And positioning is really what Vegas is all about, thanks to an excellent new cover system. By holding down the Left Trigger, you will switch to a third-person view and duck behind cover, be it a slot machine, an Axe Body Spray sign or a bombed out Dodge Durango (product placement, you see.) While in cover, you can still aim and safely blind-fire. Among the greatest moves in the game is placing your reticule on an enemy face, popping out from cover for a split second, firing a single, brain-splattering round, and sliding back into cover. By pushing up on the stick, you can pop out above cover. By hitting left or right, you can pop out to the side. The system is, quite simply, the best use of cover in any shooter, more intuitive and smoother than even Gears of War. From a doorway, you can pop out, check that the room is clear, and then actually bend all the way around the wall -- you have 360 degrees of movement. By letting go of the left-trigger, you swing right back into first person.
Going back and playing other FPSs just isn't the same anymore. When I duck behind a corner, I don't want to stare at a poorly-textured wall before strafing out into the open. I want to peak around the corner, line up a shot, and shoot things. The only downside to the cover system is that Ubisoft found your squad to get a little crowded at times, so the fourth member of Team Rainbow was removed to make room.