Oh man is this game fun. After lots of training with solo terrorist hunt mode in realistic difficulty and heavy enemy density, suddenly the story mode became lots easier (because I'd gotten the hang of the controls and the weapons by then). The new challenge became trying to find the best tactical way into or out of situations, including preserving my team.

I played it so much yesterday that I dreamt about one of the scenes. And it's cool when you get realistic dreams like that.

Anyway, the first part, which was some border town in Mexico, was rather slow and boring in comparison to the Las Vegas part. We got to raid casinos being held siege by hordes of terrorists. And it's really awesome to have your comrades in weapons free. Set them up behind sufficient cover and they really clear the area. This is the main difference that I've noticed from the old Rainbow Six games I played (particularly Rogue Spear). The teammate AI is really good. They take cover, and they actually fire smart shots including suppressive fire when necessary. In fact, you can probably finish the game without having to fire your own weapon, if you can direct them properly.

Also, stealth isn't as important in this game as it was in Rogue Spear. It's a different kind of fun, like I said. In this game, you can actually survive even if you don't ever use your silencers, even when clearing out rooms with hostages. But in Rogue Spear, even visual cover was very important. I remember that one crazy mission where I had to go into an enemy house, plant a bug in the room, and get out. Leave no trace, kill no one and let nobody see me.

I'll play some more later. I think I'm still a long way from the end of the game. But I hope the future chapters are just as fun, or even more fun, than the casinos part. :D