TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX: VEGAS

Ubisoft, PS2, $49.99, Xbox 360 $59.99

You know the drill: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas –  except when it involves terrorists taking the city hostage. (Guess someone could benefit from a long stay at the infamous Chicken Ranch.) Featuring a new hero/team, the famed first-person tactical shooter franchise’s next-generation debut – not to be confused with sister product Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter – pushes not only the series’ graphical bar, but gameplay too. Carefully plotting your way through tense encounters and busting caps at signature locations like Fremont Street plus fictionalized Strip casinos, you’ll lead your squad deep into the heart of the desert oasis. Happily, allies provide ready suggestions on how to approach each scenario (e.g. hacking into security systems or demolishing walls), with heavy weapons- and electronics-specialized comrades capable of helping you get a jump on foes. Such real-time chatter adds to the title’s atmospheric quality, as do suspenseful engagements which demand careful strategic planning and deliberate use of high-tech gadgets to paint targets and plow through enemy fortifications. With multiple pathways throughout every encounter, the game is what you make of it – although, frankly, opponents will make short work of you if you don’t put much thought into armed advances. Gorgeous and captivating, you’ll experience everything from desperate dives behind cover to shootouts with intelligent adversaries who work to flank your position and avoid idly lounging in the line of fire. Pile on online multiplayer complete with support for unlocking additional equipment and achievements, and it soon proves one suicide mission you’ll gladly enlist for. Adam Rosen

www.ubisoft.com

Love: Brainy Baddies, Open-Ended Assignments, Vegas Baby!

Hate: Serious Thought Required; Taut Pacing

Score: 8.75/10