15 Best Ubisoft Video Games Of The 2000s

7. Rainbow Six Vegas

After a few solid entries that pleased the die-hard PC shooter audience, the Rainbow Six franchise was in desperate need of a shake up. Attempting to compete with other shooters while retaining the tactical, high-risk-high-reward gameplay that made the series popular, Vegas introduced an elaborate single-player story mode, adopted contemporary mechanics like regenerating health and punctuated shootouts with explosive set-pieces.

It was risky, but the new approach balanced the best of both worlds. The tactical awareness of the old games was still there, and a mix of third-person gameplay and standard first-person shooting helped distinguish the title from a whole host of modern-military games that were flooding the market at the time, allowing the sequel to properly break into the mainstream.

The Vegas setting was a stroke of genius as well. Unlike the high-stakes missions found in the original games, the layout of expansive casinos as well as the streets of the city itself made for an unpredictable and challenging landscape to navigate, and awarded the sequel with an instantly-recognisable identity.