One of the most exciting games of 2011 has just become available on the App Store today. The latest game in the long-running Rainbox Six tactical shooter series has had a lengthy hype campaign ramping up over the last few months, and now we've got the chance to try it out for ourselves. Shadow Vanguard was developed by Gameloft which has essentially dominated the iOS shooter genre with games like N.O.V.A. 2 [iTunes Link] and Modern Combat 2 [iTunes Link]. We're looking forward to seeing what they're able to do with the Rainbow Six series.

We've featured Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Shadow Vanguard [iTunes Link] on the site a couple of times in the past simply because of how gorgeous it looks. Unfortunately, the gorgeous looks also mean that original iPhone and 3G owners are getting left out in the cold. This one is only for newer iOS devices. Cutting out the weaker iDevices may have been a good move though because initial buzz is already quite positive for this game. The iTunes rating is already a lofty four and a half stars with 31 perfect scores.

The game sounds remarkably like any other game in the Rainbow Six series, but that's nothing to scoff at. If Gameloft is able to bring the console tactical shooter experience to the iPhone that would be a fantastic achievement. We're big fans of taking out unreasonable, evil scum with extreme prejudice. Mac|Life does not negotiate with terrorists.

Shadow Vanguard released earlier today for the price of $6.99. Check out the launch trailer below.