The problem that "Rainbow Six: Vegas 2" faces is that it is faced again with reinventing the wheel. First person shooters are the staple of the current generation of consoles in much the same way as driving games were for the last generation. Moreover, last year's hugely successful "Call Of Duty" iteration raised the bar for what gamers should expect from the conventional FPS. "RS:V2" delivers polished shooting action, throwing in the requisite online modes, but without really blowing the hinges off what we would expect from a FPS in 2008.
The new "Rainbow Six" generally sticks to the formula established by Ubisoft Montreal in the first outing. The squad-based Special Ops action will feel very familiar to anyone that has played that game or its stablemate "Ghost Recon" games. Graphically and sonically the sequel matches the first game, although additions such as a cover system and experience levelling set-up (where you gain points for different aspects of fighting) are welcome additions.
Although based in Sin City, the game often accents on the mundane warehouses and leisure complexes of Las Vegas, rather than vulgar casinos and the like. This is my first complaint about the game: it seems rather samey, and at least in the PlayStation 3 version, the backgrounds can seem a little sparse: grey abandoned warehouse segues to nondescript hotel complex, and so on, without there being anything really to capture the eye or the imagination. The game does not feel as cinematic, as much of an "event" as "CoD4". Similarly, the mundanity often stretches to your direction of the AI squad members: move to the closed door, open it, clear the room and then repeat. There is no real incentive to lead the charge from the front, especially as you often earn experience points from the squad's action.
The squad AI can often be irritating, too. For instance, it is not uncommon for one of your "buddies" to block your line of fire, or stand in the middle of the war zone just waiting to be shot: often the squad will not respond to orders very quickly, either. I have also noticed that there is quite marked slowdown in some sections of the PS3 version of the game, which is pretty unforgivable in a current generation game and from a top developer such as Ubisoft, to boot.
On the plus side, "RS:V2" does provide plentiful reasons for immersion in the later stages of the game thanks to the experience levelling system: there seems to be some form of progression from playing through the game at point when you would otherwise feel ready to hang up your MP5 for the night. The online "Terrorist Hunt" mode, where you co-operate with other players online is a good idea, although I have often encountered connection problems trying to access this.
An overall assessment of the new "Rainbow Six" would be that it is a good enough game, which offers plenty of challenge. However, judged by the impressive yardstick of "CoD4" and the deluge of up-and-coming releases for the PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360, the game is not really individual or exceptional enough to warrant more than an extended rental play.