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Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield Review - PC

Right from the beginning it was apparent that Ubi Soft had yet another clear winner on their hands. I mean, a new Rainbow 6 game - how could they not? Boasting the portrayal of realistic action, Raven Shield combines all the elements needed to create a compelling experience - real-life weapons, edge-of-your-seat drama, yet more importantly, intense hostage rescues and all-out gun-fights. Raven Shield, no doubt being one of the best in the Rainbow 6 series so far, is counter-terrorism at it's far best.

Gameplay

Nothing is what it seems in the year 2005. All is assumed to be forgotten. The events and conflicts of the 20th century are history to most. However animosity still exists, to the point where extreme measures are undertaken. Whether it be bomb detonations or hostage situations, terrorists will let nothing get in their way. They want to resolve things under their jurisdiction, and only team RAINBOW can stop them; an elite task force consisting of the most dedicated, highly skilled and highly trained, individuals on earth. Combined with the most sophisticated technology this side of the universe, RAINBOW are geared up and ready to kick terrorism where it hurts most.

Warning: upon viewing the intro, your mouth may tend to salivate to an extent where tissues would be required. Your arousal meter will increase. Perspiration rates will skyrocket. As the excitement builds and builds you see yourself starting to shake. The moment a member of RAINBOW takes out a tango, you know you're in for a treat. After the introduction you are presented with a menu, where it feels almost like human nature to select the 'Campaign' mode. Here you are greeted with what arguably could be considered the best 16 levels of any game to date. Taking the storyline above into context, you are to guide your team of up to 3 groups (red, gold and green) to victory against foes that don't give a damn about life. Which obviously means they don't give a damn about you. So be ready for a fight, as unlike other squad-based tactical shooters to date Raven Shield can get reasonably hard at times. This is largely due to the actions of your enemy.

Simply put, the Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is fantastic. Terrorists will often hide behind walls and come out to shoot, or even reload their weapons in safety before going out all-guns blazing. Even if you throw a grenade, they'll scream and try run for cover (usually to no avail). Perhaps more significantly, the A.I of your teammates is pretty good, even if it does seem a little up and down at times. They'll shoot, throw grenades, pick locks and do basically anything else you order them to do. A small gripe however is that often the accuracy of your team will be spot on, yet on the odd occasion it would seem as if they are firing blanks. Not the biggest of problems, but a problem nonetheless.

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