Rainbow Six Siege hosts an old west shootout for two weeks only
The hyper-speed shoot out on... Earth?
I may not be the most regular player of Rainbow Six Siege, but Ubisoft's twitchy team shooter always brings me back with its special events. Today's Showdown event is an old western three-on-three scenario set in an all new map, Fort Truth. Pump shotguns and magnum revolvers only, befitting the reskinned and old-timey operators. While not quite as ambitious as their alien mutant invasion event (which has spun off into its own game), I'm expecting a fun, messy close-quarters shootfight. If your trigger finger is itchy, there's a trailer below waiting for high noon.
While fancy modern-day gadgets are allowed, the Showdown event frames this as the climactic duel between a band of bounty hunters and the villainous Graveltop Gang. On the side of law, order and attacking, you've got Maverick, Ash, Twitch, Capitão and Glaz. On the dastardly defending team there's Alibi, Kaid, Caveira, Maestro and Rook to pick from. The two weapons are the BOSG.12.2 shotgun and Magnum LFP586, though playing in the event can unlock old-school skins for other guns and permanently unlock these event costumes.
While fun in itself, I can see myself putting in a little extra time with this event to unlock the outfits. They're surprisingly classy, even when paired with chunky armour. Rook's suit in particular is positively ornate, with etched leather and engravings all over his bulky armour plates. Significantly cooler than black kevlar 24/7, although arguably less stealthy. Then again, who's even trying to be sneaky in Siege? Better to let your enemies know exactly who you are before you pull the trigger.
The Showdown event runs from today until July 16th, and you can read a little more on its official event page. Rainbow Six Siege is going cheap in the Steam summer sale. £8.49/€9.99/$9.99 gets you the basic edition, and the Ultimate edition with every character unlocked and the current season pass is £42/€50/$50.