19-Jul-2005 After their endeavours in Vietnam took a justified battering, the Conflict boys are back with wounds fully healed. And it's the original Desert Storm crew of Bradley, Foley, Connors and Jones too, looking not a day older since their Saddam-bashing days well over a decade ago.
Now they comprise an elite anti-terrorist unit on the hunt for a group called 'March 33', descendants of the ODESSA Nazis intent on bringing about a new world order. The quartet are betrayed by a mole within their own command, which leads to an ambush and Foley going MIA as he covers the other three's escape. Stepping into his testosterone-heavy boots is Carrie Sherman, a new sniper.
This new team dynamic isn't the only change. The auto-aim that worked so badly in Conflict: Vietnam has been replaced by slows down as it nears an enemy. Issuing orders and switching weapons have been sped up with a mixture of context-sensitive commands and an instant list of all available weapons. Like Rainbow Six 3 you can even give delayed orders, such as splitting the team up and entering a room using different doors at the same time.
MOVE AND FIRE While your soldiers are now clever enough to automatically climb through windows and vault over obstacles, enemy troops are no slouches either. In previous games they tended to freeze while under attack, but now they'll actively seek out the best cover positions and forcibly attack or retreat depending on the situation.
Best of all, you won't be confined to either desert or jungle environments like before. So far we've seen a Korean village, a snowy mountain teeming with snipers, a forest and an abandoned Russian factory out of the total of 14 missions. Clancy's boys had better watch their backs.
PSW Staff
// Overview
Verdict
If Conflict: Vietnam was a step back for
the series, this looks like it's three
steps forward. It still feels a bit arcadey
though, so Rainbow Six fans should
approach with caution.
DIVIDE: With new night-vision and thermal vision your squad can take advantage of darkness. Split them into two groups of two as you prepare to storm a building.
DISTRACT: One pair can sneak in through a side entrance and work together to clear any resistance from the upper levels as well as the stairs, creating a diversion.
DESTROY: The otherburst in the main entrance on the ground floor. Delayed orders let both groups enter the building at the same. Sneaky.
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