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If you don’t care for online, it’s um, still the second best version.
Tactical squad-based shooters have had a good time recently. Although the Gamecube doesn’t have the PS2’s SOCOM series, Gathering’s (formely Gotham Games) Conflict series, and even Ubisoft’s other franchise, Ghost Recon, have all enjoyed success on the console. Rainbow Six 3 was heralded by Xbox and PS2 gamers and can now be played by Gamecube owners. The port is coming from Ubisoft Shanghai who handled the Gamecube and PS2 ports of Splinter Cell, so you’re expecting the same quality, right? Well, it gets tricky.
You control Ding Chavez who leads a team of super cool tactical operatives, also known as, Team Rainbow. In 2007, something happens and the end result is that you need to fix it. Helping you out are Weber, Price, and Loiselle. You don’t actually control these three but you can give them many commands. These range from waiting on you, to going ahead without you or scouting an area.
The game’s fifteen missions offer much variety, which is to be expected in a game of this kind. You’ll have to rescue people or disarm some bomb, nothing major. The AI of your enemies is pretty good, although some of your teammates make some questionable decisions at times. The levels have been made smaller and shorter with fewer objects on screen so that the Gamecube doesn’t die. Thankfully, the game rarely stutters on Gamecube, unlike the PS2 version of the game.
Even with the changes, the single player remains challenging and pleasurable on Gamecube. Anyone who has played Rainbow Six 3 though, can tell you that the multiplayer mode is the real. Whether it was six-player multiplayer on PS2 or sixteen-player multiplayer on Xbox, there was always fun to be had by heading online. Unfortunately, Nintendo’s online policies have seemingly forced Ubisoft to remove online support from the Gamecube build. Thankfully, Gamecube owners weren’t left completely in the dark as the game features a fully-functional two-player co-op mode. As anyone can tell you, it’s always better to play through games with your buddies.
No one can really deny that the visual engine behind Splinter Cell was fantastic on Gamecube. That same engine that powered the GCN port of the game is used in this game. Much like the Splinter Cell porting process, the game has been downgraded quite a bit for Gamecube. The lighting and textures are more detailed than the PS2 version, but still noticeably lacking compared to other Gamecube games. This is most likely due to the fact that Rainbow Six 3 was ported from Xbox to PS2 then PS2 to Gamecube. I’m sure that if the game was directly ported from Xbox to Gamecube, it would look better. Thankfully, the framerate is smooth, as always, even during the cooperative missions
The soundtrack in the game is fitting, although you won’t hear much of it. The sound effects on the other hand are excellent. You’ll hear everything in the game. Wondering where someone is? Try and listen to them walking. Wondering if there are people coming? Pay attention to the doors.
Rainbow Six 3 for Xbox is a wonderful game that shows others how to make squad-based shooters. Even on PS2, it was amusing because the online multiplayer remained and it made up for the technical differences. The Gamecube version has no online support but that is to be expected. There is no reason in beating a dead horse; no Gamecube owner expects online gameplay from a Gamecube title. With that said Rainbow Six 3 offers enjoyable squad-based gameplay and will certainly fill up the appetite of Gamecube owners. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Jun 25, 2004
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