Suffice it to say, amidst all of the buzz about console launches, chainsawing Locusts and the usual fourth-quarter clutter, there might be a few people who've forgotten about Team Rainbow. They shouldn't. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas has already left an indelible impression on us with its expansive single-player experience and the incredible detail of the Persistent Elite Creation (PEC) system in conjunction with Xbox Live Vision. Players will be able to take a picture of themselves with the Vision camera, which will then be analyzed and implemented into the game. Most importantly, however, is that this custom character can be taken online for hours and hours of squad-based combat in the city of sin.

We got a chance to play a few of the modes and maps that Rainbow Six: Vegas has to offer, and frankly, we're optimistic about it being one of the best shooters to drop this year. As we've mentioned in the past, players will have a wealth of customization options to help create the best squad member possible. From armor to scopes to sunglasses, Ubisoft Montreal has you covered. Using the PEC created a highly accurate image of myself (minus the hair), although there are some slight catches. I couldn't add certain accessories, such as sunglasses, to my created character, nor could I put certain clothes on him, such as tank tops and t-shirts. Too much burden on the 360 to render? I'm not sure, but it's a pittance against the rest of the customization options.

Of course, the setting of the game is a slightly fictionalized Las Vegas that has been taken over by terrorists. It's up to the team to storm Sin City and restore order. Of course, that's mostly an excuse to use the lavish casinos and the stark vaults of Vegas resorts as a backdrop to toss frag grenades and pick off opposition from the other side of the slot machines.


We then jumped into a near-complete build with members of Ubisoft's Montreal team. Needless to say, there was fairly nonstop slaughter from the Great White North. The game started out with Retrieval on the Casino Vault map. Of course, it's all about retrieving a canister and getting back over to your team's side before time runs out, or you're assimilating hot lead into your hemorrhaging flesh. The gameplay mode is as solid as one would expect from the Montreal team, but it's the level that shines. The lighting and shadows both look amazing, with startling detail having been paid to textures. Most importantly, it's beautifully functional. The vault area is a twisting, turning labyrinth that will enable players to sample the cover system, which temporarily switches the action to third-person in order to peek around corners. The cover mechanic is definitely going to stand out in this new title.

After playing a few rounds of Retrieval, we switched the action over to the Kill House, a map in the Mexican stages of the game, for some Team Sharpshooter. The action is confined between two buildings with, again, a labyrinthine set of stairs, basements and corridors. Or players can just fastrope out of a window and start blasting away outdoors. For anyone who's played Rainbow Six, it goes without saying that the action can get heated, especially between two well-oiled squads. As for my gameplay experience, it mostly consisted of continuous deaths via frag grenade and headshot. It was not one of my proudest gaming moments to be systemically picked apart by some of Ubi Montreal's finest, but regardless of skill level, the quality in the title is quite apparent at this point.

Suffice it to say, fans of the Rainbow Six franchise should find themselves quite satisfied with this new title. Given that I was playing a nearly complete build of the game last week, the servers seemed to work with few problems, although it still remains to be seen how they'll truly perform once thousands of 360 owners hit the game with full force next week. We still haven't seen the PS3 game in action, but we do know that it will be hitting stores shortly before Christmas. Other than that, details are still thin, so we'll be keeping our eyes peeled as to whether or not it can deliver on Sony's new system. The series has encountered some recent stumbling blocks with the less-than-stellar Lockdown, but it looks like Vegas should be a fine return to form for one of the Xbox's finest franchises.