Rainbow Six Gets Critical, Goes Old
New instalment brings something old, something new, something borrowed - nothing blue that we can see yet. First screen.
Ubisoft's Rainbow Six, while maintaining a solid singleplayer presence, is becoming more and more about the multiplayer, and nowhere is this more evident than in the next (and presumably last) current-gen console entry in the series.
Rainbow Six: Critical Hour brings a full 16 multiplayer maps with it, all fine-tuned for the online experience. Ubisoft describes the new maps as narrow and non-linear, and they've been designed to challenge.
There is a returning element to the game too. The singleplayer campaign is made up of seven new missions, which see squad leader Ding Chavez assume his boss's role, and seven more chosen by fans from the original Rainbow Six and Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear. The levels have, of course, been completely updated from the 20th century originals.
Also returning is the emphasis on planning. While running and gunning has never been a viable strategy in the Rainbow Six series, strategy and pre-mission planning has become even more of a key part of the gameplay experience - more like the early PC incarnations.
Rainbow Six: Critical Hour will be out for PlayStation 2 and Xbox this spring.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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