01/19/05 >> Sniper Elite (PC)

Genre: First Person Shooter / Stealth

 

 

 

 

While most reviews by the 'pros' have either panned this little Namco title or gone no higher than a 'decent' score, most of the complaints about it stem more from the fact that most reviewers and players think that Sniper Elite is something it's not and has never claimed to be. Allow me to clarify that.

 

Sniper Elite goes through great lengths to be more of a sim than anything else, and that's where most people will either blast the game or shrug it off and find something else to do. For those looking for a twitch-fix, this is not where you want to be. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves here and understand that while the game goes for a realistic approach, it's not completely devoid of its video game roots. That being said, the score of 8 is only given in that context.

 

Set during World War II, you play as an elite American sniper inserted deep behind enemy lines after Germany has pretty much lost cohesion in 1945. As the Third Reich has pretty much collapsed, Russia seeks to control Berlin and the OSS (the real-life Office of Strategic Services) has learned that they've also launched a secret mission to find Germany's plans for the atom bomb. Seeking to keep the balance of power in tact, you're inserted into the theater to prevent that from happening. This is the fictional beginning of the Cold War.

 

As Sniper Elite focuses on creating an authentic sniper experience, we must also understand that snipers in the real world exercise a great deal of patience in the field. As such, you'll be spending a lot of time crawling around on your belly looking for a good vantage point. You're encouraged at all times to be aware of your surroundings and to keep an eye out for anything that moves. Failure to do so will likely have you killed or at least zeroed-in in no time.

 

 

Camouflage, movement, and sound all play a big part in whether or not you're going to be noticed running around among the enemy. As a specialist, you're not really 'built' to be charging into the enemy, so it's up to you to find the enemy before they find you. Firing your rifle makes a lot of noise, so it's best not to stay put for too long; lying out in the open with a low camouflage rating can get you pinned down by an enemy sniper in no time; running instead of crawling will alert the enemy to your footsteps. These and many other considerations must be made when engaging the enemy and if you're not careful, you'll find that they love nothing more than to flank you and hunt you down. Of course, if you're an excellent marksman, you won't have to worry about that.

 

The meat of the game, then, is taking out targets from a distance. The trick, of course, is that being accurate isn't exactly the simplest thing to do - much more than simply putting the enemy's head in the middle of your crosshairs. At its highest difficulty setting (and most realistic in terms of bullet physics), you'll need to take into account the pull of gravity and the strength of the wind. The manual features handy charts for reading your scope and the better you are at understanding them, the better a marksman you'll be. Of course, even a sniper enthusiast may find all the authenticity a bit cumbersome and lower difficulties turn off some of the more frustrating elements of bullet physics (like wind). Better yet, you can set up your own difficulty for the game and tailor it to play the way you want it to, so nobody needs to fret over it. Interestingly enough, making an incredible shot rewards you with a sometimes-graphic bullet-time shot where you can see your shot ripping through the face of one or more enemies - the most satisfying (and graphic) shot being a triple-headshot with one bullet (yes, it's possible).

 

Naturally, most gameplay elements revolve around stealth and remaining unseen. Of the biggest flaws in the game, the incredibly tough AI (which can be dumbed down to your liking) can be terribly unforgiving at times. While the AI is generally fantastic - the enemy will run for cover if alone or attempt to flank you if in numbers - the bad guys seem to have a knack for knowing exactly where you are if you've blown your cover. Regaining the element of surprise once it's lost is a lot tougher than it ought to be, but then again, perhaps I'm spoiled by other games. Most of the time, however, if you keep your distance and never stay in one place too long, you'll be able to keep the advantage tipped in your favor.

 

Further still in the interest of remaining unseen is the sound-masking aspect where you can time your shots with artillery blasts so as not to be noticed - both your gunfire as well as the scream of your victim will be muffled and nobody will be the wiser.

 

That being said, there's plenty of cover for you to go between from bombed-out buildings to wooden barricades to burnt-out trucks etc. From there, you can scout out where the enemy is and figure out the best route to your objective. As Berlin (and anywhere else you go) has been torn apart by the war, you'll find it easy to blend in with your surroundings. You'll also find that the enemy blends in pretty well themselves, so you'll have to keep your eyes peeled. While the graphics engine is no Source (see Half-Life 2), it's still decent enough to put the onus of spotting the enemy entirely on you.

 

Finally, it would be a terrible mistake to ignore the level of interactivity in Sniper Elite. Using your skills with the rifle, you can shoot the gas caps off of tanks and trucks to destroy them - or if you prefer, you can set down a TNT trap and set it off from a distance with a single shot. Further still, if you need to set up a defensive perimeter, you can make use of your trip-wire mines and if you just so happen to be overrun, you can make use of the standard close-quarters weapons you grab off of your victims - from the MP40 to the MG42 (and their Russian counterparts).

 

 

 

Game Score

 

8.6

 

 

Reviewed By: Contributed