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Sniper Elite is a solid stealth game carried by its focus on sniping. It throws you into open-ended maps which are basically sniping playgrounds, giving you the freedom to approach situations however you see fit and I think part of what makes the sniping so enjoyable is the realistic elements. When aiming, you need to account for wind and gravity. Also, the kill cam that follows your bullet as it travels and hits your target is a nice way to show off cool kills. These things make dropping foes with well placed shots fun and satisfying and it can become addictive. I actually never heard of Sniper Elite until after the sequel released, Sniper Elite V2. I forget how I discovered it but I’m pretty sure I saw gameplay footage and that’s what reeled me in. I nabbed a copy on Steam and enjoyed what I played but never did beat the game. Until now, that is.
Developed and published by Rebellion Developments, Sniper Elite V2 was released for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in May, 2012, and Wii U in May, 2013. A remastered version called Sniper Elite V2 Remastered was released for PC, Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in May, 2019. For this review, I played the remaster for PC. I do want to mention that as of this review, Remastered is selling for $34.99 on Steam but if you already own the original game, you can get it for $9.99.
Set in 1945, towards the end of World War II, the plot follows Lieutenant Karl Fairburne, a skilled sniper who is inserted into Berlin to track down key individuals involved with the development of the V-2 ballistic missile. As he travels around Berlin eliminating targets, he also has to contend with both German and Soviet forces. Despite being a sequel, the story feels somewhat like a retelling of the first game’s narrative and much like that game, the plot is not one of the highlights. The story is primarily advanced through briefings or narration before starting missions and cut scenes but you can easily ignore the plot and still have a great time.
Sniper Elite V2 is a stealth game and it does come with multiplayer and cooperative modes. The multiplayer seemed dead in my experience so I was only able to check out the single player. In addition to the campaign are two game modes, Kill Tally and Challenge. Kill Tally pits you against waves of foes where you must survive for as long as possible. Challenge consists of what I would consider bonus or extra missions. Most of the mechanics from the previous game are present here but with refinements. You might even say V2 feels streamlined. Even though this is primarily a stealth game, it can also feel like a shooting gallery at times. It will depend on how you approach things. To remain undetected, you want to stay quiet and out of sight. Walk and crawl instead of run, throw rocks to distract and lure enemies, use the loud sounds in the environments to mask the sounds of your shots, and use the Welrod to drop foes silently. You can also sneak up behind enemies and perform stealth kills.
Compared to the previous game, I would say V2 does feel a little faster-paced and better to actually play. Movement feels better and more fluid, searching bodies doesn’t take too long, health regenerates, there’s an automatic checkpoint system, Karl can climb and mantle over things, tag enemies, and there’s an actual cover mechanic. Although, one gripe I have is that Karl can’t snap to certain walls and structures that look like they could be used as cover. It can be a little annoying at times. Sniping is extremely satisfying thanks to the X-Ray Kill Cam. Not only do well placed shots result in a kill cam following your bullet as it travels and hits your target, but you’ll sometimes get to see the bullet tear through the target’s body destroying bones and internal organs. It’s very cool stuff. You can carry a rifle, secondary weapon, and pistol along with dynamite, land mines, grenades, and tripwire grenades. Land mines and tripwire grenades can be used to set up traps and to cover your back while you’re sniping. You can even use land mines to booby trap bodies. Furthermore, before starting a mission, you can access a loadout menu where you can choose what weapons to bring with you.
It quickly becomes apparent that V2 feels more linear than the previous game and on lower difficulties, the campaign seems to guide you through the experience thanks in part to what the game refers to as tactical assistance (i.e. the stuff that appears on the HUD). I played on Marksman which I equate to Normal and that means objective markers appeared on the HUD among other things. Some maps are more linear than others and the more open ones allow you to take different routes to your destination, but for the most part, I felt like the game was funneling me towards my objectives. I think this is part of the reason why the game can sometimes feel more like a shooting gallery. But a sniping shooting gallery. As for running and gunning, it does feel better here than it does in the previous game, but I think it’s also less viable here. At least with any weapons other than rifles. For one thing, you can die pretty quickly if you’re exposed and outnumbered, even with regenerating health. Second, ammo for secondary weapons like submachine guns is not in abundance. You can find ammo crates here and there but I would typically find it from defeated enemies and it usually wasn’t much. Basically, I found that if I tried to run and gun with a submachine gun or pistol, I drained through ammo pretty quick.
The campaign is shorter than that of the previous game and the more linear map design may be disappointing for some players. On the plus side, the sniping feels amazing and can become addictive. Infiltrating areas undetected and dropping foes with well placed shots is still very satisfying. You can even pull off cool kills like dropping multiple foes with one shot, killing targets with ricochets, and even shooting the grenades on enemy bodies to blow them up. You’ll primarily face soldiers but also come up against tanks and vehicles every so often. In my experience, tanks are even easier to deal with this time. They always seem to have an exposed fuel cap and I was always able to destroy them before they could pose a real threat. I can’t say the enemy AI is the best but it does get the job done. Once you’re detected, all the enemies in the area will come gunning for you. They will try to flank you and can get around you and approach you from behind so it’s wise to lay down land mines and tripwire grenades around your position or vantage point.
As expected, nothing about the stealth elements is anything we haven’t seen before in other games in the stealth genre. The sniping is what carries the game and the X-Ray Kill Cam is a very welcome and satisfying gimmick. V2 does retain the realistic elements like holding your breath or emptying your lung to steady your aim and aiming properly to compensate for gravity pulling the bullets downward. You are scored for kills and different types of kills award you different amounts of points. While the game does encourage stealth, I can’t say it really punishes you for getting detected or running and gunning. The scoring is yet another reason V2 can feel like a shooting gallery, with points popping up on the screen every time you kill an enemy. That along with the more linear level design give the game a kind of arcade feel. Whether you’re quiet or loud, you want to kill all the foes you come across for the best possible score in each mission. The replay value comes from not just the multiplayer but also the scoring system, multiple difficulty levels, and experimentation. Experimentation meaning trying different approaches and ways to kill foes.
As I’ve already indicated, many maps feel linear. That’s not to say none are open-ended but V2 makes it much more obvious where you need to go, even without the objective markers. Missions will have you going from one objective to another and you’ll navigate around a lot of destroyed urban environments, a production facility, museum, and church among other areas. The environmental variety is good, the checkpoint system ensures death doesn’t set you too far back, and the gameplay is rarely interrupted by story beats. Sometimes you’ll trigger a cut scene but that’s it. Collectibles like wine bottles and gold bars hidden in the environments are the reasons to explore. But, unfortunately, there’s no real reward for shooting all the bottles and collecting all the bars other than achievements. So I can’t say they’re worth seeking out unless you’re an achievement hunter or completionist.
V2 showcases a presentation that does a great job conveying war torn environments. The remaster does support 4K resolutions and even comes with a photo mode. The Steam page for the remaster boasts of a modernized renderer and post processing effects, enhanced level geometry, textures and particles, plus a revamped lighting system. Personally, I think the game looks great and the gore effects, especially those seen in the kill cams, are excellent. Kills look and feel brutal. The audio work is well done and I really enjoyed the music. More intense tunes typically kick in when enemies are on alert and in my opinion, this does help elevate tension. On the technical side, I am happy to say I encountered no major issues.
Sniper Elite V2 is a fun game and great sequel. The campaign is a bit on the short side but I think it does come with a good amount of replay value. I can understand the more linear level design being disappointing for some but I feel the developers were aiming for a more focused experience. V2 is even more accessible than the previous entry because of all the changes and refinements and I would say it’s a faster-paced experience because of the more linear level design. Also, the game actually feels better to play. The gunplay feels better and the actual sniping feels amazing. Well placed shots can result in the X-Ray Kill Cam showing off some very cool and brutal looking kills. This does help make the sniping feel addictive and just like the first game, I was always chasing that feeling I got from pulling off an awesome kill. While V2 balances on a line between stealth and shooting gallery, I would say both styles make for a fun time. Sneaking around, dropping foes quietly, infiltrating areas, and finding good vantage points for sniping is fun and very satisfying. But you don’t need to be stealthy to snipe and pull off cool kills. Sneaking is probably the safer approach but detection can result in a more obvious shooting gallery style of gameplay, allowing you to pick off all the foes that appear and come gunning for you. Ultimately, Sniper Elite V2 is a very fun and satisfying game no matter how you decide to play it.
I absolutely recommend Sniper Elite V2 and I see no reason not play the remaster. It looks good, comes with all the DLC, and even includes some new content. I do enjoy V2 more than its predecessor and if you’re looking to get into the franchise, I would say it makes a better starting point than the first game. It is a stealth game but the sniping is the actual draw here and I feel the X-Ray Kill Cam is a solid gimmick that adds a fun layer of brutality, helping to make the experience more satisfying and addictive. Definitely check it out.