Even towards the end of the war, there were a number of very high-profile Nazi leaders attempting to escape to freedom. Sometimes the thing that a thousand bombs can't do, a single man and a high-powered rifle can. An expert marksman, a thousand meters, and favorable wind conditions are all that stands in the way of a potentially cataclysmic event.
1. Gameplay
I have a serious love/hate relationship with these Sniper games. I’ve played a few of these games now and each time there are parts I love and parts I definitely don’t. It’s clear that the developers spent a significant amount of time working on the details, especially the physics, of the sniping system. Unfortunately, the story and the non-sniping mechanics seemed to suffer. But let me start with the good. V2’s sniping mechanics are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. When the player fires around from the sniper, it’s not just an effect that hits an enemy, the player fires an actual round from the rifle. This might seem insignificant, but the fact that the game is calculating the trajectory and placement of a real object is a very unique mechanic. When the player pulls the trigger, the game actually calculates the trajectory of the round and deforms the round on impact, affecting its physics. Excluding the subject matter, this is an extremely intricate and well-designed system that had almost no obvious flaws. Not only that, but the game includes a sort of “x-ray vision” view that shows the effect of a killing blow on an enemy. This gets discussed in greater detail in the “violence” section below, but this type of system is just as unique as the bullet mechanic. The designers had to have created a full sized skeleton complete with internal organs in order to include this view. On top of that, all of the bones and organs deform when they’re hit by the round just like they would in real life. It’s a pretty graphic, gruesome, morbid mechanic but on a technical and scientific level this is amazing. When I was going through the sniping sections of the game, I was really enjoying myself. Unfortunately, there were a few times when close quarters combat was required, and in those cases this game fell way short. The mechanics are designed for slow, methodical, calculated, precise shots, exactly what a sniper needs. But when you get into a third-person shooter, the shots need to be much more rapid and can get much more inaccurate. The same slow, precise movement mechanics that work so well with the sniping end up handicapping the player in open combat. I found it was easier to try and snipe moving enemies and hope that my shots were kill shots rather than try and shoot enemies with the Thompson or pistol (from anything greater than a very short range). I doubt that I’d play this game again anytime soon, but maybe with enough refinement this series could be one that I highly recommend to shooter fans.
I completed the entire campaign and one of the challenge missions in about six hours. This game is designed for perfection through repetition, so gamers that enjoy the challenges offered by the game will definitely replay the challenge missions a few time if not the entire campaign. Personally, while I enjoyed the sniper missions, the non-sniping sections were enough of a deterrent from me picking up this game a second time.
This game was awesome when it stuck to the sniping sections. When I was able to slowly and methodically move throughout the levels, sniping enemies (silently or otherwise) things went pretty smoothly and the game was overall a lot of fun. However, the times when the game shifted into a more “third person shooter”, especially in the more close-quarters areas, were not as much fun. I kept my sensitivity low because it enabled me to get more precise shots, especially over long distances. But that became a severe handicap when I needed to quickly turn and take on enemies at shorter distances. I also found it frustrating that my character couldn’t jump. And I don’t mean that figuratively, I mean there is no jump button at all. There were a number of times when I was stuck because of a very low piece of debris or wall that I couldn’t vault over and couldn’t take cover behind. 2. Parental Notices
Violence is by far the largest factor in this game. The graphicness of this violence will depend on a few key factors. If the player uses any weapon other than the sniper rifle to kill an enemy, hits will result in some blood but this can be fairly insignificant at medium distances. Usually these weapons will not have a significant amount of penetration, which makes gore basically non-existent from these shots. Explosives do not cause any gore. I couldn’t even tell if they caused any blood. Smart players will lay down tripmines and other explosive traps to protect against the inevitable sneak attack, but usually they’re not looking when these go off. But, unsurprisingly, the player will primarily use the sniper rifle. While there are different types the player can use over the course of the campaign, all are very powerful weapons with high bullet penetration. The mildest of these shots will result in a fairly obvious level of blood and some gore present, especially if the player gets a headshot. However, one of the main highlights of the game is the impressive “x-ray vision” shots. If the player performs a deadly shot, there is a good chance that the impact will be visible in a special cinematic camera that gives a view of the target’s head or body as the shot passes through. It’s an extremely realistic and graphic view. If I sound like I enjoyed this view it’s because, in a way, I did. On a technical level, this is an extremely impressive system. Still, as I said, it is extremely graphic. The player can change how frequently these views occur via the game’s settings, but even on the default setting I saw these types of images constantly.
There are a few statues that are designed to look like the topless women of classical art. These are the only examples of sexuality in the game, and even these were very rare.
While the player does have to shoot bottles of wine, the player can never consume substances in this game. As a result, substances are not a factor.
The player might be able to find some cards on tables here or there, but I never saw any characters participating in any sort of gambling. As a result, it is not a factor in this game. 3. Other Factors
My brief search yielded only a single texture mod which changed the appearances of the characters in the game. However, this mod did not increase the mature content of the game in any significant way. As a result, mods are not a factor in this game.
There are a few sections where the player must fight in or around churches. In one particular chapter the player must reach a supply drop that is on the top of a church steeple. While the architecture and design of the structure makes it clear that it is a church, there are no obvious religious icons.
This game takes place in what would be considered an official warzone with no true law enforcement. As a result, anti-law is not a factor in this game.
While there are multiplayer modes for this game, when I attempted to play there was no one online. As a result, the community is not a factor in this game.
Extreme sports are not a factor in this game.
Magic is not a factor in this game.
Assassination This game is designed so that the player takes on the role of an expert marksman and assassin. The entire game will be about attempting to assassinate certain high-level figures in the Nazi military, political, and scientific hierarchy. The story could not exist without including assassinations on multiple occasions.
1 Comment
Austin Perot
7/12/2015 10:19:51 am
Will you ever make a review for Sniper Elite 3?
Reply
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