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erik

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority popularized the phrase “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” In the case of Rainbow Six: Vegas (X360/Ubisoft, Ubisoft Montreal), it would be more suitable to say, “When you accidentally get shot in the head in Vegas, it stays in Vegas.” The most obscenely difficult Tom Clancy war sim of them all is a winner in Sin City.

This recommendation does come with one roll of a snake eyes, that being the horrendous first level. Not only does it not take place in Vegas (but rather the location of every other terrorist hunting game known to man, boring old Mexico), but it’s one of the longest levels ever seen. It may have just been incompetence (no doubt I lack the temerity to stay in the shadows long enough to succeed without dying a few dozen times), but it took nearly two hours to get out of Mexico. It’s an introductory level designed to teach the basics of teamwork, but I learned how to play craps at Binion’s at 4 a.m., margarita in hand—not in some border-town train yard.

Anyways, once you get past that initial disappointment, things lighten up (with gaudy neon signs) considerably. Rainbow Six is a team-based first-person shooter. Where it differs from most other FPSs is how highly technical it is—most of the game is spent hiding behind objects for cover, or planning how to properly enter a room and kill everyone inside without taking a shot or losing hostages (the ones you’re trying to save). The levels are long, but are cut into about a half-dozen major sections each. It’s unlikely a novice will beat many of them on the first try, but the point of the game is to learn through repetition how to infiltrate buildings while severely outnumbered. The gameplay is actually a little less complicated than before (there’s no more mission planning), but it’s still largely one-shot kills.

That’s where R6 becomes a much-beloved/much-maligned game. As with all the Ubisoft Tom Clancy games, this one requires the memorization of a lot of different functions, which makes starting out a rough go. The “one shot and you’re dead” realism of the game can be especially frustrating, especially when you think you’ve cleared a room, only to run right into some terrorist hiding behind a slot machine.

On par graphically with Advanced Warfighter, Rainbow Six succeeds in brilliantly recreating Las Vegas. From the panoramic shots while flying over the strip in a helicopter, to the luscious architecture inside the casinos, Ubisoft Montreal got the vibe and look of Glitter Gulch (which is an old nickname, in addition to strip club). Ubi Montreal spent time in Vegas taking pictures (at least we think that’s why they were there) and even the concept casinos feel like the real deal.

I didn’t get a chance to go to Vegas this year, but gunning down bad guys in the middle of Fremont street (complete with big-screen roof) was just as good as hitting lucky seven.

Arcadia expands

Arcadia Productions has teamed up with the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) to give Canadian gamers a chance to represent Team Canuck at this year’s games in Paris in July. The online qualifying events will start in April, and they’re still debating having the in-person finals in either Toronto or Montreal.

It’s their first major venture outside the festival (although they’ve helped on the last two World Cyber Games qualifiers). Check out www.esworldcup.com for upcoming event details.

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