Rainbow Six: Critical Hour
Score: 60% ESRB: Mature Publisher: Ubisoft Entertainment Developer: Ubisoft Entertainment Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 4 (16 Online) Genre: First Person Shooter/ Squad-Based
Graphics & Sound: Rainbow Six: Critical Hour stays true to the series as far as style, but the actual technology behind the game isn’t as good. Most of the texture work and details are equivalent to what you’d find in the PS2 rather than the Xbox. It’s not a giant leap, but the drop in quality is noticeable. Character models are poorly done and, though they animate nicely, just feel off. Sure, it still looks nice, yet when compared to past games in the series, it doesn’t quite match up. Even the weapon effects fail to provide any graphical pop. Music and sound are on par with the rest of the series. In-game dialogue is where most of the game’s story unfolds given the lack of cutscenes. Gun sounds and explosions are, like their visual counterparts, disappointing.
Gameplay: Rainbow Six: Critical Hour combines elements of the latest game, Lockdown, with missions derived from past games. The result of this mix is a streamlined, simpler game that can easily be completed in a few hours. Once again, you step behind the gun of Ding Chavez, leader of the Rainbox Six team. The game’s narrative recounts the formation of the team as seen by John Clark, the guy who started it all. The seven missions featured are from past PC games and voted as favorites by fans of the series, making Critical Hour akin to a “Best of…” compilation. Each of the game’s seven missions take you around the world completing all manner of operations, from shutting down chemical weapons facilities to rescuing civilians. Oh, and you’ll get to gun down lots of terrorists along the way. Mission goals stay true to the series, though they don’t feel nearly as exciting. A tactical map gives you the layout of every enemy in the area, whether they’re right in front of you or behind a wall. Knowing what is around every corner absolutely kills one of the series' core elements – surprise. A few enemies will pop-out and surprise you now and then, but it is just not the same. Missions are pretty short and over before you know it, taking away from the “big” feeling found in other Rainbow Six games. After completing the Single-Player mode, you can choose to go through them solo or choose to tackle the multiplayer side of things. Multiplayer games allow for up to 16 players and include variations of classics like Deathmatch and Capture the Flag as well as Conquest, where teams vie for control of the map or Assassin, where players go after a specific player on the other team.
Difficulty: Both your allied and enemy A.I. is extremely spotty. Enemies are smart one moment, dumb the next. The same goes for your allies, though the instances of stupidity are a little more common. Even after issuing commands, teammates will screw up. Even with A.I. issues, Rainbow Six: Critical Hour is as close to a cakewalk as any Rainbow Six game has come, due in large part to the tactical map and lean towards arcade-style gameplay.
Game Mechanics: Rainbow Six: Critical Hour makes use of the PEC (Persistent Elite Creation) mode found in Lockdown. This adds a creation element to the game where you earn points for every multiplayer match you participate in. These points can then be spent to acquire new skills, weapons and other items to improve your online character. The idea is a great one, though it is also flawed thanks to a glitch that allows players to max out their stats, becoming super-human killing machines. Unless you’re playing with a group of friends you can trust, its rare to find a “honest” game, which has actually led to some players giving up on online games altogether or sticking with people they know. Compared to other games in the series, Critical Hour doesn’t offer much in the way of tactics. The pre-mission load out options are limited to only a few weapons. Once in-game, commands can be issued using a either a context-sensitive command button or a microphone. Either way works, though the number of things you can have your squad do is far less then you could have them do in previous games. Even if you’re a fan of Rainbox Six, Critical Hour is not recommended. The game is over before it even begins and the online experience is flawed to the point of being no fun.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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