Game review: Ready or Not (Xbox Series X)
There was a time nearly two decades ago when Ubisoft released multiple Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon games at a constant rate. The reason these two game franchises were so popular was that they were tactical shooters featuring realistic team-based gameplay. Even if players did not have any friends, they could still play these games with computer-controlled allies instead.
Sadly, in more recent years, Ubisoft decided not to make any more Ghost Recon games after the 2019 release of Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Breakpoint was a disappointment because computer-controlled allies were not included at launch. They were eventually added in as a patch a few months later.
As for the Rainbow Six series, Ubisoft sadly stopped making single-player-focused games on this franchise due to the immense success of the PvP-oriented Rainbow Six Siege in 2015. I used to be a fan of the old Rainbow Six games, but stopped playing them when Siege was a multiplayer-only experience.
Thankfully, a new developer has stepped up due to Ubisoft's absence in the tactical-shooter market. VOID Interactive released a Rainbow Six-style clone called Ready or Not in 2023 for PC gamers. This is not to be confused with the unrelated Ready or Not horror movie from 2019. Anyway, the game is out now for console players for the first time as it's available for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players too in 2025.
Much like the old Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon games, Ready or Not is a story-based single-player game because players can also use four other computer-controlled police officers as part of their team. For those who have friends, they can play the game online if their teammates are good enough to tackle the game's challenging missions.
Ready or Not takes place in current-day America, where players control officers from the Los Sueños Police Department (LSPD). Your mission is to pretty much arrest or kill lots of different criminals around the country, while trying to save any innocent hostages along the way. Some of the criminals you will have to face include terrorists, robbers, sex traffickers, and drug dealers.
Before you get a chance to play the main game itself, there is a helpful tutorial to play through for console players who did not play the PC version. One of the things console players need to know about Ready or Not is that it strives for realism, so there's no auto-aim option! Ready or Not players need to aim their gun manually, like in real life.
Another thing younger players need to know is that Ready or Not is realistic, so the gameplay is slow-paced and involves teamwork as well. This isn't like a Call of Duty game where the gunplay is fast-paced and you're forced to shoot everything in sight without any tactics.
Instead, you're required to slowly approach doors and make sure when to arrest or kill a suspect that might be hiding behind a wall. You can order your team to enter doors before you do, or allow them to throw a flash bang to blind enemies. You can even use a special camera to see what is behind a door before you enter it.
If you need to enter more than one door at a time, you can split your team into two different groups. Your main team can be split into the Red team or Blue Team if you need to enter different doors. You can also tell the team to move or protect you since the whole mission is over if you die only once!
Each mission may require you to apprehend or kill every criminal, while at the same time; you have to try your best to save all of the hostages. You cannot be too trigger-happy in this game because you might accidentally kill a hostage if a criminal is holding them in a headlock. There are also other missions you may need to complete, such as collecting incriminating evidence on a computer or something like that.
To make missions easier for you, you can choose the loadout and team you want to take before you enter a mission. You can equip non-lethal ammo if you want to go through a pacifist run, since arresting suspects gives you a better mission score. You can also use heavy armour on your characters if the criminals are using a lot of firepower.
Speaking of firepower, there are loads of different weapons and gadgets you can use in this game as well. By default, you have night vision goggles for better visibility and a lockpick to open doors. There are also tons of pistols, scopes, shotguns, and assault rifles to equip during this game too.
Not to mention, the game is quite generous with the number of missions that are available at launch for console players. The main story includes 18 missions, while another two are added as free DLC. It took me around 12 hours to finish the main story mode. If you love the game so much, more missions are available as paid DLC packs.
As much fun as I had playing Ready or Not on Xbox, there are some niggling flaws. For one thing, the game does not have any checkpoints whatsoever! I remember failing a mission in 30 minutes because the last bad guy snuck up to me and shot me in the face with a shotgun. Due to this unfortunate incident, I had to play through the whole mission again from the beginning.
The game also has an unhelpful map that doesn't pinpoint where any hostages or enemies are. Sometimes you can roam around the map for five minutes or more just trying to locate where the last criminal or hostage might be. This is by far the most boring aspect of the game thus far.
Another small gripe is that the game is too realistic because your teammates suffer from psychological damage if the missions are intense. If your teammates are stressed out, you need to give them counselling sessions and rotate them with new members. Sure, this game mechanic is realistic, but I thought it was unnecessary since I've never seen this in Ubisoft's games before.
Despite some minor flaws, Ready or Not is an excellent game mainly because it revives a gaming genre that we don't see very often. The game is intense and enjoyable, plus you can play it both offline and online. Fans of the old Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon games should check this game out ASAP.
Verdict: 8.5/10
