Another war game has arrived on Xbox and I guess if you are sick and tired of the same theme being repeated in many games then I can understand the frustration. However the War was a major event in the history of mankind and therefore a subject matter that is bound to be represented in the gaming format. Now before you roll your eyes at the prospect of stepping back in time once more please be aware that Sniper Elite is not your normal WWII game. With a story where you are an American working deeply undercover in a campaign that could save the world (no surprises there then) as Russia are keen to grab the atomic bomb technology and dominate the world after the collapse of the German regime. It’s your job to make sure that this does not happen. It sounds like typical gaming fodder but there is a twist! Well for starters you are actually working as a German operative and secondly you are a sniper rather than the usual superhero lone soldier.

Gameplay

Sniper Elite is a 3rd person game but rather than being all out action there is a high element of stealth; not the hide in the shadows style but more assuming the role of a highly trained sniper and killing from afar whilst remaining as unseen as possible. This approach really separates this game from the usual because as you are probably aware, the sniper rifle is primarily used for long range kills and is less effective up close. Therefore planning and making sure each shot counts is crucial. Then there is the element of sound; once your shot has been fired you need to take into consideration that other units may have heard and therefore your location may not be safe any more. Sniper Elite features a lot of a crawling around and finding safe spots to conduct your shooting. However there are elements where background noise can actually mask your location once the first shot has been fired. Naturally guards will be alerted to any dead bodies that are left in the open, so sometimes its either better to sneak past enemies or hide the bodies if possible.

The shooting itself leans towards the realistic side as there are things like gravity on the bullet, wind direction, your composure and stance playing a part in how accurate your shots will be; this becomes more apparent if you up the difficulty. Sniper Elite features some really gruesome deaths and this may even make some players wince. If your killing shot hits a vital zone or is one of the special shots which net you points (you view your overall score between missions) then you are treated to a birds eye view of the bullet as it hits the target. Now this could be a leg of a moving enemy or more bloody, the head of a target. Yes you can see the entry wound as well as the odd bit of matter flying! It’s great to see the bullet hit an enemy directly in the eye and then watch the body slump to the ground! The player can also wound enemies so that they fall to the ground and writhe around in pain. The noise of the fallen sometimes will attract a fellow comrade to come to their aid and carry them off to safey. For the patient this simply allows you to fire off another shot at anyone foolish enough to try and help (reminds me of a scene from Metal Gear Solid).

Sniper Elite isn’t always about using sniper rifles, because your character can use an assortment of other weapons as well, when the situation requires. Things like a silenced pistol, machine guns and grenades come in handy when the sniper rifle doesn’t cut it. It’s also rather cool to sneak up behind a tank and place some TNT then retreat and fire a shot at the TNT to blow up the tank, solid stuff! The missions themselves are also quite varied and range from taking out specific targets to helping allies in a number of situations.

If there is one stand out feature of the game that really impressed me then that would have to be the AI. Enemies here are not your usual run and gun folks and will take cover and run away when the situation requires it. Due to the heavy cover in the game it really does keep you on edge because an enemy that ducks out of your view could suddenly sneak up on you from seemingly nowhere. These guys will be aware of fellow comrades being shot at and also will crawl along the ground to present a lesser target if they know you are nearby. It’s all rather lovely and adds to the realistic nature of the game.

Graphics

The graphics are actually very detailed and convey a war torn Berlin extremely well. Lots of vast open maps with blown up buildings and walls filled with bullet holes provide an authentic experience. There are also a number of other events that happen as you play such as explosions or aircraft flying over head which although do not directly affect play really do add some impressive atmosphere to the game. The death animations are pretty cool as well and as I said earlier, the birds’ eye bullet camera works a treat. If I were to complain then that might be about the menus which look rather uninspiring although I guess this is perhaps deliberate to help convey the time period. Either way who really cares about the menus? Also I would moan at the fact that some scenery hinders movement when clearly our sniper should be able to climb over or in some cases simply walk over/on. The character models also could be a little more detailed but with everything else being so neat it shouldn’t hamper your playing experience.

Sound

Another area in which the game provides an excellent experience is the sound; players can really get immersed into the battlefield as all sorts of ambient effects are on offer. The crack of the sniper rifles sound great and the sounds of your enemies are eerily represented with some accuracy especially in regards to the hide and seek nature of the game and all you can here are foreign voices getting louder and louder as they come close to your hiding spot. The voice acting during the cut scenes is also not bad either although not as polished as the general sounds whilst playing.

Longevity

Sniper Elite is a game that will take a long time to play, due to the nature of being a sniper rather than a run and gun soldier. Patience is definitely a must here and in some cases missions can take a long time to complete. There are several levels of difficulty to mess around with as well as the option to customise the difficulty to suit your playing style. The levels themselves also have a high replay value due to their open nature, allowing you to take multiple routes and doing things differently each time you play. There are score boards as well for those interested and its always a challenge to try and beat your previous score by being more accurate and performing better kills. Then there is the online co-op mode to get stuck into and some verses multiplayer. Failing that, you have split screen co-op which simply adds another dimension to an already great game.

Overall

I thoroughly enjoyed playing this game and although its nature won’t appeal to the John Rambo type players, it will appeal to the players that love sniping. Other games might feature a sniper rifle but none have gone this far as to base a game around the whole mentality of the sniper. It’s good; it’s fun and definitely worth picking up if you have some patience in you. Yes it’s set in WWII like so many other titles but I think this game has enough charm and style of its own to make it stand out in the crowd.