Friday, January 1, 2016

Rainbow Six Siege Review

Hey Guys, I'm going to start off by saying that I absolutely like this game. I like this game so much that I got in one of these generic black cases you get at GameStop. Anyways, I digress.

I feel that Rainbow Six Siege is one of the most underrated games of 2015. It really is a gem, but I wouldn't say it's a hidden gem due to all of the promotion it has. However, this game does have its flaws and even gameplay "flaws" that some people may not like. Some of these flaws are actually much bigger than you think.

This is a screenshot I took during a game of Hostage. I blocked out the names due to privacy reasons.


What I like
Although the game is online only(I'll get more into this later), there is indeed a lot more variety in the game in the sense that your experience will be different every time you play. Because there are no respawns nor health regeneration, the pace is slow and intense. You even have time to prepare which involves either creating barriers or using drones to find the objective.

Because of the pace, the game really does force you to be creative on how to make your next move because messing up just once could easily get you killed. One well placed shot will put you down if you're not careful.

Additionally, you are able to access cameras to see where your enemies are located. It could be either the drones or surveillance cameras. If you see an enemy with your camera, you could tag their location giving your team the upper hand. When you die, you still have access to the cameras or even drones laid out by you or your teammates. However, these cameras can be destroyed in order to keep the game balanced.

I really do love this game because of how balanced it is! There really isn't any overpowered weapons since all of them are totally determinant on the player. There is no use of having a shotgun if you don't know how to use it.

Although the game does have microtransactions, there really is no need for them because the in-game currency is renown. You can get a good amount just by playing matches. The amount you get totally depends if you win or not.

I do love the Operators in this game. A couple of them may seem useless, but all of them do serve a purpose. The way someone uses an operator can effect the outcome of a game, but there really is no "best" operator in the game since the gameplay really isn't effected significantly based on the operator you choose.

Teamwork is important in this game. If you don't have a mic, there is no point to even buying this game as communication is key. Sure, you can tag enemies and your characters talk depending on their surroundings, but it's not the same as using a mic.

Let me tell you about the destructible environments. They are incredibly important. If you're standing behind a wall that can be blown up, then you will die unless it's reinforced. At the same time, the feeling of killing someone by shooting them through the wall is awesome. Additionally, you can create openings from walls or ceilings in order to have a tactical advantage.

The game already sounds awesome, right? Should I just stop here and say to just buy it? Well, let me give you the bad news.

Word of advice, always crouch in this game in order to make less noise


This is what sucks
It's clear that all the work was emphasized on the gameplay. I really can't complain about the gameplay, but what I'm about to say may easily hinder the game.

First of all, why is there no singleplayer? Most people played Rainbow Six for the story mode as well as its multiplayer. Sure, the story mode really wasn't anything special in the Rainbow Six Vegas games, but it was there for people to enjoy especially if they did not have Xbox Live or PSN.

Sure, most people should be having internet connections for their game consoles, but it doesn't mean that singleplayer should be omitted from the game. Even if you don't play story mode or singleplayer, there is no denying that you are still losing content.

I don't care how fun a game is. If there is a lack of content, then there is no reason why a game should even be sold for full price. This is my main problem with the game.

This is an online only game. Meaning, if your internet ever gets taken down or go anywhere without internet connections, then this game is pretty much unplayable.

There is a singleplayer mode in the game, but it's just tutorials essentially.

You remember how I said teamwork is important? Yeah, there is a good chance that people just will not talk in the game if you are playing with random people. If you don't have friends online(or even friends to begin with), then your chances of winning are slim.

Remember how I mentioned a lack of content? Well, there really isn't a lot of maps. I find myself on the same map maybe about five times in a row or I hardly notice that I'm on a new map. There really is no variety.

Additionally, I've only played Hostage and that one mode where you have to defend the biohazard  equipment or something like that. Sure, they can be fun! However, most of the time people don't even play the objective. Most people just eliminate everyone on the team. In Hostage, just hope you or your teammate don't kill the Hostage or the game is over.

Don't even get me started on the wait times. It takes me about 5 minutes or longer to find a game. I don't know if it's because the Xbox One version is barren or the game's servers are just failing. This is just unacceptable! Sometimes I'll get stuck during the map rotation and I'll be forced to restart the game.

Final Thoughts
Before I actually go onto my final thoughts, let me talk about the Season Pass. Although the Season Pass promised it wouldn't effect gameplay, it kind of does. Here's what I mean. If you have the Season Pass, you get to have a permanent renown boost. If you are in a game with someone who has the Season Pass, the entire team will get a renown boost. Although it doesn't really effect the gameplay, it's still unfair to people who have to grind to get renown points in order to get attachments or something like that. I really can't complain about it since it's only $30.

The game is enjoyable! I loved my time with the game. However, the game just lacks so much content to the point where it just doesn't feel like a $60 game. It doesn't matter if we are getting more maps for free, those maps should have been released day one.

It's cool we are getting them for free though. It's not like a Destiny situation where they asked for an additional $40 if you bough the expansion pass for the game.

My final thought,
Price Drop
Rainbow Six Siege is not a bad game, so I'm not going to say to not buy the game. However, I would say get the game when it's less than or equal to $40. This game had a lot of potential. For the most part, it proved itself to be a great game, but it's not a $60 game.

Unfortunately, I am going to part ways with this game because I don't want to support less content from Ubisoft. I'll buy the game again when the price drops and there is more maps or modes to play on.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate will be the next game I'm reviewing. It might take some time though as I haven't gone too far in the game.
Till Next Time!!
***UPDATE***: I tried returning the game, but GameStop wouldn't let me since I didn't pay any cash for it since I got it from the Buy 2 get 1 free sale. Oh well, GameStop is just an awful store anyway.

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