Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas

GameSpy

The cover mechanics, the lethal firearms, the satisfaction of working with a smart team, plus maps that couldn't get done in time for the single-player game and some returning classics make multiplayer golden...I can't overstate how good the multiplayer is here.

Yahoo! Games

The development team deserves special praise for once again for guns with a sense of heft and kick. The weapon models look great, and they're particularly impressive in action. With immersive effects for iron sights and muzzle flash, and with hearty Hollywood gunshot sounds, there's a powerful you-are-there feeling.

AceGamez

It surpasses any other games in the genre (yes, even you, "GoldenEye"), utilises gameplay mechanics and an innovative multiplayer component that will likely become mandatory for any decent FPS games from here on in.

Detroit Free Press

With compelling, deep game play and a gorgeous visual assault on your senses, Rainbow Six: Vegas is a safe bet for any Xbox 360 gamer.

Gaming Age

An incredible game online or offline. My high expectations, and they were indeed high, were met and exceeded in what I can only term one of my most favorite Xbox games yet.

Planet Xbox 360

Using the Vision Camera adds an element that has not been found in many games today and is definitely something that I have been looking forward to. Some good graphics and a complete sound system round out the beautiful title.

Cheat Code Central

When you add up all of the modes including the various co-ops and the massive online multi-player mode that can accommodate 16 players, you’ve got a game that is worth every penny of the purchase price.

TeamXbox

It's the game's multiplayer mode that will keep us playing Vegas for years to come. This isn't just the multiplayer game of the year, it may actually be the best multiplayer game in the whole Xbox 360 library.

Game Informer

As a co-op experience and as a tactical shooter, Rainbow Six Vegas sets a new benchmark for the gaming industry.

PGNx Media

The gameplay mechanics are refined to the point of perfection and the presentation is stellar.

GamePro

Rainbow Six: Vegas's gorgeous graphics, professional presentation, well-executed cover mechanic, and highly customizable multiplayer make it one the best first-person shooters on the Xbox 360. Heck, why beat around the bush: it's got my vote for Game of the Year.

GameZone

The shot in the arm that the series desperately needed, and stands as one of the premier shooters of this or any year.

Da Gameboyz

The graphics are sharp, the sound is superb, the campaign is engaging and the online play is great and has lasting appeal.

Electric Playground

Vegas has drool-inducing visuals, extremely good AI, and controls so intuitive and fitting that you’ll think the gang from Ubisoft Montreal came over to take your measurements before they sent you the game.

Gamers' Temple

Fans of tactical shooters or those who enjoy some challenging and enjoyable gameplay should definitely take a trip to Vegas.

Gaming Target

The top shooter on the 360. It tops Gears of War in most multiplayer areas. You may enjoy the faster pace, futuristic weapons and setting of Gears of War more but for my money, ‘Vegas’ offers a more satisfying experience and infinitely better designed maps.

Game Chronicles

It has a solid and compelling single-player mode that only gets better when you play it cooperatively, and with a huge fan base, numerous multiplayer maps and games modes, and perfectly balanced gameplay for teams and individuals, and even a Spectator mode, what happens in Vegas is now open for all the world to see.

Game Over Online

Rainbow Six Vegas represents a return to glory for the franchise, with a renewed emphasis on tactics, a brilliant cover system, new high-tech gadgets, challenging missions and a multiplayer component that’ll keep you coming back for more.

IC-Games

The Co-op play, the online multiplayer and everything associated with the single player campaign is more than worth the asking price.

IGN

The sprawling levels like the glowing Fremont Street or the Hoover Dam open up Rainbow like it's never been before, and the result is a balanced shooter that is as much close-quarter combat as long-range head shots...The best first-person shooter on the Xbox 360.

Kombo

The addition of an elegant new over system has completely changed the face of tactical combat, while the streamlined squad-mechanics are accessible enough to bring in new players, while still providing more than enough depth to allow veterans to dominate the battlefield.

Gamer 2.0

It delivers some of the most thrilling, realistic gunfights in any shooter, and sports impressive visuals and above-average online multiplayer—all of which make it into one of the must-own titles for your Xbox 360 this year.

GameShark

There are very few games that are this nerve-wracking and playing this game is akin to watching your favorite action-suspense-thriller TV show or movie and I say that as a compliment.

Xbox World Australia

There are enough tactical nuances to satisfy detail freaks (I'm certain my gun actually locked up on me on occasion – a realistic feature put in there by Mr. Clancy?) but it's also accessible enough that regular Joes will enjoy the campaign.

ActionTrip

From the great single player campaign the wide variety of multiplayer options, you should find every dollar you spend on this game well worth it, and then some. This is the best Rainbow Six game ever made.

Digital Entertainment News

The most intriguing feature of the Rainbow Six: Vegas online experience is the Persistent Elite Creation: the player’s avatar in the online Rainbow Six universe.

GameSpot

Rainbow Six is reinvented and reinvigorated for a new age thanks to beautiful visuals and top-notch tactical shooting action.

Worth Playing

If you love online multiplayer and FPS without the slobbering monsters, then Rainbow Six: Vegas is a must-buy. It is an exceptionally well-made title from combat engine to graphics, and even the weak offline single-player is excusable in light of the stellar co-op options online.

GameTrailers

With its increased emphasis on the single-player campaign, and a phenomenal multiplayer pedigree, this is one of those games that has the potential to give you your money’s worth and then some.

Jolt Online Gaming UK

For many, Rainbow Six will have finally reached the giddy heights of classic-status gaming, with Vegas retaining the series’ tactical edge but opening it up to a wider and more accepting audience. Ubisoft has taken a gamble, but ultimately it has paid off.

Gamestyle

Rainbow Six: Vegas is almost perfect and easily the best iteration in the series. The compelling co-op play, the online multiplayer and everything associated with the single player campaign is completely worth the asking price.

ZTGameDomain

The best part about the engine is that unlike Ghost Recon, which toned down the graphics in multiplayer, this game does not. You get the same beautiful graphics in multiplayer as you do in single player.

games(TM)

Rainbow Six Vegas is a breathtaking return to form after questions over Ubisoft's commitment to the series were raised after Lockdown's release last year. [Christmas 2006, p.124]

X360 Magazine UK

A considerable leap forward in enemy AI, regardless of concerns some might have about tactical depth and how see-through it occasionally is. A more tense experience on 360 there ain't. [Issue 14, p.76]

MS Xbox World

Atmosphere is great and engaging, gun battles are furious and highly cinematic at times and of course the whole squad element has been tweaked a little to be just that bit more intuitive for console owners.

XboxAddict

Vegas is easily recommendable to those looking for online play, but not so much for simply the single player experience.

Console Gameworld

Multiplayer aside, this title is an outstanding display of next-gen gaming, and is easily the best Rainbow Six yet.

Games Radar (in-house)

Graphics, gameplay, atmosphere, all-important multiplayer... Rainbow Six Vegas gets pretty much everything right. It even shines on the little details, like wind whistling through a freshly shattered window or jackpot coins spilling out over a freshly bagged terrorist.

GamingExcellence

RSV has brought the bar way up higher than a Bob Marley Concert, and it’s going to be a doozy of a task to top with the next one, not mentioning the competition.

DailyGame

The story is compelling, the additional gameplay mechanics and improved AI are great, and Attack and Defend mode is certainly something to be proud. But most importantly to gamers: Rainbow Six Vegas is pure fun.

Gaming Nexus

Although this is the third Tom Clancy game on the Xbox 360 this year, Rainbow Six Vegas proves to be the best. This is easily one of the best games of the year, a title full of action, unique locations and plenty of terrorists to kill.

Thunderbolt

While Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas isn’t the most novice-friendly game, once you get past the steep learning curve, you’ll discover one of the finest action games currently available. With sublime gameplay, smart A.I., slick presentation and a fully featured online mode to keep you playing, it’s hard to pass up.

VideoGamer

The number of options you have to tackle each situation makes for some great unscripted moments, and the visuals and sound help create an atmosphere that wouldn't be possible on older hardware.

Deeko

Ubisoft has once again managed some 360 magic: Vegas is a fantastic game that gives Live it's most expansive online multiplayer a shooter has yet seen.

Boomtown

A gripping, and challenging, single player mode should eat up a good ten to twelve hours, and the wealth of multiplayer options should keep you going for a lot longer.

PALGN

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas returns the series to form with one of the most innovative, fresh, intense and enjoyable experiences that you can have with a console shooter.

Game Almighty

Ubisoft has corrected past mistakes, much too their credit, and have delivered one of the strongest Rainbow Six games yet.

Talk Xbox

Its competent story-mode, coupled with a variety of multi-player modes available online or off, Rainbow Six: Vegas is certainly a solid title, and one not to be missed by any fan of shooters.

My Gamer

With a compelling offline story, fun co-op, and an addictive online multiplayer, it would be hard not to like this game.

Gamers Europe

Perseverance is the key, but a lot of people might walk away from it before they master the more demanding elements. This is a shame, as there's a cracking think-first-shoot-later game waiting to be discovered, but the (sometimes overly) cerebral nature of things coupled with that crushing toughness will doubtless be too much for some.

Gamer's Hell

The graphics hit the jackpot, the new cover mechanic is implemented fantastically well, and the setting provides a lot of color and tactical opportunities.

Armchair Empire

The multiplayer portion of the game is practically a game unto itself. Most matches quickly develop into fragfests – gone is any semblance of tactical approach.

Play Magazine

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas is one of the few games I’ve played in which the squad-based gameplay works the way you’d imagine—more engrossing enhancement to the experience than a mechanical dead weight I’ve come to expect.

Games Master UK

A fantastic and accessible shooter, with a massive and long-lasting multi-player. [Christmas 2006, p.91]

Official Xbox Magazine

The 360 sure has a wealth of terrific shooters, and while Vegas isn't the very best of the bunch, it's elite enough to deserve your trigger time. [Holiday 2006, 68]

1UP

Periods of sneaking around are rewarded with spectacular firefights, and every so often there's a huge set piece that really shows off how great the Unreal 3 engine is for big, open battles.

Pelit (Finland)

A flashy mix of Lockdown and Advanced Warfighter in a great looking setting. The shootouts feel real and commanding the team works well, but the levels are very linear and sometimes the amount of enemies seems a bit overkill. More variety would have been nice, too. Vegas has other things besides casinos, you know. [Dec 2006]

Game Revolution

What is remarkable is that, even despite these drawbacks, the steep learning curve, accurate controls, and heated tactical challenge make Vegas’ online game the most complete for the 360 so far.

Play.tm

The controls are simple, the graphics pretty, and the game fluffy enough to forgive its essential repetitiveness.

Extreme Gamer

Rainbow Six Vegas might not be the crown jewel of the series, but it's still one of the year's best shooters.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Words of warning: You need to give squad-based shooter Vegas some time to grow on you, particularly in the fairly short single-player campaign. [Jan. 2007, p.100]

Xboxic

Although you know the game isn’t adding much to the genre, the things it does differently are excellent, such as the stacking up on a door, with the ability to tag enemies and watch as they get taken out in excellent style.

GameDaily

It takes a while to get started, and the story has some faults, but the game packs wall-to-wall action, realistic tactical maneuvers and a superb presentation that even outshines "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter."

Eurogamer

To really catapult it into the very highest bracket, Ubisoft still needs to work on a more compelling premise and improve on some of the production values, but otherwise Vegas represents one of the best shooters on the market and deserves to succeed.

Official Xbox Magazine UK

While the 'tough as nails' shoot-outs won’t see this on everyone’s must buy list, Ubisoft's run of creating stunning showcases for the Xbox 360 remains unbroken.

360 Gamer Magazine UK

Due to the easy-to-use squad control, advanced A.I., gorgeous visuals, realistic physics, and intense action, Rainbow Six Vegas is easily the best in the series. While the game has been slightly simplified - and is not a massive next-gen leap forward - the result is a fantastic, intense experience that few others can rival. [Issue 18, p.62]

Total Video Games

The intuitive covering and tagging system working brilliantly, setting up an immediate sense of immersion greater than any previous instalment in the series.

Edge Magazine

A good all-round introduction to the tactical FPS. Glitzy and attractive, but ultimately a little empty, there’s also no doubt that it lives up to its name. [Christmas 2006, p.79]

NTSC-uk

Unfortunately Vegas continues the spiral of descent for the franchise, and moves the series further away from what made it such a success in the first place.