NOTE: Apologies for the delay in getting reviews to you in the last two weeks. We were on holiday and the site was inactive. We are currently working through our backlog and will bring you reviews of the latest released as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience – Robert.
Sniper Elite 3 is an interesting & different game, albeit a little disappointing. The game is set in North Africa and tasks you with demolishing the Nazi troops by sneaking behind the enemies. However, the game does it in a very erotic way by allowing you to rupture certain private body parts.
One thing that can certainly be said about Sniper Elite 3 is that it is certainly a great leap forward from the previous games in the series. Rebellion have done great things both in gameplay and in map design which makes Sniper Elite 3 inherently more enjoyable. If you have played the games before, you will be aware of the crazy kill-cam which Sniper Elite offers. As you make your sure, lining it up perfectly and holding your breath, time will begin to slow down. You will be able to watch on slowly as the bullet slowly inches closer and closer to penetrating the skin of your enemies. However, as it reaches impact, you will be treated to an X-RAY view of the enemy, as you see organs and bones demolished while a horrifically gruesome soundtrack adds groans and painful noises.
As you can imagine, many people will aim for very particular areas (read: the enemy’s balls) and take pride in their most painful shots. Scarily enough, this is pretty enjoyable and does not become boring for a very, very long time. You will be treated to this ultra-detailed kill-cam each and every time you make a kill (unless you disable it, which we don’t suggest you do) throughout the game’s missions.
One of the best parts of the game which is a vast improvement over the previous Sniper Elite titles is the map design. In Sniper Elite 3, players are permitted to traverse huge open-world maps, with many different routes to the objective being available. This makes the title far more enjoyable overall, with the linear gameplay now being removed from the series. The map design is fantastic, with each setting looking vivid and realistic.
Unfortunately, the clarity of the graphics often do not hold up to the standard of the other elements in the game. Draw distance has been significantly improved due to the power of the new generation of consoles, however, enemies in the distance look very unclear and certainly do not meet the standards of ‘polished’ graphics. Physics is another area of the game which could use improvement, as enemies can often be seen jittering or landing in unnatural positions. However, both of these issues could potentially be improved upon in future patches, so, we will have to wait and see if Rebellion step up to the mark and work on improving the title.
The biggest issue in the game however, is AI. The enemies in the game are incredibly stupid and do not act remotely close to realistically. The game operates on an alert system, during which you will be on a certain level of danger for a set amount of time after being sighted. During this time, enemies will often simply hide behind walls or boxes and act stupidly, rather than attacking you. After the time runs out, they continue about their business, treading on the dead corpses of their allies.
Thankfully, the fun involved in sniping and getting more destructive shots along with the excellent open-world map design redeem the flaws in the game, and it remains a great sniper game, but not so much a stealth game. The story is pretty interesting, however, it certainly is not the main focus of the game, which is mainly concerned with the awesome gunplay. The story also has good replay value, as you will be able to go back to a level and find a different route, sometimes discovering new passages on the way.
Multiplayer is also a key component of the game, with some new and familiar modes being available to play. Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch are the classics that most people know and love and they perform pretty well. The multiplayer component of the game certainly benefits from the larger map design of Sniper Elite 3 and this makes it far more enjoyable than the previous entries in the series. They are a few other interesting modes for you to try out in multiplayer which you may not have experienced before.
Co-op is also another great feature of the game, allowing you to team up with a spotter to take on the large maps of the game. This allows you to approach the enemies from two distinct angles and surprise enemies. Alternatively, the sniper can hang back and take out enemies while the spotter advances through the level. A dedicated co-op mode is available in addition to co-op throughout the campaign missions, meaning there are plenty of ways for you to play with friends.
Overall, Sniper Elite 3 is an enjoyable game. While it certainly does have its flaws, the game presents fun gameplay most of the time, and is a considerable improvement over the previous games in the series. The map design is excellent and there is a lot of content available throughout the campaign, co-op modes and multiplayer. The lack of graphical clarity and inaccurate physics can be annoying at times, but overall, this is certainly a title which you should consider.