The late great Elvis Presley once said "Man, I really like Vegas", whether this was due to the number of late night buffets or perhaps the finest white jump suit tailors is unclear but I believe that the statement is perfectly apt for the latest Rainbow Six outing: Vegas. As with most games coming out on the at the moment, Vegas is not new, making its belated debut some eight months after the version. The PS3 version differs very little from the edition except for the inclusion of the extra modes and maps that were later downloads for users.

In Vegas you take control of the Rainbow team leader being assisted by two squad mates. The Rainbow Six games, for those that don't know, are tactical shooters; charging in full throttle is not the aim of the game, indeed stray too far from cover and it is most definitely goodnight Vienna. The plot involves the usual action-movie ingredients (quick check, yep, a is going to be made about Rainbow Six... when will they learn) starting off in a border town in Mexico, briefly separated from the rest of the squad, in what can be described as a training mission, the aim is to hunt down Irena Morales, a terrorist ringleader. Things take a turn for the worse and the squad fall into a trap with only Logan escaping. As soon as he is extracted, news breaks that Vegas is the subject of a siege and from here on out plays through in real-time mode through streets, casinos, Chinese restaurants, the famous Fremont Street and building sites, ending in a final showdown at a dam on the Colorado river (no one say Hoover). Vegas is an ideal setting for a game like this as it enables the artists to develop highly contrasting environments in which to 'take down the tangos' in. One minute you are on the floor of a major casino, the next in a gritty construction site. This aids the game in removing that repetitive feeling that appears in other titles like F.E.A.R.

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Vegas looks fantastic, it's as simple as that. No matter where you are the details are precise, none more so than on you and your team mates, every piece of artillery that they go into battle with is shown, with guns strapped to their backs, ropes and all the other necessities that are needed for a good night out on the town. The settings facilitate the use of strong bright colours in the more glamour moments down to a range of dull greys in the less than appealing areas. The levels are more or less indestructible but a few items have been placed around with which to have a little fun, basically anything glass.

Vegas fully utilises the PS3 controller, with every button important and in regular use, the developer's even finding purpose for the Sixaxis motion control. The usual analogue sticks are used for the control of the character with D-pad directions issuing orders to the squad. I found the set up quick to learn and most effective while playing, except for the use of the Sixaxis control. As a PS3 owner I'm itching to find out where the Sixaxis can be used successfully, the only attempt I've played so far involving the suicidal driving approach in MotorStorm. In the game, the squad will come across a series of closed doors, to enable lethal room clearing you are equipped with a Snake cam that can be poked under the door to assess the best approach and pick out targets. The small use for the Sixaxis comes in the controlling of this snake cam in order to scope out a room. For the most part this is a nice gimmick but coupled with the L2 trigger button, makes tagging tangos harder than it has to be, and often I found myself having to tag the enemies again having slipped-off while selecting. This technique is not quick either and in a couple of scenarios, time is of the essence which can lead to frustrating replays.

As with all good shooters, a wide arsenal is available that includes pistols, submachine guns, light machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles and a shotgun. Once selected, the weapons can be customised, this mainly focusing on the type of sight that is to be attached. The player can only carry three weapons at any time with a pistol being mandatory, plus two types of explosive/grenade with frags, smoke, flashbangs, breaching charges, C4 and incendiary. One slight drawback I found when playing was until you've played the level it's unknown as to what weapons will be the best to choose, no point in having a sniper rifle if the majority of the battles are going to be in close quarter combat which found me settling on a few favourites that can do multiple jobs. Flashbangs are particularly effective, not on the enemies but on you, as receiving the full effect involves the screen filling white and the sound getting distorted, which makes it extremely difficult to find cover, ending in death most of the time. As well as customisation of the weapons selection in-game, there is the option to change the rate of fire to improve accuracy, and the addition of a silencer which for the most part has little impact, as enemies do not come rushing to the rescue even if there mates are under attack in the next room. Two final additions to the kit are night vision goggles and thermal imagery, which can be used to great effect with the aid of a smoke grenade.