Dive into Rainbow Six Siege between now and July 16th and you can take part in the game’s latest limited time event. The Western-themed Showdown rocks a bevy of new cosmetic items to unlock as well as game mode of the same name.
Tension and tactics are the two T’s that have traditionally held up the massively popular Tom Clancy shooter. Sprawling multi-layered maps with incredibly accurate guns pointed wherever your team’s intel guide them, with well-planned preparation phases leading to nail-baiting stand-offs.
Showdown does away with just about all of that with action-packed, rapid-fire rounds. Each one lasts just ninety seconds, pitting one team of three attacking lawmen against three defending outlaws (alternating every turn). Victory is secured by either wiping out the enemy team or successfully securing a cache of gold bars located towards the centre of the map.
Speaking of the map, Fort Truth is a dusty, sun-bleached tribute to the Old West that has been crafted specifically for Showdown. Due to the mode’s quicker tempo and reduced player count, it’s smaller than your typical Siege map, though still has some complexities in its three lane design.
To make this a fair fight, the ten playable Operators featured in this event have had their weapons and gadgets stripped away. Instead you’ll only have access to the BOSG.12.2 and Magnum LFP586. While this is in keeping with the cowboy theme, these weapons are a damn sight less accurate than the pimped out firearms you’re used to wielding in the rest of the game. As a result, the gunplay can feel ropey, especially on consoles, though it’s an intentional choice.
Overall it’s a fun mode that the team at Ubisoft Montreal has clearly put some thought into despite it getting the boot in several days, as Siege returns to normal. Showdown isn’t for everyone, but those who decide to dabble in some old-fashioned gunslinging can bag themselves some swanky new threads.
Maverick, Alibi, Rook, and Caveira are a handful of the ten featured Operators who have been dressed up for this event. The new headgear and uniforms are among some of the game’s most ostentatious, though require R6 credits to unlock. That, or you can earn a random item for every 10 Showdown victories.
Since launch, Rainbow Six Siege has stuck to the same small cluster of core game modes. Perfectly engineered for competitive play, there has been little reason for Ubisoft Montreal to expand this list, though the appetite is definitely there and Showdown shows that the team are looking at how to expand what they’re doing with the game.
With no plans for a direct sequel, one day we hope the studio will introduce an arcade-style playlist for fans to muck around in, or maybe even a quicker, more casual Siege spin-off. Following the announcement of Rainbow Six Quarantine – an upcoming co-op shooter inspired by another previous limited time event – anything can happen.
