Review of Sniper Elite:
http://steamcommunity.com/id/BelphegoreHHR/recommended/3700/NOTE: Mild spoilers from the end of the first Sniper Elite are present in this review.Even though 2005's Sniper Elite was a well received hit during its heyday, it still came as a welcomed surprise when its successor was announced some eight long years later in 2012. During the interim between releases, the only dedicated sniper titles that graced the itchy trigger fingers of gamers were Sniper: Ghost Warrior in 2010, and the much less popular Sniper Art of Victory in 2008. With Sniper Elite V2, players are thrown back into the days of World War II yet again, with a slew of new missions and a brand new primary objective; stop the launch of the devastating V2 rocket.
Once again, sniping enthusiast gamers take control of Karl Fairburne; the main character from the original game, who is not only a skilled marksman, but has now become a Lieutenant for the American OSS. At the end of the first game, Karl comes across the plans for the V2 rocket, a powerful ballistic missile that threatens the entirety of the human race, and in knowing that it should come as no surprise that Sniper Elite V2 centers around this devastating force. With the ultimate goal of stopping the launch of the V2 rocket, Karl embarks on a journey through 11 missions that take place in Berlin during 1945. Since there are no dates present on the mission debriefing screens, it's impossible to tell if V2 is a slight reboot of the original title, if the dates simply overlap in some areas, or if the series of events that are presented take place immediately after the first game.
The first thing to note here is that the difficulty of the game as a whole has been reduced rather dramatically in comparison to the series' debut release; this can be seen as both a good and bad thing, depending on how spicy you like your simulations. However, that is not to say that Sniper Elite V2 is without its challenges, as some areas of the game are dreadfully difficult, especially on its highest difficulty setting. Of course, the realistic ballistics that made the franchise stand out to begin with are still included; gravity, wind speed, heart rate, breathing, stance, and distance all play an active role when using the sniper rifles. Thanks to how significantly gaming technology advanced between 2005 and 2012, the aforementioned realism factors are much more fine tuned in this sequel.
Thankfully, Karl doesn't control like he's on lubed up ice skates anymore; in fact, the controls are fantastically sturdy and well modernized. Another huge improvement to the system of the game is the inclusion of on-screen checkpoints that help guide you to your next destination, rather than having to keep switching screens to view a map. However, it is frustrating that the enemies can hear you even when you're crouching and walking slowly, and since Rebellion did away with the visibility meter from the first title, it's hard to tell just how visible you are to your foes. It's a bit of a missed opportunity that something such as close covert knife kills weren't included in this release. That can be forgiven though, thanks to the new and very interesting x-ray bullet kill cams, which show off when you shoot out an enemy's eyeball, pierce their lung, or get a direct headshot.
As far as graphics go, Sniper Elite V2 hasn't aged very much at all. The levels are beautifully decrepit and ravaged by war, there are tons of derelict buildings to hide in, loads of debris scattered about, blown up vehicles, random fires, and much more. There's also a great use of dynamic and atmospheric lighting, as well as smoke. The only areas of the game that are noticeably older are the less-than-detailed sky boxes, and the clayish look of the skin on the character models. That being said, the title still looks phenomenal while running at 144Hz with a 1080p resolution. The voice acting has also been greatly improved, though sadly the same cannot be said for the soundtrack; the latter of which seems to have taken a step back from the original release, with many of the few tracks being reused from level to level, and coming across too subtle.
While there is marginal room for improvement, Sniper Elite V2 is still one of the very best sniper simulations on the market today. Rebellion made a load of improvements over the original installment, even though they did drop the overall difficulty in a move that was to surely help attract a less hardcore crowd. The realism of the ballistics factors are better and more refined than its predecessor, and offer up a new set of challenges for those who want as real of a sniping experience as a video game can provide. When it comes to World War II, Wolfenstein has the crown for a guns blazing approach, and Sniper Elite wears the crown for stealth.
Rating: 4.0/5.0 - Excellent, highly worth playing.Enjoyed this review? Join my Steam Group!http://steamcommunity.com/groups/bhhreviews