Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown Xbox game cover Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown Xbox game cover
Developer(s)	Red Storm Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Platform(s)	PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC
Release	September 6, 2005 (PS2, Xbox) September 27, 2005 (GC) February 10, 2006 (Win)
Genre(s)	Tactical shooter
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer

File:TomClancysRainbowSixLockdownSSunknown.jpg

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Lockdown screenshot (Xbox version)

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown is the fourth full game in the Rainbow Six series. The initial design and PlayStation 2 version were developed by Red Storm Entertainment and the Xbox version was developed by the Ubisoft Montreal studio. Both are published by Ubisoft. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions were released on September 6, 2005. A GameCube version was released on September 27, 2005, and a version for Windows was released on February 10, 2006. On January 12, 2006, Ubisoft announced a follow-up Rainbow Six game for the console market, called "Critical Hour" (see below).

Story

Template:Spoiler The story of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Lockdown revolves around an elite counter-terror unit called Rainbow. In Lockdown, a terrorist group has stolen a man-made virus named "Legion". "Legion" causes massive hemorrhaging in its victim and has a mortality rate of 100%. Team Rainbow must find and stop the terrorists from using the virus. A major plot twist occurs when team sniper Dieter Weber is captured by the terrorists, prompting an unauthorized rescue effort by the team. The game includes 16 single-player missions in all (14 on the Xbox), taking you through: Pretoria, South Africa; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Edinburgh, Scotland; Calais, France; Marseille, France; Gibraltar; Barcelona, Spain; Cala Brascana Minorca

Gameplay

The core gameplay in is different than earlier games in the Rainbow Six series. "Lockdown" is faster-paced than previous entries, which has been ill-received by some fans of the series, who dislike the "arcady" feel of Lockdown.

New to Lockdown is a dual-gameplay mode, where the player takes the role of team sniper Dieter Weber and covers the team from above. After successful completion of the sniper portion of the mission, the player resumes the role of team leader Ding Chavez on the ground. The player controls a small squad of men, usually three other specialists. Just like previous Rainbow Six games, the player has complete control over which weapons and items AI-controlled characters use.

Mission objectives range from simply neutralizing terrorists to securing hostages, gathering intel, or defending an area. The AI has been retooled, and a new three-tier system exists, where level one consists of lowly, rather stupid grunts, and level three is highly-trained, smart, engaging enemies. The player encounters lower-level enemies early in the game, with building difficulty as the game progresses.

Equipment

Across all platforms, the game has been redesigned so that players now view gameplay through a simulated visor, somewhat akin to the view in the Metroid Prime GameCube series. As the character becomes injured in-game, cracks will appear in the visor, limiting the player's view.

New gadgets are available for use in the game. The original heartbeat sensor has been redesigned and can still be used to locate enemies, and PlayStation 2 owners will have an exclusive 10-meter motion sensor that can be used to spot enemies through walls. In multiplayer, other items can used such as surveillance PDAs or in the Xbox versions, collapsible turrets. A door-breaching hammer can be carried as an inventory item, which can open locked doors more rapidly. Grenades may now roll when thrown.

Weapon-play incorporates numerous aspects of other videogames. Similar to the Splinter Cell games, you can hold your breath while in sniping mode to increase accuracy, and cameras are seen in some missions, which can be disabled either by hand or weapons-fire. When "zoomed in" with non-scoped weapons, the view through the iron sights resembles that seen in Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30. Grenades are now thrown by pressing the left trigger button on the Xbox version, similar to Xbox behemoth Halo 2.

Weapons List

PRIMARY WEAPONS:

• G36C - 5.56mm x 45 NATO
• MP5/10 - 10mm x 25 Norma Auto
• AS9 - VAL 9mm x 39 Soviet SP-5/SP-6 Special suppressed
• M249SPW - 5.56mm x 45 NATO
• SR4-CQB - Knight's Armament Company SR-16 with Knight's underbarrel cropped Remington M870 shotgun 5.56mm x 45 NATO/12 Gauge
• M73E - Heckler & Koch HK73E light machine gun, 5.56mm x 45 NATO
• MAG7 - 12 Gauge
• MP7SD - 4.6mm x 30 HK with suppressor
• MTAR-21 - 5.56mm x 45 NATO
• P90TR - 5.7mm x 28 FN
• PP-90M1 - 9mm x 19 7N21/7N31
• SA58 - 7.62mm x 51 NATO
• SPAS-15 - 12 Gauge
• Super 90 - 12 Gauge
• UMP9 - 9mm x 19 Parabellum
• U100MK3 - 5.56mm x 45 NATO
• USAS-12 - 12 Gauge
• WA2000 - 7.62mm x 51 NATO
• OICW - 5.56mm x 45 NATO/12 gauge (Unlockable for Xbox version only)

SECONDARY WEAPONS:

• 92FS - 9mm x 19 Parabellum with suppressor
• 5-7 - 5.7mm x 28 FN
• MEU(SOC).45 - Marine Expeditionary Unit Special Operations Capable .45 ACP
• GL69A - Heckler & Koch HK69A1 40mm HE

Multiplayer

Xbox

The Xbox version of Lockdown features an exclusive gameplay mode for Microsoft's Xbox Live service called "Persistent Elite Creation"(PEC). This mode allows the player to have a persistent character while playing in online multiplayer games, and the character will gain levels the longer you play. There are four "careers" to choose from: the commando, combat medic, engineer, and spec-op. Each class features different abilities and strengths; Commandos are able to use heavy weapony and armor, medics can use items to heal teammates during battle, engineers can set up gun turrets, and spec-ops are stealthy and use surveillance equipment. As incentive to continue leveling up, there will be bonuses that can be unlocked by achieving certain goals, such as news weapons and items. Light RPG-like elements will exist, whereby when you level up you gain stat points that can be distributed across various skills.

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 version, while without the PEC mode of the Xbox, does have its own exclusive online mode. Called "Rivalry", this mode pits teams of terrorists against teams of counter-terror agents.

Rainbow Six: Critical Hour

In response to criticism that the gameplay of Lockdown had strayed too far from that of the original Rainbow Six games, Ubisoft announced in January 2006 that a new game, entitled Rainbow Six: Critical Hour, would be released for the current-generation systems in Spring 2006. The game will contain a mix of previous Rainbow Six maps, as well as new maps and a new single-player. Gameplay mechanics will also be changed to back to a slower, more tactical approach that was unseen in Lockdown. Critical Hour will also feature the PEC mode from Lockdown. [1]

External links

• Official website