Every character has the choice of two primary weapons, maybe two types of explosives, and that’s it. With that large cast comes a stricter loadout. For one, it’s large compared to other titles in the genre, closer resembling a fighting game. The character roster is another distinct element to Rainbow Six Siege. Guns rarely require more than two or three quick bursts to kill an opposing player, and healing is an almost adorably naive idea, unless a teammate runs one of the very few healer characters in the roster. The vast majority of winning a fight in most first-person shooters comes down to who sees who first, and in something like Rainbow Six: Siege it becomes skewed even higher. This is something you must avoid being in Rainbow Six Siege, because death is oh-so-harsh and gawd-damned-quick. Running just makes you a large, clumsy, and loud target. Unlike Counter Strike and some other popular first-person shooters like Call of Duty or Apex Legends, Rainbow Six: Siege’s action is significantly less bonkers. The defensive team wins if it’s killed all the offensive players and/or have enabled the bombs timer to run out (but is blowing yourself up really winning? Tactical shooters tend to take the “Yes” stance here). The offensive team wins if it’s killed all the defensive players and/or have defused one of the two bombs. What are we doing?!? Let’s get caught up on Rainbow Six: SiegeĪnd play Rainbow Six: Siege I did! What I discovered was a fun tactical first-person shooter, with the obligatory and unabashedly Counter-Strike-influenced structure: a team of Offensive Operatives try to dispatch a team of Defensive Operatives, who are usually protecting one of two bomb sites. Above: We’re going to protect these bombs until they blow up.