Is Sniper Elite 3 Worth It?

The third installment of the Sniper Elite franchise treads similar ground but still manages to feel like a new experience. If you enjoyed the previous Sniper Elite’s then this one will feel the same, aside from a new setting and some minor adjustments. Expect to see a lot of brown colors, seeing as the entire game takes place in canyons and deserts. But thankfully you can splash some color into the game, like blood-red and brain matter gray.

Gameplay

If you have played any of the earlier Sniper Elite installments then you will feel right at home with the controls. The X-ray kill cams are phenomenal but only for the next-gen systems, playing on Xbox 360 or PS3 is a huge letdown. With the X-ray headshots sometimes the skulls do not fragment, and it takes a couple of seconds for the entire model to render. A complete buzzkill for the main selling point of Sniper Elite. There are times when the camera doesn’t even zoom in on the enemy during a kill cam, instead it’s off center so you only see a part of the event.

The enemy AI is basically stupid too, they do not have peripheral vision at all. Relocating seems to really break the game, moving to a new area results in the enemy no longer chasing you. This makes the game all the easier; pick off 2 or 3 enemies, run 20 meters away, rinse and repeat.

The whole game has a ton of bugs, but most of them are outright hilarious. There is one bug that is disastrous, and that is when two enemies spawn right on top of each other. The only way to take care of that bug is to pull out your rifle and mask your shot or throw a grenade.

The levels are massive and at times are quite tedious. Sadly there are only 8 missions but each mission took me at least an hour and a half. There are tons of collectibles, sniper nests, and optional objectives, but going back and getting everything is not worth it unless you’re a perfectionist.

Sound

The weapons and explosions all sound fantastic, and hearing the bones crunch and organs explode from the kill cam is always satisfying. The voice acting is good too, nothing groundbreaking but the accents do sound authentic.

Story

There is not much to the story, but Sniper Elite 3 is an action game. I did not go in expecting to have a powerful and epic story. I went in expecting to see some detailed gore and annihilate some Nazi scum.

Overall

Aside from the bugs Sniper Elite 3 is a good game, the survival mode is really fun too. If the game seems too easy for you, you can always crank up the difficulty. I played on Marksman (Normal) and plowed through the game with very few issues. If you want an epic story and groundbreaking gameplay then you might want to stay clear of Sniper Elite 3. Just make sure you buy this game for next-gen consoles, playing on the 360 or the PS3 is disappointing.

Sniper Elite 3 is developed by Rebellion and published by 505 Games. Released on July 1st, 2014 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and PC. A personal copy of Sniper Elite 3 was purchased from a local retailer.