[REVIEW] Sniper Elite V2

Leighton Lagerwerf
(PlayStation 3 [REVIEWED], Xbox 360, PC)

I am a straight shooter, so I will bypass as to how I stumbled upon this game and just inform you of what you wish or do not wish to comprehend. Sniper Elite V2 is a good game. Keep in consideration that this game is a “sniper simulator” and not a “Nazi simulator.” I will go into more detail on this later.

The difficulty choices set at your disposal vary in considerable ways. At lower difficulties, projectile paths have no additional values, aside from proper aiming. Once you move on to the higher difficulties, the variables pile up. The player must now incorporate the distance and wind speed before firing at the preferred target.

At the beginning of the game, the story is reasonably informative. By not giving the player too much information, the developer avoids over-saturating the story by restricting additional details, to unfold and entice the players’ senses. The first mission includes the standard training and disciplinary actions for this game. The training does not last long, but even so, this is needed, especially by the general public that has no experience with projectile ballistics.

Over the period of the game, the enemy artificial intelligence can be nerve-racking and illogical. To give some well-deserved justice, they do have a restricted line of sight and bear no known supernatural gift that bestows them the ability to track one’s movements when shrouded by cover. Since stealth is a sniper’s primary weapon against such opposition, knowing that your enemy is not god-gifted helps take the edge off. These are welcome changes to a stock “Nazi simulator.”

As you progress through the campaign you will definitely come across, and acquire, new and additional weapons. The list of additional weaponry is long, but for certain weapons to be unlocked, one must complete a mission in a certain region, or with a particular enemy. Most additional firearms will be unlocked as you advance through the story. One of the key feats that protrude out the most is the ability to muffle one’s gunfire by shooting in synchronization with loud background sounds. The ability to suppress, in a matter of speaking, one’s gunfire increases the stealth aspect of the game.

Retaining the aspect of realism and authenticity, Sniper Elite V2 has a scarce amount of additional ammunition for secondary, and side weapons. Preparing before the mission by selecting the region specific firearm will increase the stockpile of ammunition at your disposal. A minor problem, though, involves the placement of spawn points for the enemy. Such things allow the player to easily take advantage of the scenario and eliminate 75% of the opposing force in half the time. 

Each weapon retains specific attributes that govern its usability, and resourcefulness. This can vary from scope magnifications, muzzle velocity, recoil, or the chamber mechanism. Either of these can be a downfall for the user, but after a considerable amount of training, they can become advantageous. Upon certain well-placed shots, an x-ray cinematic scene will roll, and present, the internal damage and trajectory of the projectile. 

This game is not perfect, but at the same time, it is not a tragedy. Playing cat and mouse with an enemy sniper can be tedious and involves an excessive amount of moving from one opening to the next to avoid detection and gunfire. The lacking of a free-to-use, close-combat ability is unsettling. And to pile onto that, when the available close-combat ability is able to be used, controlling where the stealthily eliminated body will land is absent. This is irritating since enemies notice static bodies; being able to make the body fall behind cover will make unwanted stress melt away. All together in a package, this game is well designed, well built, and well simulated.

The GameSparked Podcast May-29-2012

The GameSparked Team

This week, The GameSparked Podcast has a different setting: Mat’s garage. Fortunately for you, it’s an audio podcast, and you can’t see a thing! As the Team tries to figure out what that noise is, they discuss Diablo III, Damian’s experience with Dear Esther, Jordan returning to Skyrim, and Mat going all the way with Dragon’s Dogma. And Leighton says, “Sniper Elite v2 is a good game.” Well, we all know what that means! All that, and much more, in this week’s edition of The GameSparked Podcast.

Original Intro/Outro composed by Cody DeBoer
DubSparked Remix by Kevin “GrooveThumper” Madden

Download Link (Right Click, Save as)

First Look at Sniper Elite V2 Demo

Leighton Lagerwerf

I have been waiting for Sniper Elite V2 for years, and the first signs of its release have finally come. I have been wanting a realistic sniper game since I was little. Simply being able to use a sniper rifle in any shooter game has been enough for me up until now, but after this, nothing will be able to top this in terms of quality.

Sniper Elite V2‘s demo houses everything it should for what it was designed for. It gives the player the chance to be in the boots of a WW2 sniper, who takes on several kinds of missions. The introduction of realistic ballistics for bullets has been a giant leap forward ever since the release of Battlefield 3, and this demo, predictably, incorporates them. Not only will distance be a factor in your bullet trajectory, but so will your heart beat, wind speed, and wind direction. The demo allows players to choose from 3 difficulties, which vary the realism of the ballistics and enemy aggression. To get the most out of the experience, I highly advise choosing Elite difficulty. The feeling you get when using quick-thought trigonometry to get a moving headshot is exhilarating, plus, every headshot comes with a kill-cam.

Sniper Elite V2’s kill-cams bring that final touch of beauty to this demo. Not only do you get to witness your well-placed bullet enter the sad soul’s head, but you also get to see the aftermath that occurs inside the body; skulls being compressed, lungs being punctured, bones being shattered and splintered. This x-ray touch gives the player the knowledge of what happens after all that planning and waiting.

The scenery in Sniper Elite V2‘s demo involves shattered, broken, and war torn cities, mostly situated in Berlin. The environment has been finely tuned for this game. The smallest details have been included, this being the obvious ability to shoot through miniscule openings like a fence board separation or car window. All this, added with the ballistics, puts a nice spin on games for the average gamer, and brings back that lost feel of challenge.

However, the demo does give you minor tips when you are struggling to make contact with a target. The small hints vary from advising you to anticipate movement by giving some lead on a mobile target, or to aim higher and away depending on distance and wind speed. I do believe a full length tutorial would be more appropriate, and effective.

Not much else can be said until early May, when the game is released. Only then will we get to see the entire product in all of its glory.

Editor’s Note: The original was absolutely fantastic, and also incorporated gravity into the shooting. This game looks awesome!