Reviewed: August 29, 2004
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Ubisoft
Developer
Ubisoft Montreal
Released: August 4, 2004
Genre: FPS
Players: 16
ESRB: Mature
9
9
9
10
9.5
Supported Features:
Ubisoft has been one of my favorite developers and publishers for several years now and they are really on a roll of successful titles with impeccably timed releases. Just when I finished Pandora Tomorrow they announce Chaos Theory. Just when I finally get burned out on the original Rainbow Six 3 here comes Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow to keep the franchise alive.
As the name implies, Black Arrow is a stand-alone expansion rather than a full-blown sequel. It fixes a lot of the minor problems that nagged the original game, tacks on three new game modes, split-screen gameplay, and offers enhanced Xbox Live 3.0 support for teams (or clans).
Lone Rush is the first new mode where the player must complete objectives while the countdown clock ticking. Total Conquest is basically “domination” where teams battle to capture and hold designated points on the map. Retrieval has teams racing to the center to take possession of the special object, and defend it as they carry it back to their compound. All of these modes can be played in single or multiplayer and with the exception of Lone Rush, can be played cooperatively.
Black Arrow utilizes the new features of Xbox Live 3.0 for in-game player competitions and tournaments created by users. Players will be able to message friends while they are playing using MSN Messenger, and there is support for new clan features including clan statistics and competition, not to mention clan visual differentiation. Using the new Online Storage ability you can now create artwork like arm patches, team insignias plus manager rosters and friend lists. Black Arrow will offer new private team lobbies that players can use for planning their strategies before online matches begin.
Obviously, Black Arrow remains primarily an online experience, but there is a new single player campaign with all-new challenging objectives set in the exotic locales of the Mediterranean and Easter Europe. The campaign features 10 new maps that include everyday environments like a subway, a hotel, or the streets of Milan, and secure military installations like a nuclear reactor and a rocket facility. These maps are designed to give you plenty of strategic opportunities and offer a mix of narrow corridors, wide-open areas and plenty of cover for both you and the terrorists to hide behind.
A series of attempts to kidnap telemetry and rocket scientists pulls Team Rainbow into a spider web of international intrigue. An international cabal of renegade military officers is trying to create a war in the oil-rich regions around the Black Sea, giving them an excuse to swoop in and seize control. Team Rainbow must stop the terrorists from developing weapons of mass destruction, and prevent them from starting a devastating war.
Black Arrow delivers some much-improved enemy AI. Watch them call for backup when they are out-numbered or use hostages as human shields. Plus these guys are fully funded so don’t be surprised if you find yourself out-gunned. Only your superior skills give you the edge this time.
With the exception of the new game modes, the core gameplay principles of Rainbow Six 3 basically remain unchanged. If anything has changed it’s only been for the better. A few things that bugged me in the original have been cleaned up like the old trick of leaning around corners and attacking while being nearly impervious to incoming fire. Try this now and you’ll end up dead more often than not.
It’s now much harder to score a headshot. In fact, it’s much harder to hit your target at all. The hit zones have been tweaked requiring much more precise aim on your part, so if you aren’t careful you can burn up a lot of ammo and never even hit your target. The new targeting reticule is much more intuitive. Each weapon has its own unique crosshair that changes in size and accuracy depending on if, and how fast, you are moving.
The designers are now visually depicting the amount of recoil. Recoil was present in the original game but much harder to gauge. As each subsequent shot from an automatic weapon strays further and further from the original target this inaccuracy is noted by a series of dashes that spread out from the center of the reticule. If you unload a full clip don’t expect to hit very much after the first few bullets, even at pointblank range. Basically, if you play the game like a real Rainbow operative you will be using tactics and short controlled bursts, so aiming and hitting your target should never be a problem.
Weapons are relatively unchanged although the Dragunov now makes its appearance, replacing the .50 cal from the original. You can still snipe for an instant kill but you’ll find your range and accuracy are significantly lower than the .50 cal, plus, if you aren’t using the scope you don’t even get a targeting sight. This definitely restores a sense of balance to the multiplayer games that were being trounced upon by punks exploiting the .50 cal in the original game.
The single-player game teams you up with three other operatives, each with their own weapons and proficiencies. Commanding your team is a substantial part of the gameplay and really where the interface starts to shine. Available commands are contextually based on whatever you happen to be pointing at, so if you point at a door you get commands specific to the door whereas pointing at the ground with give you various movement commands.
You also have the ability to individually order your team around and assign “zulu” commands. These will have your men get into position and wait for your “GO” order before executing their assigned duties. It’s totally intuitive and has about a 15-minute learning curve.
The best part about interacting with your team and issuing orders has got to be the voice command system. Not only does Rainbow Six 3 have the best voice recognition system I have ever used, it totally immerses you in the game by allowing you fast and seamless access to multiple commands and instant audio feedback in your earpiece. You won’t find a more immersive experience without enlisting. If you don’t already subscribe to Xbox Live and even if you don’t plan to, you will still want to run out and get a headset to play this game.
While it’s all too easy to simply sit back and order you team into danger, you will eventually have to mix it up yourself and balancing your duties as commander and active shooter is another part of the exciting gameplay. The mission structure and difficulty will encourage you to keep your team alive. While one or two fallen comrades isn’t enough to fail a mission, each level is structured around a full assault team and you will have to pick up the slack for any of your team that don’t make it to the end.
The Xbox version has streamlined a lot of the pre-mission start-up features making it easier to get into the game and play it. The weapons list is trimmed down but not that it detracts from the gameplay. You still have more than enough variety to keep your tactical options open throughout the missions. With only four weapons slots you will have to make some important decisions, but the Xbox adds the grenade launcher to the mix giving you an added edge in combat.
The mission structure allows you to explore all the facets of a special ops team. You’ll be constantly thrust into new and evolving situations that will test your command abilities as well as your combat proficiency and skills with gadgets like various vision modes and gas masks.
Black Arrow offers all of the same multiplayer modes as the original. Sharpshooter, Terrorist Hunt, Mission, Survival, and Team Survival are back along with two new modes aimed at team play. Total Conquest plays much like the Domination in UT2004 where you and your team must capture and retain control over multiple objectives for 30 seconds. Retrieval is basically CTF only with a single “flag”, or in this case a canister containing some toxic substance. You must find and retrieve the canister than return it to your drop box, which is normally deep inside enemy territory.
The new maps are large, much larger than the original maps, and well suited for large multiplayer games. You’ll still be able to track down the enemy but the maps give you breathing room to get your bearings after spawning before you get gunned down. For those of you who didn’t like the “draw” or “ties” of the original multiplayer games, there is now a sudden death that will decisively end each match.
Black Arrow uses the same engine as Rainbow Six 3, but there are a few subtle changes and enhancements that push the visual envelope a notch ahead of where it was last year. Lighting is greatly enhanced and everything just seems to look a bit sharper and cleaner. The instances of clipping are greatly reduced unless you try to get yourself into a position and force them.
The character design is topnotch with plenty of polygonal detail and excellent textures. While the animation isn’t the smoothest it also isn’t the focus of the game and it still looks really good. Each member of the team and all of the enemies exhibit convincing and appropriate movements and reactions to the events going on around them. The rag doll physics are improved with bodies having more weight to them so they fall and drape more naturally.
Even better than the detailed character models are the wonderfully authentic real-world environments recreated in stunning detail. The colorful lighting and real-time shadow effects are flawless and really help bring these levels to life, especially when the light is coming from a focused and directional source like a flashlight mounted on a rifle. Shadows are so important they actually become part of the game in that you can use their darkness to conceal yourself, but if you are careless and cast a stray shadow that is detected by the enemy they will be alerted to your presence. Even the muzzle flash of your weapon will illuminate the surround area.
The environments are detailed with plenty of interactive objects. The fabric textures from Splinter Cell are back and sway in the breeze or wrap and flow around characters as they pass through them. There are also lots of special effects like smoke, fire, explosions, and weather effects and the enhanced vision modes look and perform flawlessly.
Remember that kickass movie from the original Rainbow Six 3. Black Arrow manages to surpass that epic cinematic with something even cooler and more spectacular. If this keeps up I’m just going to stop going to the theater.
Black Arrow offers an outstanding sound package that starts with the excellent support for the Headset Communicator. While the game can be played without this device, it takes on a whole new level of realism to speak your commands and get vocal feedback in your earpiece from your team. If you are using the D-pad to issue orders you will hear them spoken the same way that you would say them into the mic. Basically, any radio chatter is pertinent to the gameplay and you should be paying attention when somebody says something, as it will probably be useful. The quality of the voices along with their respective accents are all very professional.
Speech is actually rather limited and includes mainly the spoken commands and confirmations of your team and the occasional yelling of random hostages or terrorists. I should note that the screams of dying enemies are now “enhanced” to the point of being just a bit creepy.
The music is pretty much what we’ve all come to expect from these Tom Clancy games, although there is some new menu music that is really terrific. Once the game starts things get eerily quiet so you can hear footsteps or any other sounds that might alert you to the enemy’s presence. The music does crop up during moments of intense action and the familiar and ominous death theme has been brought over from the PC version.
The Dolby Digital mix offers up a great 3D spatial sound system so you can identify incoming fire and footsteps by their sound placement. This is of utmost importance in an FPS game where you don’t have the wider field of vision. You do lose a bit of the 3D goodness while wearing the headset but it’s worth it for the added immersion. There is just something very cool about having that voice “inside your head”. You’ll also find the microphone an invaluable tool in coordinating multiplayer tactics.
Seasoned veterans should make your way through the 10 solo missions in about 8-10 hours, but the fun doesn’t stop there. You can revisit any previously completed mission and customize the settings or play the mission in any of the new multiplayer modes. There are also custom multiplayer maps and excellent modes to choose from for up to 16 players when playing on Xbox Live or connecting multiple systems with a system link cable.
With so many gameplay possibilities and more content coming soon there is really no end in sight for this game. Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow rises above previous online mega-hits including the original game that spawned this expansion, to secure a top spot in your Xbox Live game library. The new Xbox Live 3.0 features get this as close to any PC online experience that you can have.
There are still a few very minor bugs but nothing that even begins to detract from the fun and excitement you will have playing this game either alone or online. Everything you loved about the original is back and better, and the new enhancements for online play, clan support, and game modes only sweeten the deal.
Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow is an expansion pack disguised as a full retail game. The $40 price tag helps with that illusion, but the simple fact is that even at full retail, this is an awesome game, loaded with single and multiplayer content. If you don’t have Xbox Live or don’t like playing online then you might want to rent, but everyone else will want to make this a permanent addition to your Xbox collection.