21.4.2003

If you buy one game this year...make it Raven ShieldI've been a big fan of Rainbow Six ever since reading the book. Raven Shield had lot to live up to based on the amazing quality of the first two titles in the series. It has met all expectations and exceeded them. The unreal engine makes all the difference in this game. Sounds, sights, lighting, and weapon details are phenominal.True, there's not a lot different to the basics of the game. As in the first title, you pick you team, equip them, plan your mission, and then execute. The difference is in how much the realism and detail has been increased. For example, you now have the ability to cuff tangos who give up the fight.Weapons can be given different modificatios. Weapon inventory is enhanced. And even though it may be petty...this is just a pretty game to watch. When I play a game I want to be immersed in it. I want to forget reality for a time and take on the role of someone else. Raven Shield delivers. Turn down the lights, turn up the volume, and you will become a counter-terrorist operative such as the world has never seen.not as good as Rogue Spear/GROk, I've been a VERY addicted player of all the RS games + Ghost Recon. These are almost the only games I have played for years, and I have played them constantly. Since this is the sequel to Rogue Spear, here's a quick comparison. They basically rewrote everything, and left out features that were in Rogue Spear. The result is better graphics, but more of an arcade-style action game. Using strategy (creating plans) is not useful, because even on the easiest level your computer-controlled teammates...get shot constantly. They sometimes turn and stare at a wall or cleared area instead of where the threat is. After playing the first several maps, I've noticed a boring consistency-there are no interesting scripted actions carried out by enemies. Their AI stinks (although they will 'nade you pretty effectively). I'm still amazed that they'll run out bravely into the line of fire, walking over a huge pile of corpses only to join the pile shortly. The AI stinks equally for both "good guys" & "bad guys." I've read that some of the maps are used for more than one mission...You still can't really customize your weapons. You can only use one weapon accessory, as opposed to the REAL SOPMOD M4 which Spec Ops can configure however they wish. Ie. You can't put both a scope and C-MAG on an M4. No flashlights either. No option to use Aimpoints, Reflex scopes, or ACOG 4x scopes. You can't use both high-cap mags and a silencer on pistols (or rifles for that matter). There is still MUCH lacking in the way of realism.. IMHO its gotten worse since Rogue Spear. You can't shoot through chairs and other paper-thin objects. ALL doors make noise when you open them (easily heard by nearby people). Shooting a person in the foot 2 or 3 times will kill them. Computer-controlled snipers (teammates)-evidently don't believe in the "one shot one kill" creed. Characters can run around for hours with a machine gun held at ready position without ever getting tired. In summary, the game seems more geared towards arcade-style "spray and pray" gameplay and MP games (because the AI doesn't matter when all the players are human). It really annoys me that the game industry does this...they always dive for the better graphics/animation and rewrite stuff instead of IMPROVING existing code. There are very very few new features in RS3 that I've noticed, and I'm disappointed. I would have been much happier if they had reused the pre-gameplay (briefing, planning, etc) stuff from Rogue Spear, and ONLY focused on adding new features and improving gameplay. I should not have paid...for this. There are plenty of bugs. I would wait for a patch or two to come out, then pay less for the game. Or just play the MP demo, since the game...in SP mode anyway. All that said, the graphics/animation are pretty nice...Forgive me...but...I know, I may be one of the only people to actually go agaisnt the tide here and give this game 3 stars, but it just feels like it's a year behind everything else. I own and have reviewed over 30 first person shooters, and I play them all on a 2.8ghz, Geforce 4 Ti 4600, 21 inch trinitron monitor and Klipsch 5.1 surround sound...so I feel I have a good idea of what every game I own can do.First, the positives. The graphics are nice, yet a bit choppy at times. The sound and realism is where this game falls short. It's more "cartoonish" than other shooters out there. The sound is TREMENDOUSLY unimpressive. The "planning stage" and waypoints take alot of time, and can bore you. The weapons are ok, but you get most of them right when you start. I'm yet to locate a health meter, or a quick save if there even is such a thing. This is VERY similar to the first Rainbow series. If you were a fan of that, which I am not, then you may love this game. I would look at this more as a strategy game than a first person shooter. It's not that this game is terrible, it depends on what your looking for.On that note, I think recent shooters like Soldier of Fortune II, Jedi Knight II, and Medal of Honor Allied Assault are head and shoulders above Raven Shield. Black Hawk Down is more of a realistic run and gun as opposed to this slow paced cartoonish Raven Shield. I waited 8 months for this to FINALLY hit shelves, and I get a HUGE "Hitman 2" feeling when I play this...if you have played that game you know what I'm talking about. Next time I'll play the demo first.

29.7.2004

Wow! Definitely the most absorbing and engrosing first-person shooter I've played on the X-Box. I only got round to buying this recently at the reduced price and boy was it worth it.This is one of the most hyper-realistic war FPS games I've ever played.***Enemy AI is outstanding (enemies are intelligent enough to shoot their hostages if provoked, seek the nearest cover, shout for backup and run away or retreat when outnumbered). There are lots of terrorists to shoot too so rarely a dull moment to be had! And head shots are lethal, needing only one well-aimed shot. This also means the difficulty level is very high, and with only 2 save points allowed per mission (with large maps to get through),and a team of limited abilities (if you don't send them to cover when under fire they'll get wiped out very quickly), it means the going gets frustratingly tough at times, especially on the highest "Elite" setting.***The choice of weapons and equipment is impressive, and with a few additions. There are the usual knives, pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers and automatics of course, but there are also new weapons like chain guns (e.g.M203), explosives (e.g.Claymores or remote charges) and several types of grenade for different uses, (including tear gas with the appropriate effects on your vision!).***The animation is smooth and the graphics engine is excellent with some impressive light and shading effects (based on the Splinter Cell engine - you'll recognise some of the "moving curtain" effects from there).***Sounds are of a high quality, with an atmospheric orchestral soundtrack, not to mention realistic sound effects - including human voices from your team members ("Contact! Tango rear!" for example) and crackling interference on the mic. In fact, when you use the headset, you can give voice-activated instructions to your team, which works surprisingly well. It gives you a hell of a kick to shout "Open Flash & Clear" to your team at a doorway, and watch them charge in and clear up all the terrorists! Clever stuff.***Single player is addictive as hell - great cut-screens develop the storyline and characters nicely. It also serves as a kind of briefing before the next mission. There are various (up to 3) objectives per mission, but your route through the map does tend to be fairly linear. Still, there are lots of entry points to most rooms - give the "Zulu" code and you can command your team to enter via a different doorway to you as you move into position. Another clever touch.***The online multiplayer game can be a bit jerky and annoying at times I found, and with varying levels of shooting accuracy. Then again, I guess it's just dependent on the weapon you use and how good/bad a player you are!***Maps vary in size - they're demanding with several levels (accessible via stairways or slopes, like the 6-storey car park map "Parkway"), rooms and places to take cover behind (e.g. oil drums, vehicles and explodable boxes).***The actual gameplay is fantastic, and although not as fast-moving as other games (RS3 is mainly based around stealth tactics, using cover and grenades), you will find that you meet your opponents quickly as they "spawn" nearby. This speeds things up a great deal.***Controls are virtually identical to other FPS games and is fairly easy to just pick up and play, although Counter Strike regulars may get a bit confused with the lack of a jump button and the slow turning of the character at first. The "peek around the corner" function (D-pad left/right) will also take some getting used to.***There's plenty of new downloadable content now available, with around 5 new maps and a new multiplayer game option.To sum up, this is a brilliant game with some great touches and a lot of fun to be had, but you need to have a lot of patience. Try before you buy if possible. If you want the most realistic modern war FPS on the X-Box, go for this. If you want something more arcade-style with less realism, go for Counter Strike.Looking forward to RS3:Black Arrow now!

3.1.2004

I'll skip the backstory, since it is always the same thing, bad guy is killing and kidnapping people, and we as a member of the elite R6 team must put an end to this.First the good points:The AI is very good, and I emphasize on very!Your team members will perform the assigned tasks efficiently, watching our backs and taking down those we never see, one could let them perform the mission, they would surely carried it out without getting themselves "too" shot up. The enemy AI is on par, the "Tangos" crouch, peek out, and sometimes open fire with only the gun, from behind cover. They are a good challenge.The graphics are of good quality for the current technologies, with dynamic shadows and smoke,excellent sound (one can hear someone throwing a grenade by hearing the safety pin being pulled), along with incidental effects, like passing aircraft, traffic, ships, in one of the earlier missions, there's even a stereo playing classical music.The high praise is to weapons simulation of the real deal. I've read somewhere that R6 3 manages to produce the most authentic feel for the real weapons (from sub-MG's, passing through assault & sniper rifles, up to SAW's, not forgeting pistols and grenade launchers).Although I never fired any of the depicted weapons, all of them have a different sound, and "feel", cleverly transmitted through the controller.As for the grenades, flashbangs are a blast (pun intended), CS grenades makes one feel stoned, phosporous and high-explosive are dangerous close by, making for good house-clearing (when hostages aren't around, of course!) with good fire effects. Yep, opening fire is when the fun begins.Oh, yeah, almost forgot, getting killed by a few shots is a plus, this is a tactical squad shooter based on real life, not science fiction.Now, for the bad points:As a previous reviewer already said, the loss of the planning phase is to lament, but I understand it, since this is a console, and aside from occupying too much space (with several plans), the developers may have deemed it too cerebral (read this which way you like it...).Still, I would like to have a map of the mission to study before jumping in, the small one we have access during the mission is of no use; and a choice on the team's composition, from the number of elements, to the equipment they carry.There should be more variety in the missions, the previous instalments had stealth missions by placing bugs and cameras, which helped to break the monotony of killing and rescueing.(And I guess for bad points this is it... huh, not many, are there?)Comparasions:Well, the only ones worthy of note are other tactical shooters, and I'll take Rogue Spear, Ghost Recon and SWAT 3..Better than Rogue Spear? More or less, RS was an improvement on the original, a deserving one at that. Is this an improvement? Not really, more as an actualization of the same game to the modern software technologies.What about Ghost Recon? It is similar, despite having different goals, but then again, when the shooting starts, aren't they all enemies to be taken down? Is it better or worse? *Shrugs*.What the hell does SWAT3 have to do with this? Let's see, giving orders to your team on the spot, enemies that shoot and duck, and when injured surrender (and you have to cuff then), everyone bleeds when hit (including lovely red puff marks in the walls), the guns give out smoke, expended shell cases, and flashes when they fire, vehicles that smoke when hit, oil drums that explode... We're only missing the yelling for complying and grabbing all the guns in the scenario! But, again, with modern technologies this game is much more eye-candy!Conclusions? Nothing new, but a good buy never the less, and a worthy addition to the Rainbow Six colection.P.S.-- the cut-scenes should be done waaaay better, the characters have crappy lip-synch, and since when is John Clark in his forties with no white hair? The guy must be over fifty by 2007 (the time where the story is set)! And I miss the Go-codes!

8.11.2003

I've been waiting for this game for nearly two years now, and its been well worth it.Ever since it was suppose to be Xbox version of Ravenshield, but with so many features dropped and altered, its virtually a new game, hence the name Rainbow Six 3. The result is a game with a strong emphasis on action shooter rather then on tactical planning. Not quite the arcade shooter like the forthcoming SWAT Global Strike Team there is enough tactical elements to keep it from being a run around and blast everything type of game.Features dropped are the tedious map planning (which is good), the three fire teams down to one, and the individual team member and weapon assignments (which is bad).I would have preferred to be able to pick the specialist and their equipment, for example one team member to be the Automatic Rifleman for extra fire support like in a real life fire team. However the game changes the other members' weapons accordingly to whatever type of weapon you've chosen. Such as I wanted a more stealth approach to a mission and chose a silenced weapon, the computer changes other team members' weapons respectively.I don't think its anything to do with the limitations of the games console because Xbox's Ghost Recon had most of the setup features from its PC version, but I would have liked the two fire teams and the on mission map planning feature from Ghost.Still this is a great game, and once you're on a mission with just the one team against an army of terrorist you can really feel the adrenalin pumping. You can order your team to move to spot and take down a room like in the PC version, but what really kicks it above the other team based shooter games, PC or Xbox alike, is the AI of your team members. They actually look for cover. Tell them to move to a spot they sometimes split up to get the best cover, one member covers the rear and corners like a real life fire team. Unlike other games which just stand out in the open aimlessly. However unlike the PC version you cannot take control the other members of your team and once you're died its game over.The enemy AI is not bad either, they move for cover or approach to attack. Throw a grenade they sometimes run to the next room.Graphically its fantastic from what I can tell as I only played the one mission and it was at night so everything is in monochrome green with the night vision goggles on. However from the makers of Splinter Cell the game utilises some realistic light effects. Characters cast shadows from a lamp, not the grey static shapes like in a PC game. Not sure if the game has the same movie like beams of light like in Splinter Cell. The sound is crisp and sharper then Ghost Recon, and if you have it linked to a 5.1 sound system you can feel you're a middle of a fire fight. Ran across a street and came under enemy fire, your team members responding it was like a scene out of Black Hawk Down.With Xbox Live feature this could be the online first person shooter for the Xbox that can rival the best online PC games.

23.3.2004

In Rainbow Six 3 you control a squad of counter-terrorists in 15 thrilling missions. You set out to stop OPEC from getting the Venezuelan oil shipments to America to end.This awesome squad-first person shooter surpasses Halo in every aspect.To command your squad, you either use the Xbox Communicator or joypad to issue orders to your team. Two entrances to a room holding both hostages and terrorists? Simple. Tell your team to ‘open, flash and clear’ one entrance, whilst you rush in, securing the hostage. The flash bang grenade will have disorientated the terrorists,allowing your squad to easily dispatch them.This type of gameplay is the basis of the game,

7.5.2006

After playing many FPS games that had a "Blow up everything in your way" gameplay it was nice to get my hands on a little more of a tactical game. Rainbow Six 3 breaks away from mindless shooting and adds alot more thought to the FPS genre.The game puts you in control of a squad of 3 men who act as covering fire aswell as other back up and support. This adds to the games diversity and you feel a real sense of leadership as you command your troops. Also the game is alot more realistic to other FPS games, in RS3 if you take a couple bullets you die and if you happen to live you dont have any method of regaining your health as there are no health packs. This is one of the elements that makes the game so tactical,

31.12.2003

Rainbow 6-3 has to be one of the really great X-box games,Everything about it slick and very well done the graphics are fanatstic and the sound effects are also top notch.You lead an international elite S.W.A.T team through 14 missions in various parts of the world, Start the mission by selecting your kit do you need flashbang grenades or maybe C.S gas?(dont forget the gas mask!).You play the game in a first person view point(like most shooter games) and lead your team using a simple to use menu system.This game is easy to learn to play and will soon have you smashing through doors to clear a room full of bad guys!

10.12.2003

Well Clancy does it again. Following the amazing games that were Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon (and its add on pack) comes another excellent Tom Clancy game.The game has crisp graphics (using the Unreal engine), superb level design and an intro movie that would put most hollywood blockbusters to shame!Not only does it come Live equiped (In case you dont know that means you can play it on X-Box Live and infuture new maps may be available for download) but it also comes headset ready. This means you can shout orders at your team mates and they will do it. Shout move and they move, shout frag and they frag - its amazing fun.The basic story sees you as the captain of a Rainbow Squad that is used to tackle terrorism.

10.11.2003

After playing for a weekend on this I can think of only one way of describing it "fantbrddytastic".Take Ghost Recon, but it in a mixture of small areas of outdoor and tight indoor, dump a load of steriods into that then add voice recognition. One of the few games recently to put a smile on my face becuase of it being so good.OK there is voice recognition but its not brilliant but is very good. Sometimes its been perfect, other times it won't respond to Move, Regroup or Zulu Go. I found flicking the mic helped this a couple of times (it may just be that I'm getting a sore thoat & cold though :-) )Multi player is awesome. There are dedicated servers now running which is nice. With solo,

25.7.2005

I fairly new to xbox and this was one of the first games I bought due to reviews, and high opinions of the game. I glad to say I think the game is great. Very realistic locations, detalied graphics and weapons and lots of fun to be had. You have 14 missions basically to shoot terrorists and defuse bombs rescue hostages. Some missions are great especailly like the Villa, Penthouse and The Rock rip off of Alcatraz sneaking into the shower area just like the film! I maybe new to xbox but think this early game is great value for money. You have a traininning mode for newbies to the gerne, practice any mission, or use a location just to hunt down terrorists. You have to be careful to as enemy AI is very good spotting you early,

17.12.2003

If, like me, you look forward to an evening of heart stopping action when you get home from work, R6 is without doubt the best xbox live game to date. Whilst the single player game isnt as good as some of the earlier Clancy inspired games, such as Ghost recon, or Splinter Cell, it more than makes up for the lack of planning and stealth, by providing a gripping pace, and sense of "being there" that other online games dont manage to muster. The interface is simple between games, and there are plenty of options that can allow you to customise your arsenal before wading into war, including goodies such as remote charges & tear gas as well as pistols and SMG/rifles.Get into a good game,

28.10.2009

Well, I don't have Xbox live for a start so I can't say how good the online play is for this game, but I've played through a lot of the campaign and must say it is quite fun.There is a good selection of weapons to choose from, the maps are interesting and for once the controls are fluid and accurate, and thankfully easy to use. The graphics are good but not overly impressive. You get three people as part of your team on most missions, and generally they have good AI, except for a few very frustrating times. They do however die quite easily, but this doesn't fail the mission. You also seem to die quite easily, annoyingly,

14.12.2003

If you have XBox live you simply need this game. I have had the game for roughly a month now and have barely touched single player mode, multiplayer being so unbelievable. When I did play the single player mode, I was completely blown away with the voice recognition, stealth and fun that it provides. It gives just the right balance between mad weaponry and stealth- i.e. Its a bit more forgiving than something like Splinter Cell, allowing the fire and forget people to feel right at home. Being able to talk to the team in multiplayer also adds another dimension- you can have a chat in the lobby about who is going to "lead" who is going to go where and what weapons to select to give your team a distinct advantage over the other.

18.12.2003

If you like online action games this has to be the best ever made, it is better than brilliant! The headset brings a whole new dimension to games like this, and its integration in to rainbow six is a winner. To take command of your own elite squad and be able to direct them by voice command is fantastic. I cannot fault the game it delivers everything I ask. When I have played live it has always been smooth with no lag that I get on the PC, even though I have a one meg connection.The single player missions are also very playable, especially as the AI players are not always in the same place. The graphics are superb and the levels are usually large and quite complex.

26.6.2004

I am an experienced gamer, and am about to get xbox live, so using my initiative I decided to buy rainbow 6 3. Quite simply the graphics are stunning, the AI is good, and the prospect of playing this game online is, well, awesome.There are also many levels, (in great detail I might add), and often, in a tense situation, the game really gets your heart beating. The only thing that I could think about that could be improved is that in single player campaigne, they could use some other sceniarios other than 'secure the hostage' all the time. If you are into tactical shoot 'em ups like this then I strongly recommend Ghost recon and, for £40 you can get splinter cell Pandora with R63 as well. £20 each.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 (Xbox) - Reviews

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