| Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown | |
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North American cover art |
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| Developer(s) | Red Storm Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Ubisoft |
| Series | Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six |
| Version | 1.01 (as of June 27, 2006)[1] |
| Platform(s) | PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC, Mobile phone |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Tactical shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | DVD (1), CD (5), Nintendo optical disc |
| System requirements
1.5 GHz CPU Pentium 4 or Athlon, 512 MB RAM, DirectX 9.0c, 3D accelerated AGP or PCI NVIDIA GeForce 3 or ATI Radeon 8500 64 MB or equivalent DirectX 9 compatible video card, DirectX 9 compatible sound card, 7.0 GB free hard drive space, 12X CD-ROM/8X DVD-ROM drive |
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Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown is the fourth game in the Rainbow Six series. The initial design and PlayStation 2 version were developed by Red Storm Entertainment and the Xbox version was developed by the Ubisoft Montreal studio. Both are published by Ubisoft. The PlayStation 2, Xbox and Gamecube versions were released on September 8, 2005 and a version for Windows was released on February 16, 2006.
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Lockdown is the first entry in the Rainbow Six series to feature graphics effects which includes normal mapping and specular lighting, as well as physics objects. Advanced graphics were available only on the PC version.
Lockdown's gameplay is more action-oriented than that of its predecessors, and features a number of departures from the more tactical elements of the earlier games. As a result, gameplay is much closer to that of a generic first-person shooter, instead of the tactical shooter gameplay of previous titles that made the series as popular as it was.
The player controls the main character, Rainbow leader Ding Chavez, and leads a single squad in real-time through each level. The player can issue orders to team members, such as to break down a door or toss a grenade into a room.
Additionally, missions are broken up into linear levels, instead of each mission taking place on a single non-linear map. Lockdown also gives players the ability to save their in-game progress at any time during a level, in contrast to previous games' lack of an in-game save feature.
The game's combat is somewhat more forgiving than previous games, and player characters can survive several bullet hits before dying. Enemies are likewise more durable. The player is unable to restore their health during a mission, so any damage taken is permanent.
The game also features improved squad AI and graphics; AI controlled squad members will now independently perform actions such as leaning around corners or taking cover behind objects, instead of simply following the player in a linear route. Also, each individual member of Rainbow now has their own personal in-game model with clearly distinguished facial features.
The console versions of Lockdown also feature several "shooting gallery"-style sniper missions, in which players take control of sniper Dieter Weber, and snipe terrorists from a position such as a small room or a helicopter while covering the entry of an AI-controlled squad into an area. The console versions also feature cut scenes that flesh out the personality and background of each Rainbow member, as well as collectible suitcases hidden throughout each level that can be collected for bonus material.
The PC version of Lockdown removed the sniper segments and storyline-related cut scenes, and also included redesigned levels to match the less linear gameplay of previous entries in the series. Several other longstanding elements of the series that were removed from the console versions were added back into the PC version, including helmets on the character models. Lockdown is the first game in the series to remove the planning phase.
Lockdown takes place in 2009 and revolves around an elite counter-terrorist unit called Rainbow. In Lockdown, Rainbow is pitted against a worldwide terrorist organization known as the Global Liberation Front, composed of various leftist, anarchist, and third-world organizations opposed to the West. The Global Liberation Front has stolen a man-made nanotech virus named "Legion". "Legion" is a nanite aerosol that causes massive hemorrhaging in its victim and has a mortality rate of 100%. Rainbow must find and stop the GLF from using the virus. To accomplish this, Rainbow goes from country to country, tracking down each country's GLF cell, and finally capturing or killing that cell's leader, ultimately leading to a showdown with the GLF's supreme leader, Bastian Vanderwaal. A major plot twist occurs when team sniper, Dieter Weber, is captured by the terrorists, prompting an unauthorized rescue effort by the team. The game includes 16 single-player missions in all (14 on the Xbox).
In the console versions of the game, the player views gameplay through a simulated visor. As the player's health bar becomes low, cracks will appear in the visor, limiting the player's view. Other visor effects are used such as steam or dust, slightly reducing visibility. Enemies are marked out as targets by the visor.
New gadgets are available for use in the game. The original heartbeat sensor has been redesigned and can be used to locate enemies, and the PlayStation 2 version has an exclusive 10-meter motion sensor that can be used to spot enemies through walls. In multiplayer, other items can be used such as surveillance PDAs or, in the Xbox versions, collapsible turrets. A door-breaching hammer can be carried as an inventory item, which can open locked doors more rapidly. Grenades may now roll when thrown.
Gameplay incorporates numerous aspects of other videogames. The character can hold their breath while in sniping mode to increase accuracy, and cameras are seen in some missions, which can be disabled either by hand or weapons fire.
The Xbox version of Lockdown features an exclusive gameplay mode for Microsoft's Xbox Live service called "Persistent Elite Creation" (PEC). This mode allows the player to have a persistent character while playing in online multiplayer games, and the character will gain levels the longer you play. There are four "careers" to choose from: the commando, combat medic, engineer, and spec-op. Each class features different abilities and strengths; Commandos are able to use heavy weapony and armor, medics can use items to heal teammates during battle, engineers can set up gun turrets, and spec-ops are stealthy and use surveillance equipment. As incentive to continue leveling up, there will be bonuses that can be unlocked by achieving certain goals, such as new weapons and items. Light role-playing video game-like elements exist, whereby when you level up you gain stat points that can be distributed across various skills.
The PlayStation 2 version, while without the PEC mode of the Xbox, does have its own exclusive online mode. Called "Rivalry", this mode pits teams of terrorists against teams of counter-terror agents.
The GameCube version of the game, due to the console's lack of online support, does not support versus multiplayer, but instead comes with an exclusive two-player co-op mode.
The change in gameplay from previous versions of the Rainbow Six was a controversial move and the PC version received significantly lower scores than its predecessors.[2] Despite this the console versions of the game have received positive reviews from many gaming websites and magazines.[3]
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