Great anti-terrorist action!
GRAPHICS: 7 out of 10. Solid effort. The characters are realistic and detailed, and carry life-like weapons and equipment. Environments are okay, maybe not as detailed and realistic as I was expecting, especially with the Las vegas connection. Was expecting more variety, realism etc. Lighting effects are very good; the opening mission in Mexico has some very immersive lighting, especially in the train yard.
PLAYABILITY: 8 out of 10. RB6 Vegas is based around tactical anti-terrorist action. You and a team of two partners outfit yourselves with weapons and granades, then proceed through a life-like mission area eliminating targets and completing objectives. Firefights are common, but this isn't Halo: you better take cover or you'll be greased (two or three hits, and you are dead). Luckily, Ubisoft did quite a good job on the "cover" system; it's easy to use and fun. Your character is able to quickly and easily pop-up from behind cover, give it to the bad guys, then duck away into safety. Other tactical options include room clearing, smoke granades and much more. Gone are the horrid "sniper missions" from previous RB6 games.
One problem with the playability in this game is the frustration level. Some specific parts of the game are extremely frustrating, as the levels are not open-ended and it's obvious you MUST handle a situation only one way, or your game is over. For example, every once in a while you have to let one team member use a computer, and you just KNOW you're going to get ambushed while he's doing it. If he gets schooled, your game is over. Of course, the "magical" appearing enemies are also involved...
STORY: 5 out of 10. Pretty standard fare. RB6 is called in to handle a Mexican terrorist situation, but your two partners are captured. then you set out to rescue them in (surprise surprise) Las Vegas. You work your way through the city eliminatign enemies, defusing bombs and getting ambushed on a regular basis.
REPLAY: 5 out of 10. The basic campaign has two skill levels, although I have yet to decide if the "realistic" setting is even playable. The game also has a "terrorist hunt" mission generator, but you must enter alone, and one mission I played had 70 enemies hunting me! With no one to watch your back, it's a lesson in frustration. I don't play online multiplayer, so I'm not grading that feature.
OVERALL: 8 out of 10. A very solid effort. While relatively simple with little variation, the gameplay is strangely addictive, and I found myself wanting to play through multiple times. Good value, especially for a greatest hits game.