If you like sniping games this is probably high on your list of games to play. Even if you aren't a sniper lover this should still be high on your list. Next to a few others like Battlefield, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 1/2, etc... Well coming along now is the 3rd game in the Sniper Elite franchise and by god does it not disappoint. The game is rife with beautiful levels, intense objectives, and amazing mechanics. Let's pick our rifles, aim down our scopes, and hold our breaths because we're about to dive into one helluva review.
Story: Your generic gruff man pre-modern military power trip. It's nothing particularly new, but the narration style keeps you entrenched enough to enjoy the game. Really don't care much for the protagonist as he's too forgettable. But, this isn't really the main focus of the game either. Props for not recklessly throwing out a half assed story. But, by no means am I impressed either. 7/10
Gameplay: I had quite a lot of fun and although I'm what people would some likely call a sniping amateur I was still able to enjoy this sniper enthusiast game. How? you might ask? The game offers multiple modes, the hardest setting "Authetntic," stating that you either have to be a sniping purist or a masochist to attempt. I'm inclined to believe them since I've already had trouble with the normal "Marksman" difficulty. The title gives you lots of options to play with in game as well and most times it involves more stealth than actual sniping.(Great for people who enjoy stealth games) There's also the choice to go Rambo and light up the enemy AI, but ammunition for everything but your rifle is limited and it's something you'll probably want to avoid. Kill cameras are highly satisfying and there are sweet rewards for advanced sniping and impressive shots over long distances. The game isn't perfect however, Enemy AI tends to be dumb as rocks unless alerted and when alerted they stop at almost nothing to have your head. This is a problem only compounded by some awkward camera angles for this third person shooter. All in all a good effort by Rebellion and deserving of an 8/10.
Graphics: My oh my this is fantastically done in my opinion. The environments are both rich and satisfying. Every gory shot was also made personable by the fantastic kill cam and its ability to capture all of the bullet physics without faltering. My frames rarely ever dropped below 60 and most of my settings were turned to high with shadows being turned to medium for faster DPI. Character models are on point for the era and not only historically accurate, but well applied. There are some concerns regarding the fact that this isn't a new generation game. But reviewing it with last-gen in mind the graphics are quite well polished. There is one problem and I'm not quite sure where it stems from, but playing this game makes me queasy like with Bioshock and a few other titles. I can't tell if its camera sway, the unpolished graphics, or maybe the gory kill cam. But, for whatever reason I cannot stomach more than 1-2 hr sessions of this game at a time. 8/10 for Decent graphics and exceptional environments.
Sound: Perhaps the most impressive part of this game. The soundtrack and Sound FX reel in this title is absolutely stunning. I got addicted to listening to the ping of the M1 Garand's clip popping out. It's almost therapeutic how good this game sounds in comparison to other shooters. The guns actually sound like guns, both powerful and commanding. Splatter, cracking, etc... are all pretty on point as well. No, sound is left unchecked and unpolished and thanks to that this game's Sound earns a 10/10 in the ears of an audiophile.
If you haven't picked up this game already and you're looking to pass time. Definitely get it. You can either download it off Steam or pick it up here through my Amazon link.
