Multiplayer
If you're into multiplayer action, expect some of the best around in R6 Vegas 2. All the familiar game modes are there, including three new ones: Team Leader, Total Conquest, and Demolition. Although welcome additions to the game, none of the three offer a style of online play that we haven't seen before. For instance, those who played Counter Strike will feel right at home with Demolition, whose objective is for one team to blow up a target as the other defends it. Meanwhile, Team Leader is very similar to the VIP mode in the GRAW (Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter) series where your objective is to protect a member of your team while advancing from one point on the map to another. All of the available multiplayer modes are a lot of fun, and it is recommended that players try out each one to gain a sense of the types of games they find the most appealing.
Today, adding a multiplayer element to most games has become the norm and is expected by those who want their money to provide more gameplay hours than the time spent with a single player campaign. Cooperative gameplay is yet another element in R6 Vegas 2 that meets this need. In co-op mode, those who enjoyed the campaign can revisit it with a friend. Unlike the co-op mode in the previous game that limited players to going from point A to point B, the co-op in R6 Vegas 2 allows players to experience the campaign in its entirety, not leaving out any of the objectives or in-game commentary. While this is an improvement over the previous game, players are now limited to one additional player instead of three. Another drawback is the fact that only one of the two players can command the two AI teammates, whereas having one AI squad member assigned to each player would have been ideal. Still, playing the campaign cooperatively is one of the most enjoyable features in R6 Vegas 2. Even if you didn't like the campaign, having a friend at your side that you can communicate with during the game may make all the difference.
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Players can experience cooperative gameplay online, as well as offline via split-screen, which is important for those without a high speed internet connection. For those who are adamant about continuing their experience offline, Terrorist Hunt is yet another appealing mode of gameplay that split-screeners can enjoy. This allows players to visit all of the available multiplayer maps and take down the terrorists that occupy them. Terrorist Hunt is a returning feature from the previous game and can be enjoyed alone or with friends, online or off.
R6 Vegas 2 gives players 12 different multiplayer maps right out of the box. Even though the campaign is set in Vegas, the available maps take you to a number of different locales inside and outside the city. Those who enjoyed some of the locations in the campaign can revisit a few of them in maps that were created based on those areas. But if your desire is to get away from the strip altogether, you've got that option as well. For instance, the map called Import/Export will take you to a deserted Mexican town, while Oil Refinery brings you back to the days of Raven Shield, an earlier installment in the R6 series. And for those who loved Kill House in the last Vegas game, a new and improved version of this map has returned for your enjoyment. Players may also recognize Three Kingdoms Casino from the previous game's campaign. However, this was never released as a multiplayer map until now. Despite the rehashing of a few of these maps, there's really not a lot to scoff at there. If you're itching for some new maps right away, you can download two more by using a code that you'll most likely find on any gaming site. These plus the promise of additional downloadable map packs should more than satisfy the multiplayer enthusiast. All of the maps are a lot of fun to maneuver around in and should provide for plenty of great multiplayer goodness.
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One last new feature that deserves recognition is the game's online matchmaking system. This feature is largely new to console games that offer online play and was first brought to light when Halo 2 was released on the original Xbox in 2004. In a nutshell, matchmaking attempts to pair gamers up with other gamers of a similar skill level or rank while playing online. This helps to even the playing field for those who wish to join in a random game where the skill level of its players is uncertain. This matchmaking feature worked quite well with Halo 2 and gained some significant improvements in 2007's Halo 3.
Halo 3's matchmaking not only focuses on the parties you join, but also those who can join your party. For instance, let's say that you are playing a private online Slayer (standard deathmatch) game with a few friends and you decide that the game might get a little more interesting if you had some more players for a Team Slayer game. In this instance, matchmaking insures that the ranks of those who join your party fall within the highest and lowest rank of your existing team members. This is where Halo 3's matchmaking shines as it will actually push players in for you as you want them. What's happening is that you're using matchmaking to bring others in who are also using it. It works on both ends simultaneously, and the results are spot on.
Sadly, R6 Vegas 2's matchmaking system is not nearly as involved. You can create a custom match and invite your friends, but you can't use matchmaking to filter out joiners if you open your game to the public, and it will not push other players into your game. Rather, additional players will just trickle in or not at all. Joiners must either be using matchmaking themselves while looking for a game to join, or just find your game on the server and jump in without using the matchmaking service, regardless of their rank. So in essence, R6 Vegas 2's matchmaking system simply acts as a filter for those looking to join a random game. While it works in theory, the match you started may end up with players of a much higher rank who joined by simply choosing a match from the list of active games on the server.
While playing online is a great way to experience the great features R6 Vegas 2 has to offer, not everyone has an interest in it. Some players would rather have a friend over and sack out on the couch together for more a more intimate gaming experience. This is where the game's split-screen mode shines. With it, two players can experience the co-op campaign, Terrorist Hunt games, and even one-on-one matches. Playing games via split-screen can actually be more fun than playing online and can become much more competitive since your opponent is sitting right there next to you, and joining up for the co-op campaign can be even more fun as you take down the oppressors of Las Vegas together. While the amount of fun you'll have with the game's multiplayer modes can be dependent upon those you choose to play with, R6 Vegas 2 sets the stage for an excellent experience, regardless of how you play the game.
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Donkey2008 - Monday, April 7, 2008 - link
Maybe Anandtech wanted to review the game because they found it interesting. I personally like the concept and would love to battle it out in a Vegas casino. With a PC version forthcoming, I found it useful to hear that the console game had framerate issues.Complaining about their rating or the fact that it's a console game is simply complaining for the sake of complaining. Good for Anandtech for previewing a game soon to be available to us PC users.
EddieTurner - Saturday, April 5, 2008 - link
Hey all! Just thought I'd shed some light on a few of your concerns.This rating system is one that I devised after the good folks at AT explained that they wanted something new that would steer away from the traditional point scale. It is still evolving. But for now, I've created seven senarios that I believe people can indentify with. After all, if you were to ask a friend what he or she thought of a particular game, I doubt very seriously that you'd get a reply that included two numbers with a decimal in between. Not everyone will agree with my final words, and I don't expect that to be the case. I'd hate for any of you to miss out on something you were truly interested in because of something I said. I am hardly the authority on gaming. However, I do have a passion for games and I play a lot of them. So may be it'll help to think of me as your neighborhood fellow gamer. Because that's what I am indeed. AT saw that in me and here I am.
Yes, this review is of a console game. But a game nonetheless. Considering array of different articles here at AT, I see no reason that such a product should be exluded from the site. Consoles are very much part a of the gaming world today. Sales figures will tell you that. As for me, I don't limit myself to a single platform. I go where the games are. And they're very much on consoles, as well as PC. The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii all have a fair offering in the tech-world today. So there's no reason they shouldn't have a presence here. Needless to say, you can expect a full review of Grand Theft Auto IV very soon. But I do have in mind a pretty intriguiing PC game to talk about next.
Oh, and I've never been repelling. Thanks for setting me straight!
ACasualObserver - Saturday, April 5, 2008 - link
While I might share some of the reservations expressed in other posts about console reviews at Anandtech, and there were enough caveats listed for the game to have me scratching my head at a "Sweet" rating, you've earned some serious points for taking the moral high ground and responding to criticism with a humble, enthusiastic and entirely positive outlook. Your forum post was in many ways more illuminating than your game review. There is a lesson there for all of us.Kudos sir, and welcome aboard.
simla - Saturday, April 5, 2008 - link
1) Much too long. I enjoy most of the in-depth hardware articles but still find myself skipping through the hyperbole in the middle sections. This much text on a game is beyond me though. Seriously.2) Ratings system, while trying to be 'cool' and unbiased is a little off the mark for me. 'Sweet' really doesn't mean shit for me - I'll still be using Metacritic for my games ratings...
3) Confused by the sudden move to console gaming coverage on what is self-labelled as 'the' PC enthusiast website. Stick to what you know and specialize. Personally, we don't need another all-in-one site that tries everything, yet knows ultimately ends up knowing nothing. I really hope this isn't a sign of a good website going the way of Toms...
dare2savefreedom - Saturday, April 5, 2008 - link
WTF,W
T
F
you guys don't review disney's princess enchanted journey pcdvd but u review a 360 game?
how much is m$ paying you guys, I'll double it.
I want to see the review for dpej with sli.
6bit macs and you guys never said a word.
Ever since anandy got married this places been going down.
poohbear - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
why on earth would you review an xbox 360 game on a PC enthusiast website?!?! are you guys really trying to insult us here?!? BLASPHEMERS THE LOT OF YOU!!!!!!jordanclock - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
It doesn't sound like the reviewer actually played through the game on co-op.I went through the game with my room mate on co-op and every non-character texture is downgraded to a blurry mess. Every single one. And the helicopter event at the end of the game brought the frame rate to what I would guess to be low teens, at best. This kind of problem came up in other parts of the game, to a lesser degree, many times. And it wasn't little things, it was 10-15 second spots that made it very difficult to play. What seems to be the culprit of this are the "physics." Whenever the frame rate dropped, it almost always occurred during firefights where there were lots of things that moved or broke.
Also, the lack of control of the NPCs by the second player is a pretty big issue. There were many times when I'd get stuck between the two or unable to get somewhere because they were in the way. Of course, being player two, I had no way to get them to move other than ask my room mate to stop what he was doing and tell them to move.
Playing on co-op is further hindered by the fact that whenever you receive a video message from the command, it covers up half of the second players view. It's a bit hard to aim properly when a giant Cisco logo is in your way.
I think the game lacked a lot of polish. I'm not even going to bother with the PC version unless a decent demo is released.
Hardin - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
Oh man don't even mention that helicopter. I was playing that level with my brother and we had to repeat that part several times because we died so much due to the terrible frame rates. The Cisco message was also very annoying because it blocked my view. And it was really hard getting used to the coop splitting the screen right down the middle.jordanclock - Monday, April 7, 2008 - link
The middle split wasn't too much of an issue for me since we were playing in widescreen. However, I could see major issues on a standard definition TV.All I know is that the game had a strong feeling of lack of polish. I can not see many reasons why a game should be released with any of the problems my room mate and I experienced, let alone all of them together. It completely turned me off from purchasing the PC version.
Blitzed Penguin - Friday, April 4, 2008 - link
I love AnandTech and there unbiased review of PC hardware such as graphics cards, CPU, power supplies, routers, and my other techy stuff. They also post the latest and greatest news of what is going on the the PC world and what we can expect in the future.Whats with the article about an XBOX video game? Did UBI pay you guys to advertise? It has nothing to do with hardware or PC. You have it labeled as "software" but there is no "software" tab at the top of the screen. There are several other sites dedicated to video games that gamers are more accustomed to.
I could understand an article about the PC version maybe. AnandTech did use the first R6 Vegas as a benchmark and they could do the same with Vegas 2 (its a port and has limited graphics settings so maybe not). It is your site so you can change it how you want just giving my opinion. I just love the site and would hate to see it change.