Rating: 
Summary: Three games in one
Review: "Sentry Removal". If you play solo against the computer, R6 is mostly an exercise in sentry removal. This mode requires careful planning and coordination, and deserves the monicker "strategic shooter". The sentries are not very dynamic, however, and you don't get rewarded for being fast; instead, the emphasis is on stealth and surprise. Now in theory, online R6 games against live opponents, could be a cooperative version of sentry removal. Yeah, right ... "Last Man Standing". Online R6 games tend to be the exact opposite: warp speed, frontal assault shoot-em-outs, everyone out for themselves. Very primitive survival events; in the open, dynamic, hyper-aggressive, no subtlety at all. The feel is Marines on the assault, not spec operatives. Most online Mac gamers tend to favor only 2 or 3 of the maps, usually from Eagle Watch, making the online experience of R6 as claustrophobic as it is intense. Quite a few players employ sophisticated cheating techniques; they alter selected computer files to make themselves outrageously fast and almost invincible. All in all, online gaming is dominated by over-hormoned teenagers and therefore tends to be typical FPS, the exact opposite of the solo game. It's an invigorating and energizing experience, to say the least. "Mods". The developers of R6 left ample openings for user modifications. Gamers have responded enthusiastically, creating endless varieties of R6 with new weapons, new characters, new maps, and so on. There's a huge "mods" subculture on the Internet, though most of the mods are for the PC version, not the Mac version.
Rating:
Summary: Three games in one
Review: "Sentry Removal". If you play solo against the computer, R6 is mostly an exercise in sentry removal. This mode requires careful planning and coordination, and deserves the monicker "strategic shooter". The sentries are not very dynamic, however, and you don't get rewarded for being fast; instead, the emphasis is on stealth and surprise. Now in theory, online R6 games against live opponents, could be a cooperative version of sentry removal. Yeah, right ... "Last Man Standing". Online R6 games tend to be the exact opposite: warp speed, frontal assault shoot-em-outs, everyone out for themselves. Very primitive survival events; in the open, dynamic, hyper-aggressive, no subtlety at all. The feel is Marines on the assault, not spec operatives. Most online Mac gamers tend to favor only 2 or 3 of the maps, usually from Eagle Watch, making the online experience of R6 as claustrophobic as it is intense. Quite a few players employ sophisticated cheating techniques; they alter selected computer files to make themselves outrageously fast and almost invincible. All in all, online gaming is dominated by over-hormoned teenagers and therefore tends to be typical FPS, the exact opposite of the solo game. It's an invigorating and energizing experience, to say the least. "Mods". The developers of R6 left ample openings for user modifications. Gamers have responded enthusiastically, creating endless varieties of R6 with new weapons, new characters, new maps, and so on. There's a huge "mods" subculture on the Internet, though most of the mods are for the PC version, not the Mac version.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but it didn't hold my attention
Review: I like the idea of having an action game where you actually do some serious thinking and strategic planning. This was done pretty well, but it wasn't as satisfying as a straight out strategy game (like Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri). While there is a lot of thinking in the planning process, the action mode requires REALLY fast reflexes. I mean faster than in First Person Shooters, because one shot kills in Rainbow Six. To make things harder, enemies rarely miss (but so do your teammates). So, if you go round a corner and a terrorist is there, you are dead. Period. The graphics and sound are tolerable, though it is hard to discern foilage from people in the jungle levels. Rainbow Six isn't a bad game, it just failed to hold my attention. There wasn't much in it that was very compelling and made me come back for more. There weren't that many bad aspects of the game (except for the combat, low overall substance, and graphics), so I feel it does deserve 3 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Tom will kill me...
Review: I've killed off his characters so many times in this game! Yet somehow, Clark and Domingo always live through the books just fine... If I ever meet Mr. Clancy, I'll have to confess to this, and he'll probably not be too pleased with me. What I'm trying to say is that this is a VERY difficult game. Outfit your people any way you wish, send them in in brilliantly clever ways--they'll still die like lemmings on speed, leaving you saying things that I probably can't print here. Gameplay is incredibly realistic--a headshot kills. Period. None of that Hit point stuff you're used to, where you can be shot 12 times and still keep moving. Realistic, I suppose... But extremely aggravating. Graphics are very impressive--full 3-D, creating a very immersive environment. A best comparison would be to a game like "Thief:the Dark Project" where the player can move in all directions freely. Unfortunately this also means that a high-end video card is necessary. A great concept, but only so-so in the execution. More complexity in the attacks and personal damage would vastly improve the breed... Ballistic armor should at least be of some use.
Rating:
Summary: Tom will kill me...
Review: I've killed off his characters so many times in this game! Yet somehow, Clark and Domingo always live through the books just fine... If I ever meet Mr. Clancy, I'll have to confess to this, and he'll probably not be too pleased with me. What I'm trying to say is that this is a VERY difficult game. Outfit your people any way you wish, send them in in brilliantly clever ways--they'll still die like lemmings on speed, leaving you saying things that I probably can't print here. Gameplay is incredibly realistic--a headshot kills. Period. None of that Hit point stuff you're used to, where you can be shot 12 times and still keep moving. Realistic, I suppose... But extremely aggravating. Graphics are very impressive--full 3-D, creating a very immersive environment. A best comparison would be to a game like "Thief:the Dark Project" where the player can move in all directions freely. Unfortunately this also means that a high-end video card is necessary. A great concept, but only so-so in the execution. More complexity in the attacks and personal damage would vastly improve the breed... Ballistic armor should at least be of some use.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive, addictive thinking person's shooter.
Review: R6 is an addictive, thinking-person's shooter game. It satisfies in ways that standard FPS's can't. Not only does it provide impressive graphics and full-immersion context; R6 also encourages the never-ending process of planning and self-improvement, as opposed to mindless shooting. Personnel rosters, armory, equipment, and attack routes must all be tailored to each mission. Perfectionists will find themselves spending hours planning and practicing, refining and improving, testing different possibilities, devising creative solutions, redoing and redoing and redoing ... There are different ways of getting satisfaction from R6. On some missions you're better off being the master strategist, devising finely coordinated attack plans for multiple teams, then going hands-off and monitoring developments "through the eyes of God". At such times, your satisfaction will come from being an effective planner/coordinator, seeing all your team members back safely while achieving mission objectives. On other missions, you'll find that even your best plans are laid to waste. In such situations you must take tactical leadership, controlling individual shooters or teams one by one. You'll feel the tension that comes from full immersion in the CQB action, as you try simultaneously to balance mission objectives, tactical decisions, recon, attack, self-defense, hostage rescue, and most importantly, situational awareness. For those who are interested in such things, R6 can even provide good mental discipline for the bridging of strategy, tactics, and execution. Other reviewers have already done a good job of highlighting the game's strengths and weaknesses, so I won't repeat them. Precisely because R6 is such a significant step forward in the tactical shooter genre, its flaws and limitations are all the more frustrating. As RedStorm Entertainment develops more advanced sequels, we look forward to better AI and more sophisticated control of the action. All in all, a very impressive game that has set a new standard for the genre, and has even inspired some capable imitators.
Rating:
Summary: An ironic experience
Review: Rainbow Six is the most realistic action game around. Red Storm and Tom Clancy did a wonderful job of making a game that made you feel you were in the game. They finaly incorcurated the most important part of a military attack-planning. With rainbow six you have to know what you are doing. In other games like doom, quake, marathon and others you either jump straight into the level or you get a short unrealistic mission breifing. In a rainbow six mission you will fight 20 terrorists at most, yet it is usualy harder than fighting giant monsters in quake. The guns are real, groups like the SEALs, Rangers, Force Recon and Delta Force use MP5's, M-16's and Car-15's they don't use nail guns, BFG 2000's and chain saws(give me a break). Another good side that Rainbow six has is that once you have beaten the game you can use the internet against others. And above that you have the choice of being on a team with others. Rainbow 6 rules! Buy It! Play It!
Rating: 
Summary: As real as computers get
Review: Rainbow Six is the most realistic action game around. Red Storm and Tom Clancy did a wonderful job of making a game that made you feel you were in the game. They finaly incorcurated the most important part of a military attack-planning. With rainbow six you have to know what you are doing. In other games like doom, quake, marathon and others you either jump straight into the level or you get a short unrealistic mission breifing. In a rainbow six mission you will fight 20 terrorists at most, yet it is usualy harder than fighting giant monsters in quake. The guns are real, groups like the SEALs, Rangers, Force Recon and Delta Force use MP5's, M-16's and Car-15's they don't use nail guns, BFG 2000's and chain saws(give me a break). Another good side that Rainbow six has is that once you have beaten the game you can use the internet against others. And above that you have the choice of being on a team with others. Rainbow 6 rules! Buy It! Play It!
Rating:
Summary: Three games in one
Review: Read the book, play the game! I have an Imac DV SE and this runs very well. Only a couple of memory lockups, no jerking on max options. Definitly do max install if you have space. Have yet to play online. The game does look a little dated (compared to Q3, or Unreal Tournament), but it's the only game of it's type for the Mac. You _must_ be cunning, plan well, and have ultra quick head-shots! Yes the AI is pretty average. The Terrorists defend very well, whereas your elite special force dudes get stuck on doors, jam themselves in hallways and fail to check side-rooms that 4 of their buddies just died walking past... I must admit I love make plans work that need no intervention from me. Just dump one reserve guy in a team by himself, and watch the others from the map (or using overlook in Eagle Watch). Sometimes it works, sometimes it dont. On Easy. On Veteran or Elite difficulty they will just die like dogs. Great game, suspenseful, and more intellectually challenging than Quake any day. Can't wait for Rogue Spear to appear on the Mac, hopefully the bots will be smarter.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing and frustrating
Review: Read the book, play the game! I have an Imac DV SE and this runs very well. Only a couple of memory lockups, no jerking on max options. Definitly do max install if you have space. Have yet to play online. The game does look a little dated (compared to Q3, or Unreal Tournament), but it's the only game of it's type for the Mac. You _must_ be cunning, plan well, and have ultra quick head-shots! Yes the AI is pretty average. The Terrorists defend very well, whereas your elite special force dudes get stuck on doors, jam themselves in hallways and fail to check side-rooms that 4 of their buddies just died walking past... I must admit I love make plans work that need no intervention from me. Just dump one reserve guy in a team by himself, and watch the others from the map (or using overlook in Eagle Watch). Sometimes it works, sometimes it dont. On Easy. On Veteran or Elite difficulty they will just die like dogs. Great game, suspenseful, and more intellectually challenging than Quake any day. Can't wait for Rogue Spear to appear on the Mac, hopefully the bots will be smarter.
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