Nerds That Geek Game Review – ‘Rainbow Six: Vegas’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

Gaming is such an enriching experience in so many ways because in reality, there is a game out there for every single mood that you can imagine. If you're wanting something dark and terrifying there are plenty of horror games or psychological thrillers to stimulate your mind.

Or, if you're hoping instead to perhaps explore a massive world and live vicariously through characters anywhere in time and space there are plenty of games to give you that experience as well. Hell, you can even be a sports star and lead your team to the championship and enjoy the role of the hero. But sometimes you simply want to settle in and live an interactive movie if you will. One that gives you an enriching story and ups the ante with action and excitement and one such game like that recently found its way back into my Xbox One is Rainbow Six: Vegas. 

Now this is a game I stumbled upon at the store and well, the cover alone had my attention. I love Vegas, I love a good thriller so why not give it a try and needless to say it had hold of me from the first few minutes I settled in to play it. This thrilling story puts you in the shoes of Rainbow Team Leader Logan Keller as he and his team try their best to help rescue the city of Las Vegas as it finds itself under siege from a massive full-scale terrorist attack. I won't say much more than that because this is a story that is filled to the brim with twists and turns that take you by surprise, and it’s best you experience it for yourself.

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​But the gameplay itself is an absolute blast with gorgeous graphics that are a feast for the eyes as you battle your way through colorful casinos and Nevada landmarks in a desperate bid to save the day. I was also a big fan of the physics engine that works in this game because of the amount of realism you'll find, especially when it comes to aiming because it takes more than a bullet in the arm to drop the bad guy. Plus, you can only carry a finite number of weapons and ammo so you cannot just spray away, and the guns have limitations on what they can hit at a distance and what kind of power they can pack. That alone forces you to approach this game from a different way of thinking, but the magic of this game doesn't end there.

This game is also a big-time pride killer. I say that, simply because, while there are plenty of  first-person shooters out there where you can get lost in the moment and unleash your inner Schwarzenegger and go in guns blazing, here you will quickly learn that doing that will get you cyber killed pretty damn quick. Heck, there are even times where an enemy is hiding around the corner and manages to wax you regardless of any mistakes you may or may not have made. It makes for a rich and dynamic experience in this game where strategy trumps bravado.

Either way, I'm glad I started playing this one again, it's an absolute blast of a game and I meant what I said earlier about this game feeling at times like an interactive movie since all the best parts of Tom Clancy's work are evident as you progress through the story and there's something to be said about the fun factor when you're battling it out on Fremont Street with the bright lights of Vegas shining down upon you.  

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