Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six

Review

by Peter Suciu

Potential team leaders should be warned that while this game is a first-person shooter, it is not Quake. In addition to the high-energy missions, the game involves the more important aspect of preparation. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six is not simply a sit down and play game as it requires patience and thinking before you even enter the missions. In the real world, these teams spend 99% of their time training and planning to make the other one percent execution phase succeed.

To survive a mission and come out successfully, which means bringing the hostages home alive, planning is absolutely crucial. In fact, the missions are only one-half of the game. The other half is in the planning stage. Players are briefed about the situation, given all the known facts (which may or may not be totally accurate) and then must construct a plan from which the team will work. Since there will be a full team with eight or less members, it is crucial to consider the information and construct a plan that best suits the situation.

The actual planning involves assigning each team to a set of "waypoints." The planning of the missions is not nearly as complicated as it sounds, but it is extremely important and therefore requires significant attention.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is that teams shouldn't cross paths any more than necessary. You do not want your team members running into each other. Never assign too many men to head down tight corridors and open stairwells as this leads to an ambush situation where you could very well lose an entire portion of your team. While this situation is often impossible to avoid, all elements should be considered.

If a mission has not been properly executed, players will see team members pay the price in the early missions, while the hostages will suffer even more if the team mission doesn't go flawlessly as the game advances. Should the leader of the squad be killed, player takes control of the next highest ranking team member, all the way down to the last team member. While not considered a failure, losing a team member is really a big deal. Unlike other games, new team members don't come easily or quickly. The most valuable resource to the trained special-forces units centers on the men and women comprising the team.

Overall, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six is an excellent real-time action simulation. There isn't much of a plot, but that isn't what the game is about. The missions make the game an enthralling experience. This title certainly won't appeal to everyone, but for those who want a thinking shooter, give this one a try.