SORE THUMBS: Go Online or Die

Rainbow Six is frustrating as single-player, ingenious online

Matthew Scott Hunter

"Oh, God! They sent me to war with morons!" This is not something you want to say in a squad-based, tactical shooter. Unfortunately, by the third or fourth time a member of your squad whines impatiently, "Still awaiting orders, sir," you might find yourself screaming those words. For the most part, your squad's actions aren't really any more ill-advised than they were in previous installments, but to give your combat brethren a little more personality, Ubisoft has given them some extraordinarily annoying lines to repeat, ad nauseam.


The single-player campaign also has added sniper missions. Though fun at first, you'll quickly realize these missions merely give you a distant, bird's-eye view of how dumb your camouflaged brothers in arms can be. You may frequently find yourself forgetting to pick off enemy targets from afar in favor of watching, dumbfounded, as your squad fails to eliminate enemies, right in front of them.


Fortunately, the Rainbow Six series has always been about the online multiplayer, and this is still where it earns its stripes. When there's an actual human brain imbedded in each of your teammates, you're free to appreciate the game's subtly ingenious level designs.



MARIO SUPERSTAR BASEBALL (E) (3.5 stars)


Nintendo

GameCube


From golf to tennis and beyond, Mario's had no qualms about showing off his athleticism lately, and since he's been hurling fireballs for years, it's no wonder he's finally found himself on the pitcher's mound. With its wacky power-ups, the Mushroom Kingdom's new pastime can be fun in the batting cage. But when it comes to the sluggish fielding, you won't believe these are the same nimble characters from some of the trickiest platformers of all time.



NASCAR 06: TOTAL TEAM CONTROL (E) (3.5 stars)


EA Sports

PlayStation 2, Xbox


This year's NASCAR is geared toward drivers who've gotten bored with only one car. Now you can switch between cars in the pack, gradually navigating your team to the front. In short races, the convention becomes frustrating, with the A.I. squandering your lead while you deal with other cars, but the long races give you time to focus on tactics, which distracts you from noticing you're monotonously turning left.



ADVANCE WARS: DUAL STRIKE (E) (4.5 stars)


Nintendo

Nintendo DS


Advance Wars: Dual Strike is the best thing to happen to handheld gaming since Fire Emblem, which was the best thing to happen to handheld gaming since the original Advance Wars. Forget about pixel-pooping puppies; this addictive, turn-based strategy RPG is the best game on Nintendo DS. War is heaven.



Matthew Scott Hunter has been known to mumble, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" in his sleep. E-mail him at
[email protected].

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