The demo they just put on Live is pretty short, and it is set in Mexico, a venue that was already questionable when they plowed it up again for Rainbow Six: Vegas. R6:V's cover implementation was a revelation, and I think we were also hoping to see GRAW graduate to something a little more fluid - but what do you do? R6 doesn't have the natural terrain, and it doesn't have the reconnaissance features and other field ordnance options. People are already wondering what separates these two franchises nowadays, and I could provide a comprehensive analysis, but as much as it might rile the hardcore I think standardizing some elements of the interface could be great for both games.
If you were underwhelmed by the demo, the recent "Look And Feel" video might cheer you up - it shows the game to much greater advantage than today's brief playable. Like most Ubisoft franchises GRAW has settled into Annual Release status, but the face-lift provided is not insignificant - the demo is simply too familiar to communicate it well.
I'm wondering which (if any) of these new treats will get any play in the competitive and cooperative modes. The reason I ask is that it is now the norm for Ubi shooters to utilize different assets (and often a different team) to execute the multiplayer, and in the first GRAW particularly the cover gameplay was almost completely excised. In addition, the visuals took a marked step down. I mean, we still played it every night, and then purchased the expansion, but the disparity is real. Will the new Mule be a fixture in multi? Will I be able to look through the drone directly? Will I be able to give rich, context-specific commands to squadmates - just as I can in single-player? I enjoyed GRAW, but I think I could like it a lot more if it were less schizophrenic in its implementation.
(CW)TB
