Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 Screenshots   The Final Say! Gameplay 8.8 Graphics 8.7 Sound 8.7 Value 8.8 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3- reviewed by Tory Favro Review Date: April 2004 Review Score 8.8/10  Distributed By: UbiSoft

One of the most popular games on the XBox (Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3) has finally arrived on the PlayStation 2 and features the same impressive graphics and gameplay that was so prevalent on the XBox. For those gamers out there who are like myself, huge fans of Tom Clancy's tales then you are in for a treat, playing the role of Ding Chavez who is in charge of a team of Rainbow covert ops troops. Chavez is a highly likeable and honourable character from the books and they have chosen the right person to get my interest in the title up and running. Chavez is a career soldier who is also a dedicated family man and it's interesting that they have used a character who has a decent amount of back story and I hope that players will be interested enough to pick up the very first Rainbow Six book to find out more about the team and it's origins. Considering the focus was the Sydney Olympics, there is something there for Aussies anyway. The first thing that told me that this game was going to be something special is that it was developed by the same team behind Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell, Ubisoft Montreal. Reckoning on a quality game is always a risky move, but I certainly wasn't let down. From the very beginning with the action movie-like intro to actual in game playtime, RS 3 is a brilliant game that will suck you in and not let go. Whatever you do with this title, be sure that you have the headset before playing as it is so cool to issue commands to your team and have them do what you say. First introduced with the PS2 title SOCOM, the voice commands in that game left a bit to be desired and I got the job done over the long haul a lot easier by working my way through a menu system. It's a bit faster for this game and I did find myself taking advantage of the voice technology more often for a more immersive gameplaying experience. There's nothing more fun than getting your team into position and then, on your command, seeing them fly into action. It is perfectly implemented and worth the cost of the headset. As a result, this game incorporates strategy and all out firefights, however players must know that you really should combine the two in order to get the most out of the game. Nicely enough also is the artificial intelligence used by your men that will see them take defensive positions after you have directed them. It's important that you stay on top of the action though as there will be times that they move into a room and get mowed down as they were down a man in the team (you!), when you sit back and order them around. Taking cover and not shooting through each other is testament to the work that's been put into the game and makes for a more realistic gameplay experience.

Your team will protect itself for the most part though and the missions are a mixture of stealth and full blown fights. You can use the voice commands or simple look at an item and press A for the most immediate response. Holding down the A button will reveal a more complex menu interface that constitutes multiple commands to your team that can be quickly selected.

Despite the fact that the title is squad based, you can still make your way through if your boys get taken out. It's disappointing when you lose your men and the way the story goes you will actually form attachments to them. The good thing is that you are skilled enough to undertake any jobs that you would have assigned to your men in the past, it'll just take you a little longer and you'll have to be a lot more careful in watching your six.

As you could expect from a Clancy title, weapon realism is here and you'll have four slots for two primary weapons that are quickly changeable and the other two are for your grenades and smaller devices. You are well kitted out and have plenty of ammo to keep you going through the game though you will be able to retrieve more during the game if you look around enough. With a great story and such brilliant gameplay elements, this is one title that I can't recommend highly enough, and we haven't even looked at the multiplayer yet!

Graphics and sound are brilliant with some stunning lighting effects that make for a very good looking environment that will no doubt be explored inch to inch. The very nature of the graphics demand that you always be on your toes as everything looks real and presents a possible danger. Audio is spatial, which means that you can determine where people and items are by their location in the game to you. Close and you'll hear them loud and clear, far away and you will hear a much more subdued sound. Another cool thing about the title is that you will hear opposing team mates through your speaker setup if they are close enough and your team mates through the headset. It makes it feel very true to life and another reason to buy the game!

- Tory Favro

- Tory Favro