“Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege” has come a long way since its early, partially hollow launch in 2015, becoming a more cohesive and complete tactical shooter. So, it’s not unusual for the player base to be on the edge of their seats when Ubisoft Montreal teased “Siege X.” Its advertisements scream “confidence” with its high-octane gameplay footage and its developers praising it like this is a completely new game. However, with that level of bravado, you better have fitting material to back it up.
Despite this, I’m not saying “Siege X” is bad. This is the definitive way to experience “Rainbow Six: Siege,” and, even better, it’s now free. I just wish there was more in show to match all the hype.
An easy way to explain what “Siege X” is to “Rainbow Six: Siege” would be to compare it to what its rival “Counter-Strike 2” is to “Counter Strike: Global Offensive.” It’s largely the same game with its primary differences being game mode changes and appearance.
The presentation has slightly improved, more noticeably on specific maps like “Chalet” and “Club House.” The audio, on the other hand, is tweaked, so it’s easier to tell where noises come from without confusion.
For gameplay, there’s a handful of changes that have players like me scratching their heads about why they weren’t already in the game.
Most appreciated is the new advanced rappel system. You can now swing around corners on the exterior of buildings while in rappel mode, which beats tediously walking to a different wall and rappelling again. Additionally, you can sprint across walls.
Ubisoft Montreal also added “destructible ingredients,” which are environmental feats in specific areas. You can shoot fire extinguishers for a quick smokescreen or gas pipes to make them spew flames. That’s cool, but nobody’s really utilizing them because they’re not as useful as something like the metal detectors that blare when someone trots through them.
“Siege X” was delivered on time with the beginning of its second season in Year 10, so it’s worth discussing the rework of Clash on the defenders’ side.
Like her fellow operators Blackbeard and Tachanka, Clash is different from how she used to be. She’s more versatile with her CCE Shield, being able to sprint, crash through barricades, and—more notably—deploy her shield as a source of cover. This opens opportunities for her to peek around it and fire her weapon.
There are some takeaways, though. Firstly, the jolts of electricity it shoots no longer deal damage, they just slow enemies and make them audibly squeal. Then, the zap button has been changed to “B” since left clicking lets you look around while still facing forward. Zapping is also now a toggled ability, which would make more sense when the shield itself is deployed rather than while she’s holding it. Lastly is how the shield can be broken if deployed, but Clash can also break it herself in a last-ditch effort by vaulting through it in a surprise attack.
Perhaps the best changes are in the Unranked (previously “Standard”) and Ranked game modes.
Unranked now follows the same match structure as Ranked. During the first six rounds, it’s a best of four, but should both teams tie with three wins each, there’s a three round overtime to settle the score.
Both Unranked and Ranked now contain a new version of the operator banning phase. Both teams can ban an operator on the opposing team’s roster before each round. Once you swap teams, who your team banned will not be in effect towards you, meaning the enemy team can pick different operators to ban from who you chose. Should you reach overtime, all your bans toward the other team get reapplied.
This is a great choice. Where the previous system of banning one attacker and one defender was based on who your team thinks is the nastiest in a specific map, this system feels more tethered to knocking out the operator that frustrated your team the most in a previous round. This forces players to learn every operator and not just stick to one, should they stick to their favorite.
The greatest addition that “Siege X” brings is the Dual Front game mode. Two teams of six players each are dropped into a large map to plant a sabotage kit in the enemy’s sectors while defending their own. However, one team could win early by completing an alternate objective, like capturing a hostage. There’s unlimited respawns, a combined roster of attackers and defenders, an expanded time limit, and destructible surfaces to be utilized. It’s an absolute blast, even though it only currently has one map.
Your overall experience differentiates depending on your edition of the game. The free edition allows you to play Quick Match, Unranked, and Dual Front, but unlocking operators takes longer. If you want to play Ranked or the tournament-style Siege Cup game modes, you need to pay $19.99 for the Elite Edition, or $39.99 for the Ultimate Edition that instantly unlocks all operators and some exclusive skins.
RATING:
“Siege X” is a questionable specimen. It’s a bold rebrand for “Rainbow Six: Siege” that doesn’t completely deliver in terms of what’s new but thankfully doesn’t harm anything already existent. Simultaneously, it feels like a set of updates that should have already existed. Nevertheless, one of the biggest competitive first-person shooters is now free, and it’s one that all fans of the genre should try.