fresh experience. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 leans more towards an addition rather than a full fledged sequel – the presentation, graphics and audio are identical to the previous game and are in some ways worse. The singleplayer lacks the flashy and ritzy style that pulled the first above its weak script – this time the game simply descends into monotony.

Fortunately, the gameplay that was so strong before has seen little tweaks here and there that make it familiar, yet a step up from before. The persistent character creation is something that will be sorely missed in other games – it ties together the package in an incredibly cohesive way. In the end, Rainbow Six is meant to be played with friends and for friendly (or not) competition – if you don’t plan on playing online you will feel completely cheated with the lackluster singleplayer mode. However, the multiplayer offering here is so substantial that it saves the overall experience in a huge way – you will be playing this one for months to come.

(Played on Xbox 360)

Presentation 7/10

Gameplay 8/10

Graphics 6/10

Audio 8/10

Value 9/10

Overall 8/10