DEVELOPER & PUBLISHER: REBELLION / PLATFORM: PC, PLAYSTATION 4, SWITCH, XBOX ONE (REVIEWED) / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
As a sole sniper behind enemy lines, Sniper Elite 2 casts players as Lieutenant Karl Fairburne, a hotshot gunman tasked with infiltrating the opposition’s strongholds to take down commanders, destroy buildings, and generally do his part for the war effort. Each mission is based around silently sneaking through various locations sniping away at nasty Nazi soldiers. Line them up in your sights, pull the trigger, and enjoy the wonderful whoosh of your slo-mo bullet flying through the air before connecting with its target in glorious X-ray splattervision!
It’s much more simple and straightforward than the Sniper Elite titles that followed, and we reckon it’s much more enjoyable because of it. Sure, the Bullet Cam shots aren’t as graphic as later games, levels are smaller, and enemies aren’t quite as clever as they are these days, but if you keep in mind that this is the game that kickstarted the franchise, any shortcomings can be easily excused. Gameplay is still as exhilarating as it always was, whether you’re sniping at distant soldiers or engaged in a full-on shoot-out, and successfully escaping after inadvertently being spotted is always a thrill.
The game itself is largely unaltered from its original 2012 iteration – while there are a couple of new features here and there, the emphasis in this remaster is very much on graphical improvements. Remade character and vehicle models, a new lighting system, and upgraded 4K visuals mean that Sniper Elite 2 looks smoother and sharper than ever, even on a regular HD TV.
Other new additions include motion controls (for the Switch), a photo mode, and a range of playable characters from the Zombie Army series. The remaster comes fully loaded with all of the original DLC, including that mission where you get to assassinate Hitler, and there’s a bunch of multiplayer modes too. Overall, Sniper Elite V2 Remastered might not be perfect, but a huge amount of content and a gripping story campaign make this a more than worthy addition to the current-gen line-up.
