Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas

Lore & Background

Rainbow Six: Vegas changes the series with multiple new features, including a health system where the player regenerates health while not taking fire, though instant death can occur from grenades or close-range shotgun blasts to the head. The player's vision is impaired while damaged, similar to Gears of War. A third-person view allows blind-fire around corners for suppression or covering fire. Other changes include larger enemy presence, tougher artificial intelligence, a reincarnated aiming system, and a context-sensitive D-pad command system for the player's squad. Players can give voice commands using the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 headset, but teammates are no longer audible through the headset. There is no mission planning or save system; instead, a checkpoint system is used. Cutscenes are almost entirely excluded, with story told through video feeds on a heads-up display. Players can rappel up and down buildings while shooting and fast rope into areas.

The plot begins in 2010 with Rainbow operatives Logan Keller, Gabriel Nowak, and Kan Akahashi deployed to a Mexican border town to capture Irena Morales. After being separated, Logan fights through the town, regroups with his team, and eventually reaches a mine where Irena is hiding, but Gabriel and Kan are captured. Logan escapes alone and is redeployed to Las Vegas, where he links up with new team members Michael Walters and Jung Park. The team clears a casino, rescues hostages, and learns of a micro-pulse bomb planted in the Vertigo Spire hotel. After disarming it, they find Gabriel and Kan at Dante's Casino, but Kan is fatally wounded. The team discovers Irena's target is the Nevada Dam, where they defuse another micro-pulse bomb, activate an emergency release valve, and find a weapons research lab. Logan confronts and kills Irena, then destroys a micro-pulse missile. Gabriel reveals himself as Irena's mole and hijacks the team's helicopter; Logan can let him escape or shoot him down. A news clip later states a helicopter crashed into a lake, but no bodies were found.

The PSP version is an entirely different game due to hardware limitations, focusing on a parallel storyline with operatives Brian Armstrong and Shawn Rivers. Their mission is to locate the kidnapped Gabriel Nowak and Kan Akahashi, and they uncover a biochemical threat by Lucas Picares to poison Las Vegas's water supply. The PSP version has at least five campaign missions, each taking 20 to 30 minutes.

Reader's Guide

Rainbow Six: Vegas is significant as the fifth main entry in the Rainbow Six series, marking a major shift in gameplay with its regenerating health system and third-person blind-fire mechanics, which made the series more accessible while retaining tactical squad commands. The game's focus on a linear, checkpoint-based campaign without mission planning or save systems streamlined the experience for console audiences. Its release on multiple platforms—Xbox 360, Windows, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable—expanded its reach, though the PSP version was a separate game with a different storyline and reduced scope. The game's multiplayer component on PSP supported up to four players with modes like Survival and Team Survival, though with fewer maps. The game received downloadable content packs: the Player's Pack Red Edition (April 2007) added two new modes (Assassination and Conquest) and three new maps, plus two redesigned 'redux' maps; the Player's Pack Black Edition (June 2007) added five new maps, including one from Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield, but was retracted due to a pricing error. A Limited Collector's Edition included a bonus disc with a making-of documentary and a Rainbow Six retrospective. The game is playable on Xbox Series X with online features still available. A sequel developed by Ubisoft Montreal was released in March 2008 on consoles and April 2008 on PC.

Did You Know?

• The game's health system regenerates while not taking fire, but instant death can occur from grenades or close-range shotgun blasts to the head.
• The PSP version is an entirely different game with a parallel storyline featuring operatives Brian Armstrong and Shawn Rivers.
• A Limited Collector's Edition included a bonus disc with a documentary on the making of the game and a Rainbow Six retrospective.
• The Player's Pack Black Edition was retracted from Xbox Live Marketplace due to a pricing error.