One of the most crippling problems with this release is the way that the supposed strategic and tactical elements have been so stringently curtailed. Levels are so tightly bound and linear that, when combined with the fact that you only have one team with you and any orders must be issued to a target in line of sight, it leaves very few avenues of approach open to the player. It feels like you are ferried along a single path with little to no choice in how to handle each situation. This all contrasts terribly with the massive, free-form level design exhibited by earlier Rainbow titles. Most of the time the only decision making here is which of two doors the player will handle, while their team deals with the other.

Features like the ability to prioritise two enemies for your team to tackle seem useful enough until you realise that the game never presents more than two terrorists visible from each doorway anyway. There's even a section where the player mans a gun turret in the middle of a theatre stage, in plain view of the whole auditorium, while enemies swarm in from all around, hardly what you expect from a supposedly tactical shooter.

Having said this, the game does present the player with some fantastic backdrops for all this lacklustre action, featuring a number of casino floors, a stunning Chinese restaurant and a large construction site replete with towering, Gothic architecture. The opulence and stunning décor wrapping these areas is a visual feast, with the use of rippling glass blocks and neon lighting in some areas particularly well done. Walking around such luxurious surroundings does go a good way towards distracting the player from the less rewarding aspect of how the thing plays, but, unfortunately, for every trendy penthouse bar, there is a bland service corridor or back-room sequence. It has also been bookended with two incredibly dull and drab levels that lack all the character and charm of the more Vegas-centric settings. Rainbow, though, does need to be praised for its fantastic, brooding, electronic score which plays out like an old John Carpenter movie. The simple but effective sullen beats do a great deal to infuse even the dreariest of sections with some ambience and character.

One major problem with a game like this, which is designed to thrill the player through tension and suspense rather than over the top pyrotechnics, is the significant difference in player and enemy damage models. Enemies drop with the slightest bullet graze whereas you and your team can regenerate your health. This is further compounded by the new cover system, which, although very fluid through an innovative use of the shoulder trigger, makes it all too easy to take out foes without ever exposing yourself. Even on the hardest difficulty level it's rare for the player to struggle. While this kind of setup works fine in Gears of War, it was balanced there by enemies that could take a far greater amount of damage. It's this one-sidedness, when coupled with the unlimited number of adrenaline shots the player has at their disposal for resurrecting injured team members, that takes a lot away from the experience and is truly disappointing given the pedigree this release had to live up to.

The actual gun mechanics themselves aren't even particularly satisfying, and this problem afflicts both the solo and multiplayer parts in equal measure. There’s never any real reason to switch to the single-shot firing mode on any of the guns, as no matter how far away the enemy is, a quick burst of automatic fire will put the target out of commission every time. Given the way bullets spread out over distance it takes away any real need for accuracy and turns the game into a bit of a spray fest. The result of which is that downing enemies lacks any real sense of satisfaction.

The multiplayer options are something of a mixed bag, with the competitive modes far too open to spawn camping. It’s not uncommon to see teams being torn apart, simply unable to escape their starting area, which is made all the more difficult to recover from thanks to the regenerating health system. The whole thing feels slow and tired, there’s never any adrenaline rush moments and rarely any real sense that one side was genuinely superior to the other, in tactics or ability.

The co-operative elements on the other hand are actually somewhat enjoyable. The main campaign supports up to 4 players and allows the number of lives available to be modified to suit. It's here where the game starts to shine a little bit as the players can split up to cover more areas than is possible in the single player. Additionally the ability to resurrect downed allies with adrenaline shots has been removed, adding a greater degree of tension to proceedings. All of which makes co-op definitely the best way to experience Vegas.

The terrorist hunt mode has been one of the highlights of the series for a long time and this remains the case here. Each multiplayer map is randomly populated with terrorists and up to 4 players are tasked with clearing it out. Working in pairs with one player packing a riot shield and another the heavy weaponry makes for a great co-op experience and, due to the random placement of enemies, is highly replayable. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, terrorist locations are populated progressively as players explore the map, rather than all at the start. This can make for some awkward moments when enemies blatantly spawn in while the players explore and was something the earlier games in the series got right.

Unfortunately Vegas continues the spiral of descent for the franchise, and moves the series further away from what made it such a success in the first place. As a tactical shooter it is an utter failure and as a simple action game it never really moves beyond mediocre. For all the flash and grandeur it can’t hide the simple truth that the core mechanics and gunplay are not rewarding enough. A fact that becomes all too apparent whenever you venture off the casino floors. The co-operative multiplayer modes do offer some respite from this, but even then it rarely provides any truly great, stand-out moments. It’s a game that will entertain first person shooter fans for a few hours but there are far better alternatives out there than this.