The first FPS games are believed to have been Maze War in 1973 and Spasim in 1974. It wasn’t until 1993 when the much beloved Doom was made, and turned the norm away from on-rails gameplay, to free roaming. This paved the way for the easily recognizable titles like Halo, Call of Duty, Battlefield, and of course Rainbow Six.

This franchise has been around since their 1998 release, Rainbow Six. They have released 18 games in total, the most recent one being Rainbow Six Siege. Siege has been by far the most popular game in the franchise’s history with an upwards of 25 million copies sold on PC, PS4, and Xbox One within two years of the game’s release.

Players love the game for many reasons, but what makes it stand out from other FPS games is how tactical it is. Their slogan “FPS has a new set of Rules” says it all. Siege takes a different stance on shooters by walking away from the typical run and gun, reflexive type and going with very slow and methodical gameplay. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll need to have good reflexes for Siege, but it’s not as important as the logic and critical thinking that the game requires.

Siege games consist of 5 vs. 5 matches. Each match is made up of three minute rounds, first team to win five rounds in Ranked, or three in Casual, wins the match. Two teams switch back and forth between attack and defense. Before each round, the defenders reinforce and prepare for the incoming assault, while the attackers drone out the building to plan out their offensive.

Currently, Siege allows players to pick from 32 operators, 16 on attack and 16 on defense, each of them having a unique ability or gadget that requires teamwork and coordination. Operators can become very situational depending on the map.

Multiple modes are included in the game like Secure Area, Bomb, Hostage, and then a few PvE game modes. This ensures variety of gameplay and strategy that will not easily bore.

The intense, tactical feel that the gameplay gives, forces players to slow down and take their time. This idea is also enforced by players only getting one life per round. Having no respawns, gives players more incentive to stay alive. No health regeneration (except for two operators) means that taking shots at all is bad, especially when it only takes a few shots to take someone down or just one head shot.

Every map in the game is built in such a way were strategy is necessary and close-quarter combat is inevitable. To add on to the chaos; many walls, floors, and ceilings are destructible. This can be used to get line of sight or surprise your enemy. In order to succeed in Siege, map knowledge is imperative. Knowing were to flank, were people will be, where cameras are, and much more will give you the edge.

Overall, I think that Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege would be a great game to buy if you would like a critical thinking, team work based game. And, to ensure you won’t drop the game quickly, four free DLC’s come out every year with new operators, weapons, gadgets, and maps.