Rainbow Six Vegas

Reviewed by Leland Bonaparte
October 15, 2007

Developer: Ubisoft Publisher: Ubisoft Website: Click Here Consoles Available: PSP Number of Players: 2 - 4 (Ad-Hoc, Infrastructure) ESRB Rating: Teen

There are certain kinds of games for certain systems. First-person shooters would be the last things you would think about on the PSP. With no second analog stick, is it even possible to make a good FPS?  Well the answer to that question is yes. Rainbow Six Vegas is beautifully done and I really enjoyed it. The story takes place in 2010, when a routine mission gets compromised. Two of your men get abducted and it’s your job to rescue your teammates. Brian and Shawn will have a tough time to get their fellow teammates back.

I was really surprised to see how good the graphics looked on the PSP. There was no question that it was going to look awesome, but the cut scenes really got me interested in what was going to happen next. The sounds of the game are pretty good too. When listening to the game through headphones, the gunplay was intense. I tried to compare it to SOCOM and liked Rainbow Six better. Background effects like helicopters propelling and the screams of people yelling for help really enhance gameplay. This is a major plus Rainbow Six.

One of the key features in the game is the control. I was very impressed by the use of the buttons to control aim. It was quite easy to target enemies standing still or on the run. There is a wide assortment of different weapons to use. It felt really comfortable playing and holding the game while taking down bad guys. Using the snake cam to look under doors and tag enemies is a very cool feature. This kind of gives you a slight advantage. Storyline is pretty tight and I really enjoyed it.

Now for some of the bad parts of the game. Sometimes when shooting, there seems to be a slight glitch when enemies get shot. Being that it’s on the PSP, some of the enemies are hard to find. You may have to repeat a couple of levels before you can find them. I’d rather control a two-man team than play one-on-one. This is a major downfall of the game.

For a PSP game and an FPS, this is a pretty good game.  However, I would not pay the full price of $39.99. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a good game, but $19.99 sounds a whole lot better.  Also, where is the PSP-PS3 connectivity?  I’ve been waiting to see Playstation do what Nintendo has done with the DS. Okay, Sony…it’s time to step up to the plate.