Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Interview
Anyone who owned an Xbox 360 in November of 2006 picked up one of two games -- or, if you're lucky enough, you bought both -- Rainbox Six Vegas or Epic's Gears of War. While Gears was certainly the more hyped of the two titles, Rainbox Six Vegas rose to the forefront of many gamers' minds as a contender for Game of the Year. While it did concede the honors in the end, the series clearly made the jump to high-definition gaming much easier than others. Some say it was the first fully realized Xbox 360 game to come on the market. Period. We would agree.
Now Ubisoft is preparing to unleash the sequel to the masses in Spring 2008. The game brings several new features and modes to the mix so in order to keep all of our sub-machine gun totting ducks in a row we sat down with Jean-Pascal Cambiotti, the Lead Game Designer for Rainbow Six Vegas 2 to get the skinny.
The cover system works in the same manner as the one in RSV. However, with the addition of the sprint feature, you'll be able to move quickly from cover to cover.
The gameplay mechanics are very similar since they worked extremely well on RSV. That said, we've done some improvements to the weapons mechanics, such as re-balancing the weapons and adding bullet penetration to the mix. No longer will a flimsy piece of drywall completely protect you from a high-powered rifle.
We also focused on enriching the overall story experience. So now there's a real sense of purpose for playing tactically. You customize and evolve your character in all game modes and you unlock new gear and weapons through a new rewards system that rewards you using your tactics. Lastly, you lead your team throughout new parts of Las Vegas to finally conclude the story.
That said, we do have some cool new features that improve on the planning phase. Your teammates play a bigger role in how you approach a hostile situation. They can provide you with intel that allows you to make the best tactical decision for the situation at hand. You also have more control over your team and can use them to perform new actions.
RSV2 explores completely different areas of Las Vegas and beyond. You will experience the grittier parts of the city and go deeper into the seedier areas. You'll lead your team through areas such as a monorail station, a convention center, back allies and an "old school" strip club. Every mission looks completely different, and plays differently too.
Character customization, known as Persistent Elite Creation, is available in both single-player and multiplayer, across all game modes. You create one character, which continually evolves and unlocks gear whether you're playing alone, in co-op or against other players online.
We didn't just plug character customization into the single-player. We tailored the story around the fact that you can play either a male or female character. The way you customize your character also affects your Rainbow teammates. Your teammates will also take on an appearance similar to your own.
By introducing character customization into single-player we've also given you the possibility of equipping body armor, which you can swap out at refitting stations. This makes for an interesting tactical decision between protection and mobility.
The enemy AI has been improved greatly. In RSV, the enemies would throw smoke grenades at you and essentially blind themselves because they couldn't see through it. Now, some enemies are equipped with thermal and night vision, making them deadlier in darker areas and places with reduced visibility due to smoke or dust.
Although this game is a sequel, it is much more than just that. RSV2 sheds light on what happened before Las Vegas was under attack. So you will lead your team in a very unique and new location outside the US before ever going to Vegas. In addition, the player then arrives in Las Vegas and plays through different mission in Vegas while Logan is in Mexico in the first game. Finally, you will be able to conclude the story in an exotic location that should prove to be thrilling and satisfying.
Now Ubisoft is preparing to unleash the sequel to the masses in Spring 2008. The game brings several new features and modes to the mix so in order to keep all of our sub-machine gun totting ducks in a row we sat down with Jean-Pascal Cambiotti, the Lead Game Designer for Rainbow Six Vegas 2 to get the skinny.
The cover system works in the same manner as the one in RSV. However, with the addition of the sprint feature, you'll be able to move quickly from cover to cover.
The gameplay mechanics are very similar since they worked extremely well on RSV. That said, we've done some improvements to the weapons mechanics, such as re-balancing the weapons and adding bullet penetration to the mix. No longer will a flimsy piece of drywall completely protect you from a high-powered rifle.
We also focused on enriching the overall story experience. So now there's a real sense of purpose for playing tactically. You customize and evolve your character in all game modes and you unlock new gear and weapons through a new rewards system that rewards you using your tactics. Lastly, you lead your team throughout new parts of Las Vegas to finally conclude the story.
That said, we do have some cool new features that improve on the planning phase. Your teammates play a bigger role in how you approach a hostile situation. They can provide you with intel that allows you to make the best tactical decision for the situation at hand. You also have more control over your team and can use them to perform new actions.
RSV2 explores completely different areas of Las Vegas and beyond. You will experience the grittier parts of the city and go deeper into the seedier areas. You'll lead your team through areas such as a monorail station, a convention center, back allies and an "old school" strip club. Every mission looks completely different, and plays differently too.
Go time.
We didn't just plug character customization into the single-player. We tailored the story around the fact that you can play either a male or female character. The way you customize your character also affects your Rainbow teammates. Your teammates will also take on an appearance similar to your own.
By introducing character customization into single-player we've also given you the possibility of equipping body armor, which you can swap out at refitting stations. This makes for an interesting tactical decision between protection and mobility.
The enemy AI has been improved greatly. In RSV, the enemies would throw smoke grenades at you and essentially blind themselves because they couldn't see through it. Now, some enemies are equipped with thermal and night vision, making them deadlier in darker areas and places with reduced visibility due to smoke or dust.
Although this game is a sequel, it is much more than just that. RSV2 sheds light on what happened before Las Vegas was under attack. So you will lead your team in a very unique and new location outside the US before ever going to Vegas. In addition, the player then arrives in Las Vegas and plays through different mission in Vegas while Logan is in Mexico in the first game. Finally, you will be able to conclude the story in an exotic location that should prove to be thrilling and satisfying.
Breaking and entering.
The player is always rewarded while playing the game. Every action, every objective and every victory leads to a reward. The more XP you get, the more you move up in Ranks and unlock visual customization until you get to the Elite Rank. Instead of adding prestige classes, we went a different route and created the A.C.E.S. rewards, which reward players with weapons including 11 new weapons not found in RSV. This reward is based on using the tactics at your disposal.
The player is always rewarded while playing the game. Every action, every objective and every victory leads to a reward. The more XP you get, the more you move up in Ranks and unlock visual customization until you get to the Elite Rank. Instead of adding prestige classes, we went a different route and created the A.C.E.S. rewards, which reward players with weapons including 11 new weapons not found in RSV. This reward is based on using the tactics at your disposal.
They know how to party in Vegas.
A.C.E.S. stands for Advanced Combat Enhancement and Specialization and this is a new type of reward that makes you aware of the tactics you use and encourages you to try new tactics of your own. It is divided into 3 categories, which favor the use of different tactics. The more points you get in each category, the more related weapons you unlock.
For example: Performing headshots will reward you with a specific category of A.C.E.S. points that can lead to unlocking a sniper rifle. As you progress, you get to different levels of proficiency within the category. Every time you attain a new level of proficiency, you unlock a new weapon.
Although earning A.C.E.S. requires you to use tactics, it's up to you to choose how you want to execute that tactic. To score a headshot, you can use any weapon you want. Gadgets and explosives fall under one of the three categories related to a tactical style of gameplay.
source: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/842/842180p1.html
A.C.E.S. stands for Advanced Combat Enhancement and Specialization and this is a new type of reward that makes you aware of the tactics you use and encourages you to try new tactics of your own. It is divided into 3 categories, which favor the use of different tactics. The more points you get in each category, the more related weapons you unlock.
For example: Performing headshots will reward you with a specific category of A.C.E.S. points that can lead to unlocking a sniper rifle. As you progress, you get to different levels of proficiency within the category. Every time you attain a new level of proficiency, you unlock a new weapon.
Although earning A.C.E.S. requires you to use tactics, it's up to you to choose how you want to execute that tactic. To score a headshot, you can use any weapon you want. Gadgets and explosives fall under one of the three categories related to a tactical style of gameplay.
source: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/842/842180p1.html
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