all Rainbow Six

Rainbow Six Cover

Developed and published by Red Storm Entertainment for the PC in 1998, Rainbow Six puts players in control of RAINBOW, an elite counter-terrorism force directed by John Clark and led byDing Chavez. RAINBOW's mission is to prevent the spread of the deadly "Shiva" virus at the Olympics. The group behind the attempted attack is the Phoenix Group, eco-terrorists bent on giving Earth a fresh start with a select population of the environmentally friendly. After stopping the release of the Shiva virus, RAINBOW tracks down their one-time expert adviser John Brightling from Horizon Inc., a company using Phoenix Group as a front. The finale takes place in the Amazon, where Brightling is captured and Horizon Inc/Phoenix Group is neutralized.

Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear

Expansions:

• Rainbow Six Mission Pack: Eagle Watch (1999): added five missions, 4 operatives, 3 weapons and new multiplayer modes to the game.
• Rainbow Six: Lone Wolf(2002): exclusively on PlayStation.

Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear (1999):

Rogue Spear was released for PC in 1999, Dreamcast in 2000, Mac and PlayStation in 2001, and Game Boy Advance in 2002. This time around the year is 2001 and RAINBOW is charged with taking out Russian mobster Maxim Kutkin and Middle Eastern arms dealer Samed Vezirzade who are in possession of a nuclear weapon. Just like in the original Rainbow Six, players plan out their strategy before starting their mission, assigning specific teams within RAINBOW to designated areas in order to neutralize "tangos" and either disarm bombs or save hostages. The player can switch between different teams and ops inside that team. As is typical of the franchise, Rogue Spear focuses quite heavily on realism, requiring only one or two shots to take down, or be taken down by, an enemy.

Expansions:

• Rogue Spear: Urban Operations (2000)
• Rainbow Six: Covert Operations Essentials (2000): Standalone expansion. Emphasized real-life aspects of covert ops with videos of weapons and equipment as well as interviews with experts in the field.
• Rogue Spear: Black Thorn (2001): Standalone expansion. It was with this title that Ubisoft took Red Storm Entertainment's role as publisher of Rainbow Six games, though Red Storm Entertainment continued to develop them.

Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield (2003):

RAINBOW returns to save the day in this sequel released on PC and Xbox in 2003 and PS2 and Gamecube in 2004. While the console and PC versions are slightly different in storyline (console versions are titled simply Rainbow Six 3 as well), the basic idea is

Raven Shield

that in the year 2005 RAINBOW has to stop an international terrorist organization backed by a South American presidential candidate. In the PC version, Nikola Gospic is a Nazi from the Ustashe regime in Croatia who fled following the fall of the Reich in 1945. With Holocaust loot, he finances Argentinian presidential candidate Alvero Guitierrez's campaign in return for political protection. His goal is to spread the VX nerve gas throughout the world by means of packaged meat and even attempts to attack the Festa Junina in Rio De Janeiro. Of course, all this is no match for team RAINBOW.

Expansions:

• Athena Sword (2004): The year is 2007. Guitierrez, though in jail, commands a terrorist cell that attempts terrorists attacks first in Milan and finally in Athens, Greece. With RAINBOW successfully thwarting the former presidential nominee's visions of terror, the inmate commits suicide and the game is over.
• Iron Wrath (2005): Released by Ubisoft as a free download for FilePlanet subscribers. Featured a seven mission campaign, two older missions, eight multiplayer maps, and six new weapons.
• Black Arrow (2004): Exclusive to Xbox.

Rainbow Six: Lockdown (2005):

The year is 2009 and RAINBOW is called in yet again to stop an anarchic terrorist organization from going berserk with a deadly virus. In this title, the organization is the Global Liberation Front, and the virus is the completely fatal "Legion" virus. Hopping around the globe to stop the GLF, and even rescuing one of their own (sniper Dieter Weber) from the hands of the terrorists, RAINBOW makes it clear that Bastian Vanderwaal and his GLF are no match for the covert ops.

In terms of gameplay, Lockdown was a distinct departure from the Rainbow Six series' emphasis on pre-mission planning, non-linear missions and realistic damage. Lockdown, in contrast, provided more of a run-n-gun feel, no pre-mission planning, and several shots to kill, or be killed by, a terrorist, rather than the previous one or two shots necessary. The PC version, released in 2006, made several changes in an attempt to return to the classic Rainbow Six formula that fans clearly wanted.

Rainbow Six: Critical Hour (2006):

An Xbox exclusive (a PS2 port was pursued though later scrapped), this title is seen by many as an attempt to curb criticism and return to the series' roots. Critical Hour provides gamers with non-linear, classic Rainbow Six gameplay with pre-mission tactical planning maps and realistic damage. In this title John Clark, RAINBOW's director, is retiring and passing the torch to Ding Chavez, Clark's son-in-law and leader of RAINBOW throughout all the previous games. John's nostalgia while cleaning out his office allows players to combat through seven missions, four from Rainbow Six, one from Rogue Spear, and one from Rogue Spear: Urban Operations.

Rainbow Six: Vegas (2006):

Rainbow Six: Vegas

In the year 2010, a new RAINBOW team is led by Logan Keller who, with his teammates Gabriel Nowak and Kan Akahashi, is charged with tracking down terrorist leader Irena Morales. When the mission goes awry, Logan is separated from his teammates, who are taken hostage by Morales. Escaping from the area, Logan is told by RAINBOW director Ding Chavez to pursue another lead in Las Vegas, Nevada with a possible link to Morales. Logan is assigned a new team, Michael Walters (demolitions and heavy weapons expert) and Jung Park (reconnaissance and electronics expert). Combating through Las Vegas, RAINBOW learns that Morales is planning on attacking the hydroelectric Nevada Dam. The game ends with the revelation that Gabriel was serving as a mole for Morales, and he presumably escapes.

Vegas was released for PC and Xbox 360 in 2006 and PS3 in 2007, as well as on Mobile.

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (2007):

Vegas 2 is set in two different periods, 2005 and 2010. In 2005, you play as Bishop, operating in France with Nowak and Keller, both fresh recruits. The events in France occur one year before the events of Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield. RAINBOW's negotiator, Monroe, is killed in the ensuing fire fight, and Gabriel is to blame. Fast forwarding to 2010, you play as Bishop again, but with a new team, Jung Park and Michael Walters, operating in Las Vegas to track down Miguel and Alvarez Cabreros. The brothers are confronted, and Gabriel is shot down by Bishop, ending the game.

Other Rainbow Six Titles:

• Rainbow Six: Take-Down (2001): Released and available only in South Korea.
• Rainbow Six: Broken Wing: Exclusive on Mobile.
• Rainbow Six: Urban Crisis: Exclusive on Mobile.