It’s been awhile since we’ve gotten our hands on a really good Tom Clancy game, especially one from the Rainbow 6 franchise. Naturally, expectations for this month’s Rainbow Six: Siege were high and fans of the game series have been probably expecting something slightly different. Let’s face it right from the start – Siege doesn’t have a singleplayer campaign, as it’s a multiplayer-only focused game. Sure, we could instantly have the review reflect this potential mishap, but it wouldn’t be fair. In honesty, Siege has to be reviewed for what it is, and whether or not it does well as a multiplayer focused tactical FPS is what we’re here to judge.
That’s not to say you don’t have any content you can tackle by yourself at all. There are a few missions that you can play through on your own, but they don’t really have a cohesive storyline. They are more like advanced tutorial missions that are meant to train you for the multiplayer experience which can be quite punishing at first. And in this sense, Siege does a great job. Not only do you get to learn the basics, but you also get some in-game currency that you can use towards buying your first operators. Rainbow Six Siege offers 20 operators, each with different skillsets and weapons at their disposal, split into 10 attackers and 10 defenders. Each operator also has a really cool introductory video, which makes getting them more memorable. These videos are actually really well made, and with a small effort, could have been fused together to provide some sort of a singleplayer campaign. Alas, it is what it is, and once you’re done with the short tutorial missions, in you go to blast holes through walls and pump your enemies full of led in competitive multiplayer.
So how does the multiplayer work? In short, it’s a 5vs5 game, with various game modes, maps and objectives for you to tackle. There’s no respawn, so you can’t afford to rush in guns blazing, which is a nice change of pace from Call of Duty-esque gameplay. In fact, the game is designed in a way that punishes solo, rushing gameplay, but rewards well-thought out, tactical, team play. You’ll have to cover your allies, communicate well, time your actions and generally use your brain more so than your reflexes. And when these conditions are met, Rainbow Six Siege offers and insanely satisfying and rewarding experience that few shooters in recent years have managed to offer. It’s deceptively difficult at times, yet surprisingly fun and addictive. Due to the fact that Siege mixes up game modes and maps randomly instead of allowing you to pick them yourself, you won’t have two identical matches consecutively, and that’s great. After spending over 20 hours in the game (and about 5 times that much in the different closed and open beta events), I’m still nowhere near being bored or being an expert at the game. There are so many things you need to slowly learn as you’re playing, that Siege will keep FPS fans busy for a long, long time.
Map design is great, providing various entry options for attackers, and plenty of defensible positions for defenders. Most walls can be destroyed or at least damaged in order for you to shoot through, and the maps are designed in a way that camping in one corner safely isn’t really an option. There’s always a wall behind you or above you that can be blown up, so you’ll have to be on edge at all times, prepared to react and adapt. The game’s sound system is beautifully crafted, and is one of the best things about it. With a good headset or speaker setup, you’ll easily be able to pick up where shots are coming from or exactly where your enemies are running around above you. All these elements work together nicely and can give you some incredibly rewarding scenarios. Sitting on my mounted LMG with SPETSNAZ’s Tachanka, I was trying to defend an objective, when I heard footsteps on the floor above me. Making sure it wasn’t one of my teammates, I started aiming at the ceiling, waiting for the next inevitable sound. Once the attackers moved again, I unloaded on the ceiling, shooting through the floors and obliterating two of them outright, giving my team an immediate edge. The loud machinegun fire however alerted the enemy attackers as well, and just a few seconds later, the wall behind me was breached with Thermite’s special charge and I got blown to oblivion in a storm of flashbangs and grenades. Scenarios like this are common, and very, very memorable.
Visually, the game doesn’t particularly stand out however. That’s not to say Rainbow Six Siege is ugly, but it’s not exactly groundbreaking in any way either. Lighting is mostly fixed, so shooting at light sources won’t have an impact. Explosions and destructible surfaces look good however, and the game performance seems solid across all platforms and even on more modest PC configurations. Siege looks good, but not great, yet somehow that doesn’t seem to bother me too much. I’m too busy trying to cover entry points to look at textures anyway. It’s good to know at least that you won’t need a space station build to run it smoothly at 60 FPS. Network performance however is a different thing, and while there have been major improvements over the beta stages where matchmaking was a living hell, there are still issues that Ubisoft needs to fix ASAP. Matchmaking works fine now after launch, but some server tick rate issues and ping performance issues still have to be rectified if Rainbow Six Siege is to become a competitive eSport. The potential is there, but in its current state, the game still has some hiccups (nothing game-breaking though), so be mindful of that if you’re still pondering a purchase. If you’re on the fence about the game, perhaps you should hold out for another month or two until all these issues and hiccups are fixed.
I won’t bore you with more details about the game’s features. You can find a comprehensive list of maps, operators and game mode descriptions on Ubisoft’s own website. The question that I need to answer as a reviewer is a different one, and one many have been asking themselves. Is Siege’s hefty price-tag of $60 warranted? That depends on what you’re expecting to get out of it, to be honest. In many ways, it’s similar to Evolve, in a way that the cost is justified for some and not for others, and both sides can be right. If you’re looking for a well-built, strong campaign game that you can play by yourself, Siege won’t cater. It’s nothing like previous titles in the franchise. If you want an affordable multiplayer FPS, there are other options out there, such as Team Fortress 2 or CS: GO. That being said, those looking for an engaging, captivating and different multiplayer FPS won’t be disappointed. After over a hundred hours clocked in Siege, I’m nowhere near done with this game, and I won’t be anytime soon. So I have absolutely no regrets in shedding out $60 for a game that offers me so much fun. Add in the fact that Siege will benefit from more operators and maps in the future (maps will never cost extra, according to Ubisoft), I’ll be spending quite a lot of time with it.
There’s also the issue of microtransactions, in a game that can already be hefty for some. Rest assured, the weapon skins that you can buy with special currency (the only thing that’s basically blocked behind a paywall, everything else can be unlocked by playing the game) look ridiculously bad, at least for my taste. Having my G36C painted in rainbow colors breaks immersion so much for me, that I’d never use such skins, even if they would be offered free of charge. And for those of you that weapon skins matter, there’s enough of them that you can unlock with non-paid currency, so don’t worry too much.
Overall, I am completely captivated by Siege, and it’s definitely a positive surprise in a year that’s already given us some gaming gems. If you like tactical shooters, have some friends to play with (due to being tactical, Siege is best enjoyed with friends over some sort of voice chat, whether the in-game one or 3rd party software), Siege will keep you busy and satisfied for a long time and a highly recommend it. You’ll have to fork out quite a few bucks for it though, so be mindful of that.
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