Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown (PS2)

The games doesn't offer anything substantial.

There are few multipalyer maps and the ability to hold only two weapons with virtually unlimited ammo is stupid.

Your comrades A.I. is also pretty poor.

Avoid.

With no maps or prior 'route' planning, one is left in the hands of some fairly basic 'navigation' pointers, some being blatantly obvious, others being less obvious (almost demanding some form of advice). Balance of advice feels inconsistent consequently...

Equipping team is also less satisfying than PC version, offering very limited options, which exclude uniforms, gas masks etc.

Multiplayer suggested an exciting blend of users and AI controlled team mates, alas if there are two of you, your team comprises of two... (which is a shame).

AI controlled 'Tangos' are also pretty tame in reality, offering far less of challenge than those in Rainbow Six : Raven Shield (PC)

One cannot help feel that the 'game' elements of most PS2 titles these days comes second to providing 'netplay' arenas. Certainly, PC equivalents of this game suggest a more mature, demanding audience / participant.

In summary, this title lacks the challenge or content for adult users, I would recommend 'Cold Winter' as a better alternative or 'Full Spectrum Warrior' if team play is your thing...

As someone who pre-ordered 12 copies in total (for friends and family inc. myself) I feel a bit gutted to be honest. There's no doubts that it's a cracking game but I think too much has changed.

What really spoils it for me on the XBOX is:

* The different uniforms which force us to have the marker above your team-mates head so you know he/she is on your team.

* The fact I don't know which player is speaking in-game.

* The poor radar/map - now I can't tell where people were killed or if they are on another level.

* The ability to talk to people on your team even when they're dead.

* The prevention of selecting different angles when viewing your team-mates (when you're dead).

* Not being able to boot people from the server while in-game.

* The poor sound effects for grenades.

* The removal of remote charges.

* Claymore Mines appear much weaker and less effective.

* Proximity Mines and proximity flashes are a waste of time.

* The disk errors that many people are experiencing e.g. game freezes when loading every so often.

* The removal of the clan features (although you can still have the clan tag like in Black Arrow).

* A poor and limited selection of maps.

* The screaming 'Rainbow' voice which cannot be turned off or down (although a patch is going to be released to lower this).

There's more complaints but these are the things that spoil my experience of the game for me personally.

The PEC mode is great and if it wasn't for this feature I wouldn't entertain the game at all. Had this been added to Black Arrow with a selection of new maps then I would have been very, very happy.

Graphics in the game are sweet. Very nice; a big improvement without a doubt.

Personally if you like off-line play then this game is great. If like me you're more into online gaming then yes, it will keep you entertained for a long, long time, especially when the bugs are fixed. However if you're a die-hard Rainbow fan then you'll probably enjoy R63 and Black Arrow more even though they are basic in comparison.

On paper Lockdown sounds great. I have followed the developers diaries and videos for months. They really excited me yet how they failed to see so many errors and problems is beyond me. The Rainbow games have such a following it would have made common sense to get in half a dozen serious clans/gamers to play this game first. Not only would they have spotted the bugs but they would have pointed out the basic downfalls, some of which I have listed above.

It was a great idea to develop this game but whoever is responsible at the top for giving the green light should be outed from their position because they obviously do not know what the Rainbow fans want. For me progression is fine and yes some sacrifices may have to be made for new features and ideas but what idiot thinks it's right for the dead to be able to talk to the living for example?

The developers behind the game were obviously very excited but they failed to deliver a masterpiece which is a real shame because had they not made so many silly mistakes, this game would have been amazing.

Now don't get me wrong, it's still a good game. If you have never played the previous titles then you'll probably wonder what I'm talking about as you won't know any different. Newbies should buy it, die-hards should (and will out of loyalty) too. But UBI, take note... when making the next game, if you decide to go down that road, take on board the opinions of the gamers, especially the die-hards and not just the casual Rainbow fans.

Ok just because I class myself as a die-hard doesn't make me right but I do feel that there are too many fundamental cock-ups in this game.

I want this game to be the best and that's why I'm so passionate about how I see it.

Fix these problems, admit you cocked it up and produced a game that is no more unique than the others already out there. For me R63 and Black Arrow may be simple but they do the business. Tweaking them rather than starting from scratch would have been much better.

I'll keep playing Lockdown and I'll urge others to buy it but if I'm honest, I expect the PEC feature to become boring in time and then I see people defecting back to the earlier versions.

Although my review is about the XBOX version, I have played the PS2 version (which has some different features) and it too receives the same kind of response from me. In other words the game will keep you busy and entertained but if you're buying it because it's Rainbow, just expect a totally different approach and style.