Vegas goes to MLG!

[xGOxVEGANx]

In just a few weeks, Rainbow Six Vegas will make its debut on Major League Gaming’s 2007 Pro Circuit. Fans of the Rainbow series have played various iterations of this title for more than eight years. With the announcement that MLG picked up the title for the new season, they finally have a chance to stand out and prove they are among the best gamers in the world. What can we expect from Rainbow Six Vegas as the game and the community behind it make their first steps into the professional world?

For those of you not already a fan of the Rainbow Six series, Vegas and its predecessors are tactical, squad-based shooting games, where teams of players modeled after the fictional counter-terrorism team from Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six novel battle against terrorists in locations modeled after the real world. In the multiplayer portion of the game, players face off in a variety of gametypes using the same real-world weapons and tactical teamwork in realistic settings like offices, casinos and small towns.

The skill and teamwork required to be successful in Rainbow Six are quite different than those in Halo’s competitive world. Individual encounters can end incredibly quickly since players do not have the mobility to escape in open spaces and a well-placed headshot can bring you down rapidly. An incredible amount of tactical patience is required to safely advance through a map with your teammates and the emphasis on shooting skill is much higher than most other shooting titles. A player might get the drop on an opponent and open up with a barrage of bullets into their body, but if they have better control over their weapons, they can turn and headshot quickly for a kill. However, the maps are designed with the real world in mind, so there are plenty of doorways, crevices and hiding spots that could allow opposing teams to mow down opponents from cover. A player must work with teammates to accomplish goals. This interesting blend of teamwork and individual skill makes Vegas an ideal competitive title.

Needless to say, the Rainbow Six community is incredibly excited about the prospect of competing on a national stage for big prize money with Major League Gaming. MLG recently had a chance to talk to G8keeper, the leader of Legion of the Apocalypse (LOA), a gaming clan and active member of the Rainbow Six community. When asked about the community he explained, “MLG has been our goal with Vegas from day one. We are a group of passionate players that are loyal to the traditional first-person shooter. We never had a forum this large to show our skill until now.”

The top Rainbow Six Vegas players will not have to wait long for their chance to compete, as the first MLGPro.com online tournament kicks off soon. With the solid set of tournament rules developed by MLG and the chance to win money for being the best in the world, this tournament should be the first true test of competitive Vegas action for the Rainbow Six community. “Before MLG,” G8Keeper explained, “there were a couple places for teams to organize competition, like GameBattles, but there was no ‘one stop’ place for competition.”

G8Keeper also felt that MLG tourneys will raise the bar for competition and force top teams to face each other on the path to tournament success. He said, “It's nice to finally play with something on the line. Free services are nice in practice, but you tend to get refs and staff that aren’t interested in improving the competition. We love the idea that there is a reputable company like MLG supporting this game that will allow us to play top teams. There is no avoiding competition now. The teams that are really good will show up and play.”

After the conclusion of MLG’s initial online tournament for Vegas, the first Pro Circuit event of 2007 will kick off in Charlotte. The Pro Circuit will be the first chance for the best teams in the Rainbow Six world to test their mettle in a live event with thousands of dollars on the line. “We love live events,” said G8Keeper about his clan, which sent Halo 2 teams to MLG events in the past. “Looking your opponent in the face, hearing the panic when they are losing, the cheers of fans when something unbelievable happens, it’s great!” He also praised the effects that live events will have on the balance of competition, saying “The LAN events will reduce any host advantages and keep things fair. It’ll also be nice to see the teams working together in person, rather than as faceless voices over Xbox Live.”

Ultimately, these live events are what the Rainbow community sought from the beginning. They actively worked with MLG’s game testers over the course of the off-season and showcased their incredible dedication to competition through sites like MLG’s GameBattles in the process. The work demonstrated the Vegas community, and not just the title, was worthy of MLG’s Pro Circuit. G8Keeper shared his respect for the efforts of the community by saying “I’m very proud to be a part of the team captains who worked with MLG. We were honestly focused on one goal together, getting Rainbow Six on MLG’s tour. Because, let’s be honest, if it’s not MLG its not the best. If you want to be the best players in the game, you go to MLG. If you want second tier, you go someplace else.”

Congratulations to the dedicated community of Rainbow Six players who earned the right to compete on the biggest stage in competitive gaming. Major League Gaming is happy to bring such a dedicated and passionate community into the ranks of the Pro Circuit. Rainbow Six Vegas players earned the shot to show the world what they can do through MLG’s online and live events in 2007.
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I knew this would happen, and even better, it's in the circuit. That means if we do well in the online tournaments we can go to the reallllll deal. MLG shows what games have what it takes to be a good game, and a competitive game.

Eat me, GRAW 2. :)