Rainbow Six: Siege Review
12/17/2015
“Insertion in 10 seconds.” I can feel my heart race, as I take control of a drone camera. “I’m checking upstairs.” Says my teammate on the mic, I respond with “I’ll check the basement.” My drone camera quietly moves into the basement where I see doors being barricaded. I drive my drone through a nearby air duct and see the hostage. “HOSTAGE LOCATED” the game announcer says. Then I hear a small ‘pop’ and my camera goes out.
Am I a SWAT team member? No, indeed not. But I AM playing a sick game, called Rainbow Six: Siege. A game where the real skill is how you communicate with your team, set up in the map, and deal with stressful decisions. Will you take on certain death in a 3 vs 1 situation to buy your teammates valuable time while you cause a distraction? Or will you camp in the corner, hoping the enemy team doesn’t see you when they smash down your barricade? All of these are decisions you’ll be forced to make and could become the differential between victory and defeat.
But fear not: most online players realize the key to victory is through teamwork. And even in a competitive gaming community, you’ll find a lot of teamwork in this game. Unlike MOBA’s such as League of Legends or DOTA 2 (also great games that require a ton of teamwork) you will come to find that your team members are more than willing to forgive a mistake, or help you when you need it. The online community for this game is pretty good, and people are very good at communicating. After all, lack of communication will ensure instant defeat, no matter how awesome you are with your no scoping abilities. This game feels just as awesome as Call of Duty’s “Zombies”, minus the zombies of course, as well as realizing that you’re playing against real players.
The realistic graphics are definitely a great touch, as well as the amazing sound. And sound IS a big factor in this game, as you’ll be able to easily differentiate who is coming up the stairwell to your right, who is climbing on the roof above you and who is scaling up the side of the wall on your left. I’m normally not very big into first person shooters, I’ll be the first to admit I play them casually. But even as a casual player, there’s a lot to love about this game, as it makes even the most casual player extremely competitive. The strategy you and your team can come up with is second to none. No map really plays the same, and there’s a nice amount of different settings in this game, from snow covered houses, to an actual commercial airplane.
I also really enjoy the way you can level up in this game. You earn XP and “Renown”, which you can use to buy new weapon attachments, skins, and even new operators to play as. It feels nice, and helps the game move along nicely as you progress through leveling up. Even when you lose, you’ll feel a good sense of accomplishment as you see you are being fairly rewarded in XP and Renown for your helping the team. I’ve played the crap out of this game, and as someone who used to be addicted to Counter Strike, I can’t recommend this game enough. It requires far more teamwork, and when your team can overcome an almost impossible situation, you really feel rewarded. Likewise, you’ll feel utter heartbreak when a team mate accidentally throws a grenade into the hostage room and accidentally kills the hostage. (Don’t be that guy).