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| Rainbow Six 3 is a squad-based first
person shooter that has redefined the genre in terms
of gameplay innovations and its great graphical achievements. |
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October, 2003
Red Storm
Ubi Soft Entertainment
XBox
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Continuing a trend of games developed by Red Storm, Rainbow
Six 3 follows an elite group of anti-terrorist operatives,
code-named Team Rainbow. You play Ding Chavis, a member of
this team. The story takes place in the near future, in which
the government sends you and your team to eliminate a terrorist
threat in South America.
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Taking advantage of the engine of Splinter Cell, another successful
Ubi Soft game, the graphics in Rainbow Six 3 are beautifully
done. Like Splinter Cell graphics, the lighting, shadows,
textures, character models and animations are stunning. The
realistic atmosphere affects everything from the feeling of
engagement in the world to the gameplay. For example, the
atmosphere will have your chin on the floor and your attention
caught by the shadow of the approaching enemy or the waver
of a dim light illuminating a room.
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| Shadow on the wall. |
Ilumination spotlighting a spider
web. |
A simple but effective
example is in the way cloth-like materials and chains sway
when you move through them. Another example of the effect
on gameplay is when you are hidden in a dark area and have
an advantage with your night and thermal vision, which is
useful and cool looking at the same time. Once again Ubi Soft
has hit the ball out of the park in their graphics department.
Landscapes
Most of Rainbow Six 3 takes place inside of buildings, where
interiors are realistic and for the most part well done. The
rare outdoor environments are also well conceived and executed.
Landscapes are varied and helpful when you need cover from
enemy fire.
Above is a screen shot taken from one of the first levels
of Rainbow Six 3 where you must move through a snow covered
town. The textures and details are incredible. They really
set a nice mood for the action.
Buildings
Interior floors and walls are well-textured and detailed,
a definite improvement over Ghost Recon. In one example of
a level of Rainbow Six 3 you and your team are sent into to
a building filled with detailed rooms, with views of the outside
city through a window, interactive objects, and of course
enemies waiting for an opportunity to ambush. Outside views
of buildings are well rendered and detailed. Details consist
of shadows or markings on the walls, even some bullet holes.
This screen shot is of an estate in which one of your operations
take place. The estate is graphically well done; the windows
reflect light, and the palm trees and Spanish-style roof add
to the tropical setting.
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| Holding cell interior. |
MetaVR interior
of a factory model; click to see
close-up. |
Vehicles
The vehicles that appear in Rainbow Six 3 are mostly cars
and trucks; they are as well done as the environments around
them. Light from the sun, the moon, or artificial light gleams
on the sides of vehicles and adds a realistic feel and appearance.
These models are also smooth and rounded along the edges,
which is another step up from Ghost Recon.
These car models are smooth, detailed and have a reflective
quality as well as shadows.
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| Rainbow Six 3 pickup truck.
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MetaVR pickup truck;click to see a detailed view of
the vehicle.
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Characters
Among the many examples of character models in Rainbow Six
3, the finest are the Rainbows; dressed in special-op gear
and equipment they look truly authentic. All the equipment
you select for your mission shows up on your character-- the
assault rifle in your arms, handgun on your side holster or
grenades on your belt -- everything is shown. Facial expressions
are also good; when a teammate talks to you his mouth even
moves.
This screen shot of your team shows the detail of
their faces and equipment. The dirt and camouflage on their
faces brings their special-ops aspect to life. Their guns
are also well rendered and held realistically.
Far Horizon
Far horizons don’t really apply to Rainbow Six 3, for
there are no long distances to travel outside. When your vision
is hindered it is because of the lighting, weather, or a smoke
grenade. Thus, you can see as far as realistically possible.
This horizon shot of the ocean is beautiful and seamlessly blends with the environment.
Special Effects
Standard to a FPS (First Person Shooter) are special effects
such as explosions, which in this game are huge, bright and
colorful; the flames look different each time. A grenade explodes
with a fiery display followed by a cloud of vision-blurring
smoke. In comparison when a barrel full of a flammable fluid
is shot, a flame keeps burning instead of going out.
Other special effects are basically vision-aid devices to
help you pick out an enemy in the dark or see through a smoke
cloud in thermal vision. Much like Splinter Cell, these these
night-vision goggles are essential to a successful mission.
This device is a piece of hardware like goggles that attaches
to your head and filters light to enhance your vision in certain
situations. The cool thing is that they realistically blur
the scene while you are moving. This is a simulation of your
goggles processing the information but with a slight delay,
which causes an overlap of images or blur, which adds to your
gaming experience.
Above is a prime example of the effectiveness of night
vision in a dark area. You can clearly pick out my team from
the backdrop with this gadget.
Here is another example of a vision enhancement; this screen capture was taken in a meat locker where dead pigs are hanging from the rafters.
You can clearly pick out my arm and teammate with this gadget.
Gunfire is impressive and key to look at. The light at the
muzzle of your gun varies based upon the type of gun, how
powerful it is, and its rate of fire. A heavy, slow-firing
gun will fire a big, loud shot obscuring your line of fire.
This forces you to not fire in long spurts but in small controlled
ones so as to not lose sight of your target while you’re
momentarily blinded.
Audio is showcased in surround sound if you have a device
capable of handling it. When audio is activated, locating
enemies is easier, because someone shooting behind you sounds
like someone firing behind you. The music is suspenseful and
cues in at key moments. Voice acting is varied depending on
your enemy’s country of origin. It is neat to hear curses
and phrases in a different language and this brings a fair
bit of authenticity to the game.
Above is a screen capture taken after a Flashbang (Stun)
grenade goes off. It impairs your vision with a blurring overlap
effect, and makes a loud ringing noise.
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If you liked the teamwork of Ghost Recon and the immersion
of Splinter Cell, the gameplay of Rainbow Six 3 is right up
your alley.
The single player half of the game contains a fair number
of missions in which you and your team of badass special-op
members use teamwork and advance guns and technology to successfully
take down your enemy with finesse and definite style. Without
teamwork you will not make it far, for you are greatly outnumbered
and without the cool, useful weapons you select at the briefing
you lose that extra step up against the enemy. However, you
are not guided through the equipment menu so you have to figure
it out for yourself.
Teamwork is implemented with intelligent
A.I. that responds to all orders you issue through either
a simple menu system or a headset that comes with the Xbox
Live Starter Kit. Using this tool adds yet another level of
immersion; press a button and a list appears of possible commands,
shout commands into your microphone and, presto, your team
is off doing your bidding. Common commands are Open and Clear,
Open Flash and Clear, and Open Frag and Clear. You use these
commands when you are in front of a door; each one has a situation
it is designed for. Open Frag and Clear damage all inside
with a frag grenade, perfect for a situation where there are
hostiles in the room. Open Flash and Clear have your team
throw a flash grenade inside, one that blinds all enemies
who see it explode, after your team rushes in and clears the
remaining hostiles. This method is not lethal and is perfect
for when there are hostages in a room along with an enemy.
If you add the word “zulu” to any voice command
you speak into your microphone, your team will perform the
action. This command variation is useful when there are two
doors to one room and you synchronize an attack with your
team from one door and you from another. This confuses the
enemy and allows you to take them out with ease. There are
even secret commands not listed in the instruction manual.
The second element and most interesting element of Rainbow
Six 3 is Xbox Live play. This function allows you to play
with other “Special Agents” across the country.
There are several modes in which this can be done; one is
a co-op trip through the single player campaign where other
players take the place of AI teammates. Another is a team
survival mission where your team takes on another team in
an all-out deathmatch. Playing with other humans allows for
more teamwork via the Xbox Live headset, a device you can
use to talk to other players; this is truly a blast. Comparing
your Rainbow Six 3 skills with people around the world is
the ultimate to way to play.
The only troubling issue is the level in which you can’t
fire your gun at all. This takes the fun of combat out of
the game and tries to turn it into a stealth-like game. The
lack of firing slows the general flow of the game and frustrated
me to a large extent. |
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CONTROL SCHEME |
SCORE: 8.0 |
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The controls are simple for any first person shooter fan;
for most first person games playing one is like playing them
in terms of the controls, and Rainbow Six 3 doesn’t
change the standard controls. There are no queries in the
game.
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The replay value in two words: Xbox Live -- this is so much
fun that it is hard to describe, just go play it! Team players
will love it, for Rainbow Six 3 is most fun when playing with
a team -- the ability to coordinate with fellow players and
to get in a friendly game of trash talk when you’ve
killed your best bud. With this element added and a 14- level
single-player campaign I can see myself playing this game
for a long time to come.
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BUGS AND GLITCHES |
SCORE: 9.0 |
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I
found one issue where clipping comes into play in which a
terrorist’s head goes through a solid object. But the
major issue is with A.I. in close quarters as your squad mates
follow you, or if you designate a location for them to go
to and you need to fire at the same time; routinely, your
teammates will cross your path while you are firing. Your
teammates will yell, “Ding, are you crazy?” when
you shoot them because of their stupidity. It may happen in
real life but probably not with the frequency you see in the
game.
Here is the clipping issue I found. The terrorist has
gone through a solid object and is now crouching in the middle
of it.
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With the graphics of Splinter Cell, and the team aspects of
Ghost Recon, this game looks and plays beautifully. The single
player campaign is a must, but just wait until you jump into
Xbox Live! Prepare for your social life to take second priority
for a while. Rainbow Six 3 is a definite must have for any
Xbox owner no matter what genre you are a fan of.
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