November 30, 2004 - Ubisoft has been on a roll over the past two years, putting out superb titles on Xbox and PS2. Rainbow Six is one of the French company's most popular franchises among the string of Tom Clancy titles. The next Rainbow Six, which is still searching for an official name, is not an expansion pack or a quick update like the Xbox's Black Arrow. Instead, Rainbow Six 4 is a true sequel with new visuals and a new attitude.

Prepare for a Firefight
Rainbow Six 4 sets Team Rainbow on a journey across the globe, visiting such places as Amsterdam, Parliament, war-torn South Africa, and Marseilles. This time, Team Rainbow is not the one's doing the hunting -- they are the hunted. Someone is targeting Team Rainbow and it's up to Ding Chavez and crew to figure out who has it in for the international anti-terrorist group. It gets so heated that a member of Team Rainbow ends up being kidnapped. Much like Jaws 4, this time it's personal.

That theme of being "personal" carries over into the new presentation style of Rainbow Six. Though everyone knows Ding, much of Team Rainbow is a mass of anonymous faces. For the new Rainbow Six, UbiSoft is individualizing the characters, putting an emphasis on their country's of origin with icons under their on-screen names and profiles of the different members during load screens. When you play with Renee Raymond of the US, there's a greater sense of individuality thanks to her cornrows and distinct uniform. The same can be said for other characters, who are all now easily distinguishable.

To further individualize characters, you can finally choose your team's equipment before each of the 16 missions. Thanks to the new animated briefing screens, you'll know what kind of equipment will be necessary and see shots of all the key locations in the area. The new menus and briefing screen have a slick look more in tune with a modern military operation than what Ubisoft previously offered Rainbow fans.

Eye-Candy
Though only the PS2 version was available for viewing, we're assured the Xbox will feature some graphical upgrades that should wow us. As for the PS2 build, it's much prettier than Rainbow Six 3, with a much bigger color palette and a better sense of contrast. Areas are brighter and more alive with sharper textures. New lighting has been added for a better sense of realism and to set a better contrast between outdoor and indoor scenes.

The HUD has been completely redone and now represents your visor. Even in the short demo we watched, it was clear that the new HUD offers a better sense of scale and makes it feel a little bit more like you are a character and not just a camera mounted on a gun. Some visual tricks have been thrown into the new HUD. Rain will hit your visor and your visor can even steam over. Taking a hit creates temporary static on the visor and when near death the visor cracks as a warning of Ding's impending demise.

Xbox owners can expect the same uses for night and thermal vision, but PS2 users are in for a surprise as the two view modes have been combined into one. This blend offers nightvision with heat sources glowing white on the screen. There's also a PS2-exclusive 10-meter motion sensor, which allows you to relive your favorite moments from Aliens, but also prevents you from shooting while the sensor's in use.

Just as the visor and individualized compatriots are meant to provide a more intimate atmosphere, looking down the scope of any gun has also been re-designed. Zoom in with the rifle and you'll pull the sight to your eye, the edges of the screen blurring to add a touch of realism. Even the recoil is more pronounced. It doesn't seem to affect aim any more adversely than in Rainbow Six 3, but there's a much better sense of the recoil this time out.

The numerous enemies now have location-specific damage, which goes beyond just head and body shots, and are full rag dolls. This should allow for some spectacular tumbles and perhaps the opportunity to subdue rather than kill every terrorist you come across.

A.I.
The AI for your teammates and for enemies has been retooled for RS4. Your teammates still respond to Ding's direct commands with even more options for entering rooms. Want to shotgun a door or ram it with a breaching hammer? Yes you do. The interiors have been designed with Zulu (delayed) commands in mind, so expect at least two entry options for the majority of rooms. Orders have been further streamlined, not that they were difficult in the past, and a point and go system similar to Ghost Recon 2 has been implemented.

When not commanding your team, Rainbow members check their own backs and take strategic positioning in the room. Though the demo was relatively short, Team Rainbow certainly seems competent, even with the AI only 60% complete at this point.