BIOS: Technology Means Business

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Lockdown is the fourth installation of the multi-million unit selling FPS franchise. Available on the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube since September last year, the PC version has only just made it to stores worldwide.

The console versions took the series in a slightly different direction than before, offering a more action-oriented experience at the expense of some of the tactical challenges of the games before it. Purists, however, will be pleased to know that the PC version is not a direct port of its console counterparts. And although the game may still be a slight departure from its predecessors, it’s still a heck of a lot of fun - even if unoriginal in terms of gameplay and graphics and lacking the exhilaration and intense action of previous titles in the franchise.

Developed by Red Storm Entertainment and Ubisoft’s Montreal Studio, the Rainbow Six franchise is one of the best multiplayer experiences around and has been regularly hailed for its immersive single-player games and outstanding online gameplay. The action continues with this latest instalment as Team Rainbow, the world’s most elite counter-terrorist unit, is called into action once again and into unfamiliar territory as they battle a Bioterrorist threat.

After a series of terror attacks, Team Rainbow uncovers a plan to unleash a lethal nanotech virus. From the streets of Paris to the islands of the Mediterranean, to the Sahara Desert, you have to track a global terrorist network, working against the clock to rescue hostages and defuse ticking bombs. Stakes escalate as members of Team Rainbow are personally targeted by an evil terrorist organisation, ultimately ending with the capture and torture of one of the team’s premier members.

Lockdown introduces new multiplayer elements and a completely new and more ominous multiplayer content, and the single player experience contains a new personal darker storyline and improved equipment. Unfortunately you can only play as one team member, Ding Chavez, as you can no longer move between the members of your team. Taking control of the lead team member means you have to manage three other ass-kickers into each of the game’s 16 short missions.

Before each mission you receive a mission briefing and can outfit your squad with specific weapons and equipment. Briefings are short and to the point, which may turn off Rainbow Six purists, and you can no longer formulate a plan of attack using waypoints. Instead, you’re simply shown a map - which cannot be accessed in the game - and then thrown into the action. During the game you can issue basic orders to your squad, such as telling them to hold a position, attack, or move to a certain location, but none of these commands come close to replicating the brilliant tactical aspects of the previous games in the series.

Additional game features include new weapons and equipment - you can complete your mission with all of the tools of the trade including new items like motion lock fusers, laser trip mines, and virus grenades. In fact, there’s a whopping 43 weapons in total, six of which are new to the Rainbow franchise. Ubisoft says enemy intelligence has been improved, but the terrorists are amongst the most stupid we’ve come across.

For instance, they generally appear in all the places you’d expect them to and when you shoot one, his buddy who’s only a few feet away won’t react - where’s the flanking and suppression fire we’ve come to expect from top-flight shooters? Your team members aren’t much brighter and often break a door down and then turn to face you with their backs completely exposed to the enemy. Enemy troops will often run right past your team members too, without either party firing a single round.

PC specific features include class-based gameplay that allows you to choose one of four specialised classes, each with unique characteristics and advantages, as well as a new ‘Free for All’ game mode, dedicated server functionality for multiplayer gaming, and a multiplayer reward system which garners round-based rewards based on performance. The real joy in multiplayer is playing through the single player missions with three other humans, which eliminates the game’s AI shortcomings.

The game’s graphics are also less than impressive. While the range of scenery is decent - from backstreets to caves to universities - the game looks at least a couple of years old, especially compared to Call of Duty 2 and F.E.A.R. Having said that, the characters’ ‘ragdoll physics’ deliver an impressive level of realism and impressive close quarter firefights, and the Team Rainbow members sport fantastic levels of detail. Unfortunately, enemy details are less impressive and characters look almost two-dimensional in terms of appearance.

Sound effects are better, thankfully, and really help to create tension. For instance, floorboards creak, bullets whiz past your ears, and you can even hear the whispers of hostages begging for their lives in the distance. Voice narration and verbal commands are clear and well acted, and the cut scene videos are excellent. Rainbow Six: Lockdown offers a decent gaming ride if you need a FPS fix, but purists will be bitterly disappointed. Let's hope the new Ghost Recon instalment is better. [6.5]

[Best PC Game Pricing UK]
[Best PC Game Pricing US]

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