Rainbow Six Vegas Player’s Red Pack Edition Impressions

This is copied from TeamXbox.com


In my opinion, there’s nothing worse than an online multiplayer game
that doesn’t show its fans love when it comes time to enhance and
extend the experience. Many players quickly tire of the same old maps
and gametypes, so it’s a wise publisher that gives its fans exactly
what they want: more. Given Ubisoft’s status as one of the industry’s
premier purveyors of multiplayer action, it’s not surprising that
they’ve been one of the best when it comes to providing new
downloadable content. Earlier today, they finally made some new content
available for Rainbow Six Vegas,
one of the most popular titles on Xbox Live. We spent a good deal of
time with the Player’s Pack: Red Edition, finding an expansion that
really adds to the whole experience.


There have been some reports of problems from people who
attempted to get the Pack today, but I encountered no issues when I
downloaded it this afternoon. Brent mentioned that he was having
trouble adding points to his account, while one of the GameSpy editors
noted that the download died on several occasions. For me, it was just
a matter of relatively small 685 MB download, and a relatively painless
800 MS Points. Believe me when I say that this is one of the best
bargains on Marketplace, one that you should pick up immediately.


For your ten dollars, you’ll receive three brand-spanking-new
adversarial multiplayer maps, as well as two “revisited, relit” maps
that shipped with the game last year. Both Border Town and Killhouse
are just as you remember them, although the alternate lighting does
change thing a bit. There seems to be a lot more contrast between light
and dark in both of them, something that’s particularly noticeable in
Killhouse. Essentially, the major difference is that Kill House takes
place during the day, while Border Town appears to be during the
evening.


Of course, while the old maps are all well and good, you want to hear
all about the new ones, don’t you? Marshalling Yard is a very large map
that takes place in an industrial setting that’s full of cars and other
vehicles. Although I played on the map several times, I still don’t
feel like I really know my way around it (remember playing Dam for the
first time?). While Roof is similar in that it’s a fairly drab,
industrial environment, it’s a bit smaller than the Yard, so it
shouldn’t be too hard to learn the lay of the land in just a few
matches. My only gripe is with the environments themselves, which were
a bit boring at times.



Of the three, I’d have to say that Doscala Restaurant is my favorite,
mainly due to the fact that it feature a nice variety of environments.
This map features a destroyed restaurant, a small casino, a kitchen,
and a parking garage, as well as an office. Basically, each room is
fairly different, something that wasn’t the case with the other maps in
the Pack. This made for a more visually stimulating experience,
although it’s not like you’ll have much time to take in the sights on
any of the maps.


While some developers might have figured that a few new maps would be
enough to sate the hunger players have for original content, Ubisoft
also decided to give us two new game modes. Conquest is pretty similar
to a traditional Territory or Capture and Hold game, as you’ve got to
find satellite uplinks and claim them for your team. This is done by
holding down the A button when prompted, but you should be warned that
you’ll have to stand out in the open for a brief period of time.


The other gametype is called Assassination, and it’s pretty much what
you’d expect from a mode with that name. Players are broken up into two
teams (Defend and Assault), with one of them being tasked with
protecting a VIP from harm. Given that the VIP is a balding old man
with a bright white shirt, it’s pretty easy for the enemy to spot him.
The game doesn’t offer a respawn setting, so this game truly is a
win-or-go-home experience. Oh yeah, and if you’re the one that gets
selected to be the VIP, don’t delude yourself into thinking that the
popgun you’re holding will protect you from danger.

f you’re a fan of Rainbow Six Vegas’ multiplayer action (and
really, who amongst us isn’t?), you owe it to yourself to run to your
Xbox 360 and download the Player’s Pack: Red Edition right now. While
the new maps are definitely a nice addition, it’s the gametypes that
will ultimately help the game stay fresher for longer. If you’re one of
those people that was never really into the game, well, this DLC isn’t
going to change your mind about it. If you got tired of it, this is a
perfect time to jump back into the action. Hopefully we’ll see you
online tonight!

when it first came out i wasnt impressed.

but maybe the new game modes will make it worth it.