Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas is the series’ second revamp. After an ill-fated effort to revitalize the game as an action shooter with Rainbow Six: Lockdown, Vegas brings the game back to its roots as a tactical shooter while retaining Lockdown’s accessibility. The result is a game that is fun and, I quote, "Automatically Amazing!"

On a technical level, Vegas looks slightly better than Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, placing it among the 360’s graphical elite. Models are detailed and feature gear that looks exactly like their real-life versions. One of the things that really got me was seeing my character’s lips move while talking on the radio. You’ve also got some pretty cool particle effects and lighting.

However, technical details are only one part of what makes Vegas look so good. Except for Disney World, Las Vegas is one of America’s most recognizable landmarks. If something doesn’t look right, people will notice (and likely complain about it at GAF). While no real casinos appear in the game, the fictional ones retain some of the more notable details, such as the Bellagio’s fountain. The details go beyond outside appearances. Once inside, they are littered with little details like slot machines that spew tokens after being shot.

Sound is everything you would expect in a Tom Clancy title. Music has a big, action movie flair and gun sounds are loud and powerful. The voice work is pretty good, though a few of the terrorists sound like they are faking really bad accents. One of the cool things is the number of vocal cues used in each level. Teammates call out enemy positions and will even comment on your tactics if they aren’t sound.

Rainbow Six: Vegas begins in Mexico during an operation to capture Irena Morales, a Mexican terrorist who is sneaking illegal immigrants across the border. The attempt to snatch Morales fails, but the team is able to unveil a plot aimed at Las Vegas.

Similar to Gears of War, Vegas places a heavy emphasis on using cover. Unlike Gears, the system in Vegas is more active. You only take cover when holding the L Trigger; otherwise you are left in the open. This has its advantages since it makes it easier to slide from cover to cover, though it is also easy to forget and let go of the trigger, exposing yourself. And believe me… you don’t want to expose yourself.

While in cover you can pop out and take a few shots or blind fire around corners. The first gives you better accuracy, though it leaves you open for a few hits; the second keeps you safe, but you’re not likely to hit anyone. Firing blind is better used as an intimidation tactic in multiplayer games. In single-player it has its uses, mostly when someone is on top of your position, though the A.I. typically doesn’t react.

With the exception of a few missions, you are always joined by two teammates. By itself, the A.I. does a great job of staying out of trouble. Pathfinding, which is typically a problem in any game, isn’t an issue. Both are also good about covering your back and staying alive.

Level design is open and allows for varying tactics. How you go about taking down cells of enemies is up to you and there is no “wrong” way to do anything. Most areas are built with multiple entry points, so you can send your team through one door while you charge in from another or have everyone rappel down the side of the wall and crash through the window. Compared to Ghost Recon, Vegas is a quicker paced game. Waiting around isn’t an option, forcing you to constantly be on the move and always thinking.

Up to four players can tackle the Story mode cooperatively. In addition, a full slate of competitive modes is also available for up to 16 players. All of the modes should be familiar to online players, and the few new modes are simply new takes on old favorites. What makes online play interesting is the return of persistent online characters. As you play through matches, you’ll unlock new equipment to equip your character with. These include new types of body armor as well as different weapons and attachments. If you have a Live Vision camera, you can even map your face to your online character.

Rainbow Six: Vegas offers Normal and Realistic difficulty settings. On Normal, the game is challenging, though you can take a decent amount of damage before dying. Similar to most recent shooters, damage can be rested off over time. However, this doesn’t mean you are invincible since a few well-placed shots can still easily take you out.

On Realistic, tactics become even more important. You can’t take as much damage, so things you might do in Normal mode may not be the best tactical decisions. Death comes often in Realistic mode, though it never feels cheap and more often than not, you will find yourself reassessing your tactics.

Rainbow Six: Vegas is pretty good about building up gameplay. New options are introduced slowly. One objective will introduce the cover system while another introduces team control. Eventually all of the little parts come together into one big tactic.

Although the gameplay looks complicated, the controls are easy to use. Most buttons have two modes. For example, tapping the "Y" button switches weapons while holding it down brings up a crossbar that is navigated using the D-pad. The only time I had any problems with the controls was remembering to press "B" to throw a grenade rather than one of the triggers or bumpers.

Team command is streamlined. The "A" button is your all-propose command button that allows you to order your team to perform several location specific actions. Pressing "A" while aiming at cover orders them to dodge for cover while near a door prepares a door breach. Once your team is in place, you can initiate one of three breach commands by pressing a direction on the D-pad. The entire setup is very easy to learn; it doesn’t take much practice to get down and in no time at all, you’ll find yourself planning and pulling off complex maneuvers.

Like Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six: Vegas makes its next-gen debut in a big way. The single-player campaign is fun and replayable while the multiplayer options give you even more things to do. If you’ve already grown tired of Gears of War or are just looking for something to hold you over until Ghost Recon 2 hits, book a trip to Vegas.