For Tom Clancy fans, E3 2014 brought both good and bad news. The unfortunate reality was that after burning through several leadership groups, Ubisoft couldn't fulfill the promise of our December 2011 cover-story game – Rainbow Six Patriots – and has indefinitely suspended development. The good news is that a multiplayer-centric title that stresses tactics is stepping into the vacuum.
In the six years since the last Rainbow Six game, the multiplayer landscape has changed drastically. Call of Duty has released five titles during this long absence, and Battlefield has successfully migrated its brand to consoles, with four big sellers released in that span as well. To re-establish its position in this ultra-competitive market, Ubisoft knew it needed to bring something significantly different to the table. Enter Rainbow Six Siege.
Siege takes the tactical strategy at the core of the Rainbow Six brand and builds outward, introducing new five-onfive competitive matches that test players' wits as much as their twitch skills. Before a match starts, the attacking team sends in drones to note enemy positions and locate the hostage they must recover to win the round while the defenders barricade their entrenched position in anticipation of the assault with barbed wire, deployable shields, and mines.
After this brief reconnaissance period, the infiltration begins. The attackers can choose to assault a weak entry point together, or split up for greater efficiency. Options include breaching doors, basement entries, and rappelling up the building to crash through windows. Meanwhile, the defenders brace themselves for the onslaught.
The combat is lethal, and with no respawns available, moving cautiously is strongly encouraged. To keep the action from devolving into cover-based bullet exchanges around corners and through doors, Ubisoft has introduced a powerful destruction mechanic that allows players to make their own firing lines through walls, doors, ceilings, and floors. This further adds to the tension.
Many of the other Rainbow Six staples, such as unique classes, upgradable weapons, and different armor options that affect your mobility are also coming to Siege. Ubisoft says it has plans for other modes beyond elimination, and will share those at a later date.
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Style: 10-Player Online Shooter
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Release: 2015
