Ubisoft has revealed a surprise first arcade mode for Rainbow Six Siege: Golden Gun, a tribute to GoldenEye 007's custom mode of the same name, running from today through March 23. The rules are simple: everyone has a one-hit kill Golden Deagle, which must be reloaded after each shot.

This probably goes without saying, but it feels pretty good to drop an enemy with a single pistol shot. Ubisoft has tweaked the physics so that each shot has the power of a cannon. When the bullets really start flying, corpses dance around the room as if staged by John Woo.

Gadgets are still to come, but Ubisoft has carefully selected the right operators for this mode. For now, we recommend three-speed operators like Ash and Alibi. The increased speed is a big bonus in situations where you spend half your time dodging enemy fire while reloading. Thanks to a new reload animation unique to this mode, it takes twice as long as usual to load the next round.

Supercharged Degas have other fun characteristics. Windows, doors, and hatches can be shattered with a single bullet. It can also punch a melon-sized murder hole in a wall with a single bullet. It's basically an all-in-one Swiss Army gun.

Golden Gun is a perfect silly game, but I can already see some things that could be improved the next time Ubi brings it back to Siege. I have noticed that many people rush for a knife kill when they miss their first shot. Knife kills are fun in their own way, but they betray the spirit of the Golden Gun. For now, this mode is also limited to reworking the new Oregon map. Since there are no special modifications to this map for the Golden Gun, I see no reason for its limitation.

Golden Gun is still a great debut mode for Siege's new "Arcade" playlist. The idea is to run small, casual modes occasionally on the weekends to play with friends. I like the idea of a quick side activity when you are waiting for a friend's match to finish or when you need something relaxing after an extended ranked match. We plan to add new modes each season and build a reliable hopper of modes that Ubi can cycle through.

I also like the idea of modes being time-limited. Overwatch has an always-on arcade mode, which I would never touch, but for modes I don't want to play for weeks, the scheduled immediacy of Golden Gun is more appealing. It's like the McRib of tactical shooters; Golden Gun is playable through Monday, so play it while you can.