By John Walker on November 3rd, 2011 at 5:00 pm.
Team Rainbow’s been quiet awhile. It was 2008 when Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 was released, and while Ubi hinted last month that new games would appear in running franchises, it’s not until now that iwe knew it was this one. We were expecting Spinter Cell. But it’s Rainbow Six: Patriots.
It’s coming from Ubisoft’s Montreal department, and being made alongside Ubisoft Toronto and Ubisoft Red Storm. Which I hope is their solution to multiformat, rather than a return to the fragmented design days of the last decade, that saw their titles get a little confused. Although despite three teams on the project, they’re in no rush – the game is set for 2013. And of course it’s not really being made by them, but by Tom Clancy himself. And promises “a bold new direction”.
Which is a good sign, compared to the Ubi of old (well, four years ago) when they were attempting to factory-produce their popular franchises, with alternating teams working on alternating games, in an attempt to have one of everything a year (especially Splinter Cell and Prince Of Persia). The results were not so good, and they seem to have learned from this, given the comparatively long production time here.
So what’s the bold new direction? Ubi’s creative director David Sears explains that,
“Terrorism has evolved, and so has Rainbow 6. In Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots, all the team play, tactics, and realism that fans of the series love have been coupled with an exciting new narrative direction. This adds an unprecedented level of humanity that will make Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots an extremely tense and immersive experience.”
Which is to say, er, nothing.
The scant information available at this point continues on saying Team Rainbow is facing a new threat called the True Patriots, who are a naughty revolutionary group claiming that “the American government is irrevocably corrupted by greedy politicians and corporate special interests.” Er. So it’s internal terrorism this time out, in what sounds a bit like Team Rainbow Vs. the Tea Party.
They also promise lots of new co-op and multiplayer, focusing on teamwork as you might expect from this five-year forgotten series. Apparently there will be more info in something called “Official Xbox Magazine” later this month. Magazines, eh? They still exist?
Um, have a “fake packshot” that has been sent out. Ubisoft’s words.
But how can terrorism evolve if war never changes?
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Sounds like proof that the War on Terror isn’t a real war.
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The villains will be software pirates.
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It absolutely is war, one over resources, though not Oil.
China has spent the same amount of money on mining precious earths in Afghanistan as America has spent dropping bombs all over that region.
It would seem America is losing this particular war though I doubt its leaders care at this point.
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The only evolution I’ve seen in terrorism (admittedly from my comfy armchair-slash-ivory tower) over the last decade has been the use of terrorism laws to snoop on / lock up / restrict placard waving veggies, soap dodgers, and OAPs trying to get into party conferences.
If we change our way of life the terrorists will have won.
Something to remember next time you’re virtually and literally strip searched at the airport because some bloke failed to set his underpants on fire.
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Ron Perlman never changes. War changes a lot.
Whenever I hear that “war, war never changes” I feel sorry for the bloke who came up with this thinking how clever tag line it is.
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That ain’t new either.
Sedition Act of 1918. Similar stuff in the Civil War.
Tech changes. Countries change. But people?
More or less the same. For good and ill.
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I guess if you abstract it enough down to the level of “War equals dead people” then War never changes.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mcJAI6oRYY
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@Nim
Dead people. Dead people never change.
:D Yeah, hopefully the tsunami of stupid zombie games is over.
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Ack, its like a 6th form debating club.
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http://mcaf.ee/co4xt
Yes, I have been deeply in love with it, I believe you too!
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We’re going to change the rules of engagement. It’s *our* war, not theirs.
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“exciting new narrative direction”
So, another cod-like corridor movie?
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I hope they bring back the super nerdy action planning stage, mostly because I’ve been playing quite a bit of Frozen Synapse recently.
I quite liked Vegas, it has my second favourite cover system in a game ever. The first being Splinter Cell Conviction.
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You want to reïntroduce tactics? Think of all the heads that would explode… Think of the children!
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Think of the consoles! WHY WON’T ANYONE THINK OF THE CONSOLES?!
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I did enjoy the later games, especially when I got the first Xbox one with the fancy headset and the voice commands that I used for about a day before I felt silly. However, the original games were far more fun due to the planning stage, and if everything goes right, I didn’t even have to take part in the actual mission, just watch the squad go to work and all I had to manage waS the go/breach commands and timing. It was fun if it went a bit squiffy and only then would I jump in and try to save the day. Very tense. I think that I was more attached to the squad members in those games than when I was restricted to controlling Chavez.
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Move to cover, pop out, shoot. Order your AI buddies to take a door. Lather, rinse, repeat. Don’t get me wrong, R6: Vegas was plenty fun, but boy did it get tedious by the end. Hell yes to a new strategy-based FPS.
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Oh that would be wonderful, but it won’t happen any time soon.
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Well there’s Frozen Synapse. You might want to give that a try. It’s not a fps, but a really nice planning stage.
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“Move to cover, pop out, shoot. Order your AI buddies to take a door. Lather, rinse, repeat.”
Yep the vegases were both liek this for me
And if this game is anything like those two you won’t have to use a gun other than the pistol for hte first 75% of the game either :/
Hopeing they bring back the planning phase, even if its a more simplistic version, it helps the level design as it forces them to make a level, not a load of corridors.
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Why announce a game 2 years before release? I doubt they have enough to tell us about the game to make two years of marketing worth it.
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My father in law gave me a Tom Clancy book once. The first scene depicts an octogenarian with a giant, medicated hard-on, throwing slot machines at a Swat team. I never read past that section.
I would play the shit out of that game, however. Actually, it may be a mod for Fallout: New Vegas.
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You never got past the section because it was SO FRIKKING AWESOME that you couldn’t stop reading it over and over?
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“The first scene depicts an octogenarian with a giant, medicated hard-on, throwing slot machines at a Swat team.”
Well, at least he’s out of the house. It’s important to get out there every now and then!
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… I’m gonna need the title of that book. It’ll probably be drivel, but come on, you can’t describe a scene like that and then leave us hanging.
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Huh. Why is Ubisoft spreading propaganda? Why is Ubisoft so intent on proving that solely the current “order of things” is good, and that anyone even considering saying otherwise should be shot?
Because it’s a bit spooky that this is essentially a social commentary that says “Protesters will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.”
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I’m not sure that a game involving a SWAT team pitching tents in a park, drinking coffee from a thermos and discussing economics with a dread-locked guitarist has quite the same market appeal.
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Yeah really that is rather worrying. Saying “the American government is irrevocably corrupted by greedy politicians and corporate special interests.” makes you a terrorist now? Sounds like there’ll be a level where you get to fire tear gas at Iraq war veterans.
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Maybe the narrative twist will turn out to be this choice making. Which side would you fight for?
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Tom Clancy has always been the definition of a ‘little Eichmann’.
Page hits, if they didn’t cover it someone else would yadda yadda yadda… speaking for no one other than myself, I feel RPS should go black on this one because the subject matter is just so fucking purile.
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You have to understand that ‘Patriotism’ is bred into Americans.
It’s not patriotic to rock the boat.
Anything that could be labelled with communism or socialism will be scorned under such a vitriolic hatred from Americans (liberal and republican alike) that it actually borders on absurdity…
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The US military provides “free” assistance, funding and advertising to most games and movies featuring US military forces and hardware, provided they get to make their own changes to the script. So virtually anything mainstream that features a bunch of military stuff is going to be propaganda It has Tom Clancy’s name on it, I don’t know how much if any input he has on the series anymore, but it fits with his views as a Reagan worshiping war nut.
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I think everyone is missing the point. It’s FICTION ffs! Not real. Fantasy. Make believe.
Also, I’d assume the “bad guys” aren’t being labelled terrorists because they dissent… I’m going to assume that they’re labelled terrorist due to terrorist activities, which will probably be revealed in the opening intro, or will form the basis of the tutorial/first mission.
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OK guys, Abovetopsecret is ——> way.
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Seriously, there is enough knee-jerk ignorance on Yahoo! and other commenting cesspools that I don’t need to see it here. It’s a one-line description about a plot that you have no other details from. Perhaps you want to wait until you have a damn clue before you start your ignorant rant?
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“I’m not sure that a game involving a SWAT team pitching tents in a park, drinking coffee from a thermos and discussing economics with a dread-locked guitarist has quite the same market appeal.”
You know ‘Passage’ guy or someone is going to be working on exactly this now, don’t you.
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Not really Jason Rohrer‘s style. (Besides, he’s busy.) On the other hand, increpare might be up for it; a sequel to Kettle?
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Finally I get to play COD with more DRM!
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Yes, because Rainbow Six is really the same as CoD.
I applaud you, sir.
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Did you play Vegas and Vegas 2? There’s a lot of CoD influence there.
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I’m assuming that Ubisoft will be unable to contain their excitement at COD’s and now BF3′s sales figures, and feel the need to distort one of their established properties in a cash grab.
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actually vegas 1 did customizing your guns/character and leveling up before cod4 did…. and did it better…
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I did DrSlek, but I disagree with the CoD influence. Alright, yeah, Vegas and Vegas 2 are more simplistic compared to, say, Ghost Recon and the original R6 games, but I would hardly lump them with CoD. Vegas still has a lot of strategical thinking behind it.
Even GRAW is different enough from CoD.
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I’m guessing the fake cover art is a hint at the fact that the player will control the Statue of Liberty.
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So they’re pinching idea’s from Ghostbusters II?
That would be quite awesome though. Infact, that’s set some thought processes rumbling.
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yeah yeah, they story will be so concise, it’ll prolly end up in less than 10hours of gameplay… it will be *that* good!
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Ayep, and correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t R6 an international organisation? So why the hell have all the recent outings been solely in America?
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Maybe R6 is like NATO. It’s “international.”
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“Ayep, and correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t R6 an international organisation? So why the hell have all the recent outings been solely in America?”
Yep its an international organisation based out of hereford in the UK according to the book. With a multinational team of special op guys.
But thats not good for the “America, f**k yeah” feeling that all games seem to need to promote now so i expect a lot more us based stuff.
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I’m usually the kind of guy to complain IN A VERY LOUD MANNER about how changing your licence orientation sucks and all (read ghost recon for exemple)
But I must admit I enjoyed both R6 vegas.
Sure I’ve been playing quite a lot of rogue spear, raven shield, or even the very first one, so I can say I miss them a lot, especially recalling those nice coop I had with virutal friend, 3 FLASH 2 BREACH 1 SHOOT 0 ALL DOWN §1!
But vegas was quite fun to play, it doesn’t really deserves much of the R6 name, but I ‘ve had some good time.
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I didn’t like them, but I have no problem with anyone having fun. I have no problem if the new game is a really great one. I still think it’s fine TO COMPLAIN LOUDLY :D
Because the new game will not be a true™ Rainbow Six game (I guess that’s safe to say) and they just stop making them. Instead of letting the series die there are new games and with each one the old fans are given the finger again.
Why not start a new brand or if it has to be R6 a second series? Even Need for Speed can do that now. Call them Rainbow Six Action or somethin. Then a proper sequel all 5 years or so would be fine for the old fans and you can have your fancy me-too-cover-shooter yearly for all I care.
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Chinese will buy Ubi in a few years. Everyone will complain about the Tiananmen Square level being too linear.
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Actually, sounds more like Rainbow 6 vs. Occupy Wall Street. Watch out, they have hacky sacks!
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And cardboard signs!
*gasp*
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They’re coming right for us!
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John Brown’s Army! Red mercury! Excitingly new narrative! C’mon, Ubi, it was only five years since Splinter Cell Double Agent.
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Team Rainbow Vs. the Tea Party? No, more like Team Rainbow Vs. the Wall Street protesters.
The Tea Party pretty much runs Congress today.
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Tom Clancy is bonkers.
His earlier war books were very obviously Solium Inferno style board game narratives.
Then he just went completely insane.
Have you read Tigers Tail? If it wasn’t an ebook I would have burnt it.
Saying that. PLEASE can we have a Rogue Spear or Thunder Island style retread?!
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Red Storm Rising was actually based on a Harpoon board game Clancy was playing.
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As was Hunt for Red October.
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That’s what I meant.
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So in reaction to the boom of the modern FPS genre, where titles such as Modern Warfare, BF3 and Medal of Honour have all focused on a heavy narrative that revolve around dealing with splinter groups and terrorist threats, Ubisoft have decided to distance themselves from this by making a new Rainbow Six title focused on a heavy narrative that revolves around terrorist threats!
I just don’t get it, they had a really good niche with the mission planning/heavy realism approach of the earlier games and they’re just intent on jumping on throwing it all away to jump on a bandwagon they’ve failed to jump on twice before. Ubisoft and Activision are really depressing, they live up to this stupid cliche of the mega publisher only focused on low risk ventures while simultaneously evolving DRM techniques to absurdity.
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I still can’t see how a terrorist who probably hasn’t had high-quality military training being able to shoot an AK from over 50 yards away with more accuracy than a Marine sniper is realistic.
The difficulty of early Rainbow Six games were anything but realistic.
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Realism is just a matter of degree in games, so I think it’s fair to say the early R6 games were relatively realistic.
But that’s not what made them fun. The tactical stuff is why they were so great.
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They failed three times already, they are doing it again because four is the lucky number ;)
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Ubisoft . . . . . I’ll pass.
Wonder if it will be delayed at the last second.
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ubisoft game on PC? Pretty much guarantees I won’t but it.
unless /snicker they don’t use their DRM.
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Software piracy funds terrorism doncha know :o)
Which is proven by the huge number of violent insurgencies I funded by taping Bruno Brooks off the radio every sunday night in the ’80s.
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They haven’t used their DRM all that much as of late. A lot of games have an online component even for single player, but the Always-On DRM seems to be fading away.
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There’s a “target video” over at Game Informer. That alone is enough for me to know I’m going nowhere near this, it presents such a horribly clichéd and adolescent way of dealing with challenging topics. I get that this is effectively a Clancy product so I probably shouldn’t have expected anything better but still, this is clearly designed to appeal to the sub-set of gamers that found “No Russian” edgy. Urgh!
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Yea, the part where ‘the heroes’ machine gun a bridge full of innocent people then use a woman as a human shield was terrible. I’m still trying to figure out why Times Square was the target, as opposed to just driving the dude to his office at Goldmann Sachs.
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I liked that they put a “Achievement Unlocked” for doing a completely linear story bit in their prerendered advertisement.
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wow i can’t believe people are excited about a game that looks like that. The video was almost a joke of how bad gaming has become. large cones pointing out the bad dudes and seeing through wallz! achiEvinemt unloked!11
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“Terrorism has evolved” surely means that all the actual terrorists are dead and the only people left are the three or four idiots pissing about with a VCR in the Indus Valley.
I mean, never mind that real-life bogeymen Al Qaeda have been irrelevent for years: Who’d be a terrorist in Rainbow Six world? The last lot had more equipment and manpower than NATO and still got completely obliterated by five or six guys in a single helicopter. Just imagine that recruitment drive.
“Angry at the west/US government/unspecified entity because we don’t actually have a motive anyway? Looking for free training with a full range of military-grade small arms? Do you love using smoke grenades against people with thermal goggles? Is your name Marcello?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above, why not sign up with our unnamed organisation? We specialise in mass occupations of entire cities, random, aimless explosions, and vague shows of apolitical defiance rooted almost entirely in our leader’s deep-seated daddy issues. Strike back at whoever happens to be bothering you this morning! Risk your life for someone else’s revenge, even though there’s nothing to actually avenge, because our leader is an idiot manchild!
Join now for free body armour and a SPAS-12, and your chances of surviving our first sortie may be as high as three percent!”
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They are most likely going to portray “Occupy wall street” as a paramilitary organization where each person has access to body armor, assault weapons, riot shields, grenades and logistics and the movement will probably be supported by Ultranationalist Russians, China, North Korea, a set of random muslim nations and the drug barons of south america and its leader will be portrayed as a freedom-hating slaver-villain with emotional issues that wants to invest in social healthcare. That’s the level of plot I’m expecting after the garbage plot that was Vegas 2.
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DIdn’t the last one involve a mass terrorist super army, lead by a disgruntled coworker who’s sole motivation was that he didn’t like you being promoted over him? What next? WWIII started by the office temp?
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It was even more pathetic than that – he didn’t like you helping him. “wah wah, you never let me make my own mistakes, waah”. I mean, for fuck’s sake, just tell your dad how you feel, guy. There’s no need to start a frickin’ war.
Still, laughable plot aside, I do like the Vegas games, they’re some of my favourite shooters. Best cover mechanic ever. I hope they don’t try to get us to give a toss about their ridiculous plot this time, nor try to become identical to ever other shooter.
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I have yet to see a bold new direction be a good thing from this generation of games. Would rather see a return to its roots instead.
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http://50.gd/1k
http://50.gd/1k
http://50.gd/1k
http://50.gd/1k
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I figured we’d see a new R6 game after the OBL raid, but assumed it would be more like that. ie. Globetrotting vs fake Al Qaeda.
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http://50.gd/1k
http://50.gd/1k
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I thought: oh new game – Tom Clancy’s Rainbow: 6 Patriots
But anyways…
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Six minutes of concept video:
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/11/03/introducing-rainbow-6-patriots.aspx
QTE, The Game? I liked the ending though.
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That video is sickening. This is Ubisoft trying to cash in by taking an IP that started as a smart tactical shooter and turning it into CoD with emotional QTE sequences.
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http://ppt.cc/9iT1
http://ppt.cc/9iT1
http://ppt.cc/9iT1
top the game top the items for gamethat there can help everybody play the game so easy,I
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Rainbow 6: Vegas 2 is a great, great game that was unfortunately abandoned immediately after release.
The multiplayer has a great potential, but suffers from a few netcode and usability bugs, that would have been easy to remove and made the game a masterpiece. If only…
E.g. first you join a match, the whole map loads, and only then do you know if there is a free slot in the match.
If someone with a slow connection dies while shooting, the shooting sound loops infinitely for all players.
So I’m cautiously looking forward, but the track record for caring about the game post release is pretty bad.
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The “looping gunfire” problem isn’t exclusive to the multiplayer – it happens sometimes in single player, too.
But yeah, support for Vegas 2 is atrocious. I tried playing through the campaign with some RPS folk a while back, and I spent so long trying to connect (it was very definitely not my pc or connection, and thorough searching revealed that others had the same problem for years and there’d been absolutely no response from Ubisoft) that by the time we’d finished the campaign, everyone else had three times as many XP as me. Attempts to co-op with another friend saw a less than 1/100 connection success rate. I wish I hadn’t bought it at all, they really didn’t deserve my money.
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Man, the Rainbow 6 games were awesome, I wish they’d make a new one. Raven Shield is really showing its age, after all.
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How about a bold, old direction but with a passable attempt at enemy AI? But no, it will be Conviction 2: The DRM Clusterfuck.
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TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW PATRIOTS
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Godammit Rainbow Six, I used to love you once.
Now you’ve been reduced to selling yourself on the street, ho hum.
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Not buying solely on the basis that they can’t describe the game without having to use terms so incredibly vague that they say nothing about the game at all. That’s just a bad sign right there.
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Since when did the statue of liberty become a dog? Maybe i’m just drunk. This also took me far too long to type.
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Friends don’t let friends use half-assed vector traces as box art. Obviously Ubisoft doesn’t have friends.
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I have learned that ‘Bold New Direction ™’ usually means ‘on rails shooter with little to no player agency’
This is probably to get us used to the idea that bots will soon be taking over the world and making it a better place. So relax and let the game play itself while you enjoy the ride.
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What I want out of R6 is a game that was as fun, and moddable, as Rogue Spear.
I wouldn’t mind shooting some Tea Party-esque “patriots”… in the game :P
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