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Sniper Elite V2: I never played the original Sniper Elite game from 2005, so when I first saw some footage of this game I initially thought, “Is it only standing in one position and sniping at people that you can do?” and then I saw it play out and the fun you could have, setting trip mines for baddies as well as throwing rocks to distract them so you can nip past. It all made the game seem like the kind of ‘real world’ fun that’s missing from so many games these days.
And then things got even better. As I was reading the description of the game out on my DVDfever radio show, as the title went straight in at No.1 in the charts, it just made me laugh with joy with: “Amazing “kill cam” technology showcases what really happens when a bullet enters an enemy’s body, allowing players to see hearts and lungs tear, livers burst, bones and teeth shatter, and entrails fall out.” It sounded unbeatable.
Then all my expectations were surpassed when it came to playing the game proper. The level of detail is amazing, and with the way you can get engrossed in the action, this is one of those rare titles which makes me feel like the closest thing to when Bart Simpson got excited about playing Bonestorm. Yes, this is the absolute dog’s….
As I explained originally, one of the first things you get to learn how to do is to lay a trip mine. This is very easy to do, as it places symbols where you need to place them and it saves you having to be exact. There are some more tricky parts to the game, however. I found myself accidentally swapping between weapons, as well as running out of ammo and needing to reload – which is not a good position in which to find yourself when you’re staring down the barrel of a Nazi rifle.
At times, being a sniper can be annoying, though, because you point your gun with your target decidedly on the enemy in the distance, and it doesn’t get them! Huh? There are other times when you slow down your breathing, and a red diamond appears which sometimes seems a bit more accurate. Not always, though. There was another level when I had to hit the gas tank on the side of a big Russian tank, and I was shooting for what seemed like forever until it finally worked. Still, these little idiosyncracies don’t get in the way too often.
That said, when you do hit a bullet home, the kill-cam CGI that renders, based on your game, is fucking awesome. You really do see skulls shatter and internal organs get ripped apart as an instant X-ray effect is displayed over the soon-to-be-dead enemy. Just perfect! Practice does make a bit perfect, though, as you’re not only holding down the left-trigger to aim, but also the right-trigger to slow your breathing down, to stop the gun waving about all over the place, and get a better aim on the baddie as it brings the aforementioned red diamond sight you can guide yourself with.
Other random asides:
- You can pick up dead bodies and move them somewhere else, but I didn’t really find any point to that as you’re going from A to B without retracing your steps, so it’s not like a Hitman title where you often need to do this.
- You can pick up 100 pieces of gold through the game as a sort-of side mission, but this won’t affect anything major.
- Random awards are given out during the game such as noting every time you’ve fired shots over a total of 10,000 miles, as well as my favourite – ‘Head Honcho’, when you cap a Nazi in the head.
- On the downside, there’s the usual “Can’t walk through a shut door” kind of thing, and you can’t drive any vehicles, but those don’t really matter following the level of stealthy suspense you get to enjoy.
That’s the Single player mode, but there’s also the challenge mode, which is like playing a multiplayer game but on your own, basically.
This review features footage from other gamers, but also you can visit my DVDfeverGames Youtube channel for many more gaming videos.
Important info:
- Publisher: 505 Games
- Price: £24.99 (Xbox 360, PS3), £19.99 (PC)
- Players: 1-2, Co-op 2
- HDTV options: 720p/1080i/1080p
- Features: game-content download, leaderboards, voice
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GRAPHICS SOUND GAMEPLAY ENJOYMENT |
10 10 8 10 |
| OVERALL | 9.5 |
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.