"Rainbow Six: Covert Ops" Really seems incomplete like a demo version!
Written: Jun 16 '01 (Updated Sep 07 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great graphics, smooth game play, awesome sound!
Cons: Too few missions for a stand a lone, and training CD has to many bugs!
The Bottom Line: Hopefully they will make up for this release of the Rainbow Six series and not leave us die hard fans with this stand a lone.
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| Pandemonium's Full Review: Rainbow Six: Covert Ops |
This will add to my collection of Epinions written on the Rainbow Six series. When I saw the box on this one I looked foreword to it more than any of the others. Unfortunately I cannot say I enjoyed it nearly as much. Do not get me wrong. The game itself is as good to play as all the rest but, there are a few things that I have to say did not impress me.
The Difference
The biggest difference in Covert Ops compared to the others games in the Rainbow Six series is that there really is no difference. The only two good changes are, the graphics have been tweaked up a little bit and the multiplayer part of the game has some new toys. These two changes are not enough to make the game worth the money unless you buy this game to play strictly on line.
The main downside difference is, that there is only 3 story levels to play. A total of only 9 missions are in Rainbow Six Covert Ops. 6 of these are in the custom mission and are all very small levels. You will finish this game in approximately 2 hours and that includes playing the custom missions once. The replay value is not good at all and this game will end up sitting around after you quickly finish it. Unless you pull it out and jump on line.
In the game itself there is no differences. No new weapons or toys (unless you play multiplayer), no new commands, nothing new in the planning phases of the missions, no new characters to choose from, nothing different in customizing a mission, just nothing new at all to make this game a worthy purchase.
Graphics And Game Play
These are as good as ever. The graphics are improved some with more clarity. The first mission in this game is in the Jungle. I must say it is definitely the best mission in all the games. It really shows off the graphics of the game by not being able to see your opponents wearing a jungle outfit. This mission is even tough on the intermediate level. You will also notice a slight change in the overall clarity of the game. For those with slower computers there are plenty of options to tweak with the graphics making the game run smoother. You should have no trouble getting the game to run as if you were running a faster computer even if you are not. If you have a fast computer than tweak everything to the max and enjoy.
The game play is as smooth as ever. For those that are not familiar with the Rainbow Six series, the game play is unbelievable. This version does not fall short. There is no difference at all between this version compared to others but, hard to improve on a masterpiece. The game moves very fluent even in those situations where there is a lot going on. The controls are easy to master and of course you can adjust them to your liking. Again, if you do experience any lag you can turn down a little of the graphics and run smooth as silk.
Missions
This is where the game really falls short. With only 3 storyline missions and 6 custom missions the reply value hurts. You can however play the custom missions in different forms such as hostage rescue (just as the storyline missions), Terrorist Hunt which you can adjust the number of terrorist you face (no hostages), Assault (same as terrorist hunt but not adjustable), Lone Wolf (you are on your own), Defend (on your won defending your base), and recon (no killing just surveillance). One note on Terrorist Hunt, if you have a slower computer I do not recommend running with more than 40 terrorist. Only think wrong with this part of the game is, they needed more missions and some bigger maps. Only 2 maps have any size to them what so ever.
Sound And Realism
The sound is just flat out awesome. As I have said in my other opinions on these games, if you have a head set use it and if you don't get one. You can hear the sound of your footsteps, shots fired in the distance, the jungle creatures, all the little sounds that helps make the game what it is. The music has not changed at all so if you liked it before you will like it again (which I do). And all of your normal in game sounds like shots fired close, people getting killed, and your different sounds for different levels are all great. You will be very happy with the sounds of this game.
The realism of Rainbow Six Covert Ops (and all the others in the series) are uncanny. You will not find any other game of this type that will come close to the realism as the Rainbow Six series with Covert Ops being no different. The planning phase of the game surpasses anything in any other game. Being able to plan each step for each team during each mission is something you will find yourself doing for hours and hours. All the way down to telling your team when to be caution, when to blitz, to escort a hostage, to snipe, when to frag (grenade) a room, breach a door, and the list goes on and on. All these commands can be given at any location you wish. This feature is incredibly in-depth and is in all the games. It is the same in this one as the others in the series but again, it is hard to improve on a masterpiece.
Multi Player
This is as good as ever. For those that have tried any of the previous versions of Rainbow Six on line, it is one of, if not, the best games to play online. The game play is the same as it is in a single player game but you have more options on the game type. There is a couple of new game options in this version from the others which is nice. If have a slower Internet connection I suggest not playing in a game with more than 6 people. If you don't you should run very smooth.
They have added some really sweet toys only available for an on line game. The weapons you can only use on line are the same but, they have added some kits like the heartbeat jammer, stand alone heartbeat jammer, a heartbeat sensor which can be placed on the ground so you do not have to hold it, and the false heartbeat puck which is a fake heartbeat sensor that can be placed on the ground. Any item placed on the ground can be destroyed. These new toys make the on line experience just that much better!
Training CD
This is something brand new to the Rainbow Series. This is a separate CD that comes with the game. There is no game play at all. It's purpose is to show you what it is like to train as a Special Ops member. When you first load up the training CD you just need to pick a member already in the game or make your own and begin learning in 7 different categories. There is a ton of information you can read about from different tactics they really use to their different weapons. The goal is to take tests in all these categories and pass with an acceptable percentage. If you really want to learn all about the way special forces work, the weapons they use, the gadgets they have, and plenty more then this CD will not disappoint you by any means. For those that want the game play that Rainbow Six has always offered, you will be upset that this CD took so much out of the game itself.
The training CD also has it's share of bugs. Slow load time for slower computers, choppy encyclopedia, and just not enough bang to make up for buck. The have a pretty cool and unique idea here but, they did not seem to take a lot of time on it before sending out.
Final Thought
For those of you familiar with the Rainbow Six series I do not advise you to purchase Covert Ops unless you want to play it online mostly. Those that are not familiar with the Rainbow Six series, I recommend purchasing any of the different versions. Such as, the original Rain Bow Six, Rogue Spear, or Urban Operations. It seems Red Storm really put more effort into the training disk than the game itself. In my opinion they should have released the training CD on it's own and charged a small amount of money. This giving them more time to work on the Covert Ops game itself making it worth the money. Again, if you are looking for an excellent game to play online by all means purchase Covert Ops but, if you are looking for another 1st or 3rd person strategy game look elsewhere in the Rainbow Six series.
For Best Performance
CPU: Pentium III
Memory: 128 MB RAM
Operating System: Windows 98
3D Hardware: 3D Accelerator with 16MB VRAM
Sound: Sound Blaster Live
Hard Drive: 1GB Free space
This is the same for both the game disk and the training CD.
I do not recommend this game.
Thank you for your time!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
Pandemonium
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Member: D.J.
Location: Still Floating
Reviews written: 119
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About Me:
In my little corner of Epinions relaxing, sipping beer, playing a game, listening to music.
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