Updated Info & Screen Shots: In my first preview I talked about the new
changes for the upcoming Rainbow Six game. Ubisoft has now released some new info on the special Sniper mode and some interesting new features for the game. You will notice that the game is now slated for a March release.

For PC players the chance to play as any one of the 4 members in the elite squad is nothing new and was one of the features that made the PC version different from the console versions. Now Xbox and PS2 owners will get a taste of playing as two of the elite members during the game. Gamers will also get a chance to enter a brand new "Sniper mode" where the game will allow gamers a chance to snipe enemies from several locations including from a moving helicopter! It also seem the storyline will feature a darker plot. While trying not to ruin the surprises Ubisoft has in store for the gamers, it was released that each mission the team will be in danger from several new threats including betrayal from possible team members gone bad.

Rainbow Six has become very popular online. Xbox Live players have formed elite "Clans" and the game has given both online services a shot in the arm. Now with the new career online mode exclusive only for the Xbox version, this one is sure to have players logging some time online. The offline mode will feature 16 missions and 7 of those focuses on the new Sniper mode and will be the main goal. While reading over the new press info, I also looked at a few message boards and rumors were plenty about whom the two characters that gamers would control in the game would be. It has been confirmed that the 2-members will be Ding Chavez, the leader of the group, and Dieter Weber. Of course the last few games have been centered around Chavez so gamers will get some new perspectives on the game as well as some new background info on Weber. I have included the online features again and some great new screen shots. It looks like this will be a big hit for Ubisoft come March.

Press:

In Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown, you lead Team Rainbow, the world's most elite counter-terrorist unit, as they are called into action and unfamiliar territory to battle a bioterrorist threat. Stakes escalate as they are personally targeted by an evil terrorist organization. Used to protecting the lives of others, Team Rainbow must now embark on a mission to fight and save some of their own.

The next Rainbow Six installment will introduce new single player experience with a personal darker storyline, state-of-the-art equipment, and offer gamers the chance to play as two members of Team Rainbow: Ding Chavez, the fearless leader of Team Rainbow, and a new sniper role portrayed by Dieter Weber, who must cover his team's movement with deadly accuracy.

The Xbox version will get a new & amazing exclusive mode that will bring the multiplayer experience to a further level of excellence.

Features:

• Stunning graphics and ultra-realistic "ragdoll" physics deliver staggering realism and spectacular close quarter firefights.
  
• New elite operatives for the most captivating squad-based gameplay : 10 multinational operatives, including Recon, Electronics and Demolitions experts are available to help you to complete the missions as you command your 3 AI-teamates through Quick Order Interface or Voice Command.
  
• Superior multiplayer experience: One of the best multiplayer games ever returns with the classics: Adversarial & Cooperative modes through Split-Screen & on-line. Additionally exclusive mode make their appearance with:
  
• New Xbox Live "Career Mode" allows players to create their own operative, improve their skills and acquire extra equipment in all-new objective-based missions.
• Increasingly intelligent enemy A.I.: With every mission, enemies get more dangerous using tactics like flanking, suppression fire and room clearing.
  
• New weapons and equipment: Complete your mission with all of the tools of the trade including new items like motion trackers, battering rams, and the deadly MTAR-21 micro assault rifle.
  
• Tension-building sound effects: Creaking floorboards, whispers and hostages begging for their lives hint that a threat lurks around every corner.
  

Rainbow Six has been a cash cow for both the PS2 and the Xbox systems.
It has even given both online systems a shot in the arm and has been jammed by players. While the last 2 games have been great, players have wanted a few new things added and a new direction as far as the basic storyline. It seems Ubisoft has listened and the next game will not only have a new title it will have new characters, weapons and even a new enemy. Taken from today's headlines the enemy will be a Bio-Terrorist and things are about to heat up in a big way for fans of the game.

Let's face it, the series has the right mix of modes with a single player mode and several online modes that make it hard to beat. It also adds the realistic storylines and actions taken from the real-life group that the series is based on. The series is a blast to play online it has a lot too offer. Now players that enjoy online play will also have new features. In the PS2 version there is a new rivalry mode and for the Xbox there will be a new career online mode. Take a look at the great screen shots from the early build of the game. We also know that the game will now focus more on team play than ever before and I for one love this fact. If you have entered a room filled with players, you may have noticed people just killing everyone. This time players will be punished for shooting a member of their own team. Also the 2 new characters will change the single-player mode dramatically for both versions of the game. They also have worked on adding even more realistic looking environments and a smarter AI system.

New characters, new modes and a new nasty threat sounds cool to me. It looks like Red Storm and Ubisoft has a real winner this spring. Listed below are the features for both the PS2 and the Xbox versions. We will update the preview with new screen shots and more on the new characters and modes when Ubisoft has the game near the finished staged.

Features:

• · Superior multiplayer experience: One of the best multiplayer games ever returns with a revolutionary multiplayer experience for Xbox Live and the PlayStation 2.
• · Xbox Live: New "Career Mode" allow players to create their own operative, improve their skills and acquire extra equipment in all-new objective-based missions.
• · PlayStation 2: New Rivalry Mode pits Rainbow operatives against trained mercenaries in objective-driven team-based adversarial gameplay.
• · New weapons and equipment: Complete your mission with all of the tools of the trade including new items like motion trackers, battering rams, and the deadly MTAR-21 micro assault rifle.
• · Stunning graphics and ultra-realistic "ragdoll" physics deliver staggering realism and spectacular close quarter firefights.
• · Tension-building sound effects: Creaking floorboards, whispers and hostages begging for their lives hint that a threat lurks around every corner.
• · Increasingly intelligent enemy A.I.: With every mission, enemies get more dangerous using tactics like flanking, suppression fire and room clearing.