Rainbow Six Siege Preview

It has been over six years since the last Rainbow Six entry released. And while we’ve still got some time before Rainbow Six Siege launches, franchise fans have reason to be hopeful. This will be a bit of a departure from previous iterations and in fact, the astute, long-time gamer might spot more similarities to SWAT . Hence, some purists may be annoyed at the slight shift in gameplay direction and despite the current fascination with open world structures, Siege is anything but. Even so, this game has a lot going for it.

It’s a simple premise, really: Elite military squads are trying to stop terrorists, who have taken hostages. You can either take out all the enemies, thereby winning the match, or you can save the hostage with excellent planning and timely, critical execution. There are two rounds in each match: The first is Planning and the second is Action. In the Planning phase, the defenders (i.e., the terrorists) must set up their defenses, while the attackers have to devise a strategy; this includes the entry point to the extraction point and everything in between. The terrorists can barricade themselves inside a building, which means the squad will have to deal with all manner of obstacles.

The cool part is that your team has access to a few very nifty gadgets, and they can also spy on the terrorists from afar. Once everything is set, the action begins. First and foremost, veteran gamers need to understand that Siege will offer a reportedly ridiculous amount of environmental destruction. It seems like just about anything can come down, given the right tools and/or the requisite firepower. I mean, I hear that entire houses can come down! And with the tight, cramped quarters and nonstop 5-on-5 action, you’re going to be blown away. Well…not literally, we hope.