Michael ‘shroud’ Grzeseik has criticized Ubisoft tactical shooter Rainbow Six: Siege for leaning into realism too much, saying some of the game’s “unnecessary features” add up to “ruin competitive integrity.”
Rainbow Six: Siege is one of the most complex tactical shooters on the market. Its realistic aspects — like one-shot headshots, reload mechanics, and real world settings — make it unique.
However, while these things have some players claiming Siege is the ultimate competitive game, FPS veteran shroud disagrees.
Shroud criticized Ubisoft for over-complicating the game by adding “unnecessary features” that detracted from the game’s competitive experience. While things like one-shot headshots are a nice touch, quirks with reload mechanics aren’t.
“Rainbow Six Siege strives itself to be a competitive tactical shooter, but then they do so many little things that are so unnecessary that people don’t notice or care for except for just ruining competitive integrity,” he said.
“If you reload on zero bullets, or one bullet, the reload time is different. Yes, I get it, I know why, real gun, bullet in the chamber – It’s a competitive game. The reload time of a weapon should be the exact same, no matter the situation.
“The difference in reload time…creates an inconsistency in crucial moments. It’s an unnecessary feature. The features like that – they don’t have a purpose. They’re just there because somebody in the company [thought it should be].”
He also took aim at the low health mechanic of muffling audio and dimming visuals. While it boosts realism, it puts players on an uneven battlefield, and he doesn’t like it.
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“A lot of shooters have this stupid mechanic…when you’re low on HP, your audio starts to muffle, your screen starts to dim, I hate it. I get why they have it, but I hate it.”
While Siege wasn’t the only game in his sights — with the streamer making reference to Call of Duty as well — he said that given Rainbow Six is billed as competitive, it shouldn’t have features that detract from that experience.
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“That’s what confuses me about game development, when you’re trying to make something competitive, and then add a tiny little detail like that,” he said.
Given how ingrained these features are in Siege, it’ll be hard for Ubisoft to turn around and take them out.
However, with Year 5 Season 2 around the corner, there’s hope yet for players who might want a more competitive experience.
