What I mean by this is that I play a lot of competitive shooters. Since I was in school many, many (many) years ago, this has been my go-to “gaming night with the friends” genre, whether it’s playing The Finals, Flipping Cards, or being an unfortunate kid in Grey Zone Warfare. Additionally, there is something about the action in the Rainbow Six series that sticks out and feels correct, even after thousands of hours spent playing games like Destiny, Call of Duty, Halo Infinite, and Valorant, among others.
Even while some of the new modes may be more flashbang than useful, revisiting Rainbow Six Siege has shown that the core elements of its destructive tactical style are still very much in place. Rainbow Six Siege is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a big new update called Rainbow Six Siege X.
Bomb continues to be the major event mode: two teams alternate between offensive and defensive tactics, attempting to either defend a bomb by fortifying their position or battle their way in to defuse it. If you lose, you’re eliminated for the round. The idea has been around for decades (and is also the main mode in games like Counter-Strike), but Siege’s unique demolition and entrenchment mechanisms set it apart, and both sides of that argument are incredibly entertaining.
Although it takes around 20 hours to obtain access to the competitive playlist—which is, to be honest, a little too long—I appreciate that it adds another strategic element by allowing each team to lock out an Operator they don’t want to face because they are extremely difficult or unbalanced.
I enjoy the planning stage; it’s a lot of fun to erect booby traps, such as razor wire, and a number of makeshift walls, and to challenge the assailant to try to defuse your explosives.
As much as I enjoy being on the offensive, I enjoy scouting with my small, remote-controlled camera, trying to get information one second, and then zooming and bouncing around to avoid enemy fire in a DIY version of Droney Hawk’s Pro Skater.
It turns into a furious game of cat and mouse once the action begins.
It turns into a furious game of cat and mouse once the action begins. There are tremendous moments of calm before chaos breaks out, and attackers can enter through walls or from any other direction. The rather sluggish aim-down-sites motion makes you choose how you want to engage before a combat, and I like how the quick time-to-kill encourages strategic positioning over twitch skill. Without exception, this is a thinking man’s shooter. However, the motion is fluid, with just enough weapon swing to make it appear natural without making aiming challenging. The gunplay also feels almost martial arts-like because it’s easy to lean from side to side to improve your shot without exposing your body.
Perhaps you’re wondering what an operator is. The remarkable roster of 75 playable characters in Siege is referred to by such a word. With half of them set aside for Attackers and the other exclusively playable when on Defense, each has a unique loadout and at least somewhat different playstyle. Whether you want to run around quickly as Oryx or bash through barriers with your large hammer as Sledge, they do a fantastic job accommodating a variety of playstyles. Although Rauora was added to the roster a few months ago, so there isn’t technically a drought, it is unexpected that no one else was included in the Siege X update.
Wartime Economy
The foundation of Siege X is a restricted free-to-play concept. Although Siege X can be played for free, some important mode variations, such as Ranked and Siege Cup, are locked behind a paywall, which is why I say “limited.” If you want access to those, you’ll have to pay about USD 20. Given that other well-known games, like Marvel Rivals, don’t separate paid and unpaid players in this way, it seems like a strange decision for a game that already has a strong store and battle pass system for making money. While this is a valid point, there is some nuance to the community’s long-standing dissatisfaction with how slow growth and a lengthy unlocking process drive players to the premium battle pass.
The value gets a little murkier as you get to newer Operators, however. The price tag is higher depending on how recently the character was added. Some cost as much as 25,000 Renown, which means you could end up investing more than a full day of playtime just to get one new Operator. You can get those same people for 600 R6 Credits, and with how good some of the more expensive Operators are, like Alibi, who can drop holograms that are great for drawing fire and reveal enemy positions when hit, that monetization push starts to become a pretty aggressive shove.
But as you move on to more recent Operators, the value becomes a little more hazy. The more recently the character was added, the higher the price tag. You might have to spend more than a full day of gaming only to get one new Operator because some of them can cost up to 25,000 Renown. The same individuals can be purchased for 600 R6 Credits, and given the skill of some of the more costly Operators—such as Alibi, who can drop holograms that are excellent at attracting fire and revealing enemy positions when struck—that push for monetization begins to take on a quite aggressive tone.
Verdict
Even after ten years, Rainbow Six Siege X is still a lot of fun to play, and once I’ve mastered every Operator, I’ll be returning for more long after I’ve finished writing this review. This is an excellent choice for anyone who enjoys shooters with a good dose of strategy, with an equal emphasis on preparing and outwitting the competition as there is on beating them to the shot, thanks to its exceptional Bomb mode.
The limitations of destructability are one example of how Siege’s core technology is getting old, and I’m worried about how unlockables increase the incentive to spend money on this somewhat out-of-the-ordinary free-to-play model. However, the excitement of a tight battle against another group of Operators is hard to top. Siege has advanced significantly with the X update, which is also a fantastic starting point for players who are returning and the ideal opportunity for those who want to break through these fortifications for the first time.
