Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas review

The glorious return of the thinking man's shooter

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Be warned, though, that Vegas takes its tension-drenched atmosphere very seriously - perhaps too seriously for some gamers. Despite all your cautious self-preservation, a good portion of your conflicts will inevitably finish with a "game over" screen and, just like that, you've lost half an hour of your life. Vegas doesn't enable you to save anywhere and check points are spread extremely thin. Some will find this design choice incredibly irritating; others will enjoy how it ratchets up the feeling of mortal danger even further. Our opinionshifted with the quality of the mission we were stuck on and how much fun it was to try over and over.

Remarkably, we found ourselves reloading that last checkpoint without hesitation more times than not. The game gives you so many tools to work with (snake cameras, smoke grenades, heat vision, etc) that you're always eager and able to attempt new strategies.

The most obvious tool is your Rainbow Six team- really more of a Rainbow Two- and they are surprisingly helpful. Crucial, even. Completing a mission without having them breach and clear a door, or sending them to the opposite side of a room to draw fire, can be next to impossible. And while they do need an awful lot of medical attention, throwing yourself into the center of crossfire to deliver a life-saving Pulp Fiction-esque injection is one of the most heart-pumping aspects of this game, or any game.

More info

GenreAction
DescriptionClean the filth out of Vegas - one headshot at a time - in this deep, strategic and intense team-based shooter.
Franchise nameTom Clancy's Rainbow Six
UK franchise nameRainbow Six
Platform"PC","Xbox 360","PS3","PSP","PS2","Xbox"
US censor rating"Teen","Teen","Teen","Teen","Teen","Teen"
UK censor rating"16+","16+","16+","16+","16+","16+"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
More
CATEGORIES
Charlie Barratt
I enjoy sunshine, the company of kittens and turning frowns upside down. I am also a fan of sarcasm. Let's be friends!
Latest in Tom Clancy's
The Division Heartland
Ubisoft has canceled The Division Heartland and "redeployed resources to bigger opportunities" like its Call of Duty-style FPS XDefiant
The Division's confused morality is easily its darkest secret
Ubisoft says The Division update 1.2 will be more "generous" with endgame loot
Rainbow Six Siege
Rainbow Six Siege hackers thwarted after flooding lobbies with giant chickens and NSFW nightmares
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
The original Ghost Recon is free on PC until next week
A new Tom Clancy logo features a pink neon crown on the soldier's helmet
The Division, Splinter Cell, and Ghost Recon crossover called BattleCat may be announced tomorrow
Latest in Reviews
Lenovo Legion Go S with FlyKnight gameplay on screen featuring player character holding bow and arrow with enemy ant in backdrop.
Lenovo Legion Go S Windows 11 review: “my heart aches for this mixed up handheld”
Talisman 5th Edition game components
Talisman 5th Edition review: "The characterful imperfections of the original game remain clear to see "
WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 review: "A colossal package even if you never go anywhere near Virtual Currency"
Altered: Trial by Frost booster box and packs on a playmat
Altered: Trial by Frost review - "Satisfying enough to offer highly varied gameplay"
Three SteelSeries QcK Performance mouse pads on a wooden desk
I didn't expect to prefer a coarser mouse pad, but SteelSeries' new QcK Performance range has changed my mind
Boro and Alta sit on a bench together in Wanderstop
Wanderstop review: "Exalting the transformative power of tea"