Back in 2002 a game called SOCOM was released on the Playstation 2. It offered a smart, tactical, team-based shooter that also served as a introduction to many people what an online gaming experience could offer. Since then there have been many games released that somewhat mirror that experience but for the most part the majority have turned into a more "approachable" experience. The two biggest shooters with the largest audience for consoles are currently Halo and Call of Duty. The main portions of both of these games feature a fast paced near instant respawn system with realism in any regards being tossed out the window. So what's left for those who are yearning for the more realistic and tactical approach to online shooters, well insert Rainbow Six: Siege.
The latest attempt by Ubisoft to revive an old-time favorite hasn't come as easily as some may have hoped. The game went through quite a few changes, one major being the campaign was entirely scraped and the game essentially became exclusively an online game. Now I have been vocal how I feel concerning full priced games that are strictly multiplayer, my opinion was that if the game is good enough to warrant the $60 than who really cares what portions may or may not be present. The very game I referenced in the opening sentence, SOCOM, had a campaign but 100% of my time was strictly spent in the online mode. So the question begs to be answered, is R6 worth the full price of admission? My short answer is yes, but my long answer is...well keep reading.
R6 is spread across 3 different modes that all can be played with friends to an extent. There is 'Situations' which just like it sounds is in a way a bunch of tutorial missions that serve as a way to teach you how to overcome various obstacles. By completing these you unlock more challenges that ultimately all go towards upgrading your operators. Then there is Terrorist Hunt which is a Rainbow 6 classic. This is probably the closest thing to a "story" mode that R6 offers. This is a much more guided and difficult mode in the game that can be played with up to 4 players. Then there is of course the mode most will spend their time in which is simply titled 'Multiplayer'. The way multiplayer works is two teams of 5 members that are split between Attackers vs Defenders; both have an objective and each team works to complete said-objective. There is no option to pick a specific game type, instead the map and mode are randomly generated before the game actually starts. Some might feel this limits certain things but I like to think in a game like this it really keeps players on their toes and at the end of the day everyone should learn each map along with each 3 random situations. So the 3 types of situations are 'Bomb defusal', 'Hostage Rescue', and simply 'TDM'. Attackers obviously will be attempting to defuse the bomb and rescue the hostage whereas the defenders will attempt to keep the bombs active and keep the attackers from extracting the hostage. I thoroughly enjoy every single mode and even within the map the location of any of these 3 random situations will spawn in different portions of the map. So every single round even within a single game can play out differently. There is no one sure way to achieve victory and again it's really refreshing because it makes players actually think.
One of the biggest things in a shooter is obviously the guns and character customization that is available. So this is something else that may or may not sit well with some but ill explain why I love it. So instead of traditional shooters where you can basically deck your character out with any weapon, perk, sidearm, etc, R6 opts to give the option of selecting an Operator. You start off as a recruit and as you play and win matches you will earn what's called "Renown Points". You then use these points to purchase Operators. These are split between 5 different factions each featuring 2 Attackers and 2 Defenders. Each Operator has their own specific perk that makes them special given whatever circumstance you are trying to overcome, some also feature exclusive weapons. The perks are never otherworldly or break the flow of the game or give any extreme advantage to one player over another. They range from being able to breach a wall from a distance, carry a riot shield, lay down a turret, disable electronic devices, any many other options. There are even some Operators you will want to avoid during certain situations. Obviously you don't want to play as an Operator whose special is a cluster grenade when you are trying to rescue a hostage because you run the risk of killing the hostage and costing your team the round. It's this kind of thinking and really planning out your team and strategy that gives the game much needed depth. Also important to understand is that no 2 players on the same team can pick the same Operator. So essentially if you purchase your first Operator and go to play your next round and someone picks that Operator then you will be playing as a Recruit until you can either select that Operator or purchase more. Obviously you'll want to buy all the Operators regardless so after a few games this specific situation becomes obsolete and in the end it just forces you to learn and get good with each class. I enjoy this cause it means that no Operator can really become over powered and eventually abused by players.
Your options of weaponry are very grounded and built around Close-quarters-combat. They range between MP5s, Shotguns, pistols, and sub-machine guns. There are a few attachments you can purchase with Renown points such as a few sights, grips, silencers, and paint schemes for those that want to look fabulous during combat. Ultimately its all very sensible attachments and again very grounded in the type of game that R6 is. The aspect that really makes R6 special and elevates the tactical game is the fact that almost all objects can be manipulated to either provide cover or a vantage point. Think someone is on the other side of a wall? Go ahead and shoot and watch your bullets penetrate and hopefully kill the enemy on the other side. See a weak point in the room you need to protect? Board it up and reinforce areas you feel are weak points. Hear someone coming up the stairs but don't want to expose yourself? Knock a small hole in the wall and wait for the enemy to come into your sights. All of these scenarios play out nearly every single round. There is no run and gun to be found here as it doesn't take a lot of bullets to take you out and force you to hopefully watch your team pull off a win. You have to be smart and communicate and plan accordingly because any wrong move can cause your entire team to come under fire and ruin the mission.
The magic of R6 shines through when you can squad up with a whole team with mics that is actually communicating and using their Operators appropriately, so your experience can change drastically based on what type of team you are on. So I do have one qualm with the game and as I'm typing the issue has for the most part been addressed and is being patched within a week's time. I am speaking towards the server issues that are currently causing some players to say screw the hostage and leave the game entirely. I can say since my time playing I have encountered two situations where I was experiencing extreme server issues that forced me to close down the game entirely and reboot. Again they have recognized this and a patch has more than likely been released by the time you are even reading this. I do have hopes that Ubisoft can also attempt to tighten up the time from grouping up and actually getting into a game. It can sometimes be lighting fast whereas other times you'd swear your game forgot you wanted to play and just left you staring at an "attempting to find a match" screen. While these scenarios do not occur to an extent to ruin the game I wanted to be honest with those reading. Now with all of this said I still can comfortably recommend this game to those who understand what type of game it is. This is not Halo or Call of Duty, when you die you are done for the round, there are no giant explosions or vehicles to be found here or wall running or what-have-you. This is as close to a old school team based tactical shooter we have been given on consoles in quite some time. For those who understand that then I would say you'll feel right at home diving into this game, for those who are a little unsure I would say rent it or borrow from a friend and give it a spin with a good team and see how it resonates with you.
I feel Ubisoft really took a risk at releasing a game of this type in a sea of instant action shooters especially being online only. Good news is all maps will be free for all players, the only thing the season pass gets you is early access to some new Operators and gun skins. So there will never be an instance where the player base is divided due to map packs or DLC which I think Ubisoft should be commended for.
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