Pros: Great use of the "Duck and Cover" mechanic, Amazing visuals, Multiplayer
Cons: Short, Graphics aren't as good in multiplayer for some reason
The bottom line: Vegas is the update the Rainbow Six franchise needed, It adds great new additions while still staying true to the Rainbow Six name.
Ubisofts highly popular squad-based first-person shooter is reincarnated into arguably the best game in the long running series with "Rainbow six: Vegas"

The Rainbow six series has always been to squad oriented or to Arcade like. Rainbow Six vegas manages to combine these two features so fluently and amazingly that it still manages to keep the Rainbow six name while adding the much needed new features.

The first and most noticeable thing that has been upgraded is the coat of polish on the graphics. Since the game is set in Vegas, the environments always seem interesting and vibrant. One of the best moments is when you begin a mission, your briefed in a helicopter that offers a superb view of Las Vegas that can only be appreciated from such an altitude. The enemies are actually pretty varied and you won't usually encounter more than one similarly dressed terrorist in one room. The environments also offer plenty of destructibility with slot machines blowing up and spewing coins. Overall, attention to detail is great, every bullet hole seems like a perminant mark in every objects, hell, the bullet holes are even visible in your enemies and sometimes I found myself searching for the bloody circle on the terrorists body just to see where I got him.

Throughout the game you'll be usually working with two other squad mates that don't yell annoying ego boosting lines or swear to much. Thankfully, they're smart enough not to stand in the middle of the street even if you don't order them behind some piece of cover. An annoying feature that seems to be popping up alot lately is the healing system. Whenever a team-mate is down you can easily revive them but they can't return the favor, but in a game like this I realize that it forces you to play smart. The enemies are also worthy opponents as well. They'll often flank your positions so you'll have to keep your eye on them and eliminate the threat as quick as possible. I wonder where it says in the counter-terrorism manual that blind firing is perfectly exceptable? anyways...

Rainbow Six Vegas uses the "Duck and cover" mechanic seen in games such as "Gears of War", and the quote "If it works, why change it?" suits this game perfectly. When your not behind cover, the game is played in a first-person perspective, but, when behind cover the game switches to a third person view that works extremely well. This is an effective technique because it gives you a clear view of the movement of enemies around you. It also also makes the player move smart around the battlefield and adds a new element to a game that disregarded cover almost completely.

On top of the excellent orchestral score in Rainbow Six, there's also pretty recognizable tunes in the casino's which I was very surprised to see. It is one of those games where the music ramps up in the heat of battle but the music is so great that it won't cover up the intense atmosphere.

Repelling is a fun component that adds a nice tactical feel to the game. When a repelling point is seen, you and your squad cautiously make your way down to your objective and surprise the enemy by bashing through the window. Or, if the window isn't your entry point, you can still repel down and shoot enemies along the way.

Your squad can be ordered in just about every way possible. Move to a location, regroup, hold position are just a few of the many orders in your command list. Aside from this, there's a plethora of room-clearing options such as "Frag and clear" "Flash and clear" or plain and simple open and clear. It gets better however. In previous rainbow six games, you had to use mental mind powers to guess if there was a threat on the other side of the door. A nifty feature however in Vegas allows for a camera to be slid under the crack and analyze the situation based on your findings. The element of surprise is always on your side and makes the game seem more professional like, as it should be. Using this tool, you can even tell your squad to focus their fire on one certain enemy if your faced with a hostage situation.

One of my biggest issues with Vegas was the multiplayer. For some unknown reason, the graphics took a serious hit. This is forgivable for one simple reason: Online identity. The online identity mode allows you to customize and create your own soldier and fight out online and obtain points. There's also a ranking system that you can climb starting you out as a private and working your way up toward higher ranks. The good thing is, win or lose, you still get experience points, so although you may be playing with pro's, you don't have to be one to upgrade your character. Some armor and weapons are only available to certain ranks after all.

The story is a bit predictable and overall nothing to get excited about. You play as Logan Keller, the leader of your rainbow six counter-terrorism team. Keller is sent to Sin City because for some unknown reason terrorists are hitting the casino's and it's up to you and your team to stop them. You later find out that there's a device hidden in a dam that will wipe out the population and once again you have to save the world. Apparently they couldn't rig the slot machines to land on the jackpot.

Once again the "No health pack" trend is being put to good use in Vegas. Unfortunately, the game is less forgiving this way, and you'll probably be down with a clip or two. The game uses a checkpoint save system that is relatively fair, this also meens you can't save whenever you want if you happen to come across a particular tough part.

The weapons in Rainbow Six have always been near-future oriented. The arsenal in Vegas isn't short of any guns either. You can carry two rifles and a smaller sub-machine gun with you every mission. You still have your standard issue sniper rifles, Sub-machine guns, Machine guns etc....all of which can be upgraded in some way, shape or form like silencers, scopes and more....

Although it certainly isn't lengthy by any meens, and the story gets rediculous, Rainbow Six Vegas is one of the best shooters for the 360 and never lacks intense moments. It evolves the series and takes a step towards what next-gen gaming should include, fans of the previous Rainbow Six games won't need to search to love this game. For those unfamiliar with the Rainbow Six franchise, it's time to start with Vegas, I'm positive you won't be disappointed.