Sniper Elite III Review – Bone Shattering Experience

Game Reviewed: Sniper Elite III

Release Date: July 1st, 2014

Developer: Rebellion Oxford

Publisher: 505 Games

Platform: [Reviewed: PlayStation 3], PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC

Genre: First Person Action

Rated: M for Mature

It’s rare to find your hands on a World War shoot em up and not cringe at the gameplay itself. They’ve been attempted many times and suffered horribly to the lack of in certain areas. But two games genuinely standout, Call of Duty: World at War (and further back) and Sniper Elite. It’s wasn’t the stories that drew you in but the creativity.

Sniper Elite’s X-Ray kills are by far the game’s signature and highest selling point of the game. And while that alone makes Rebellion Oxford’s title a must have, Sniper Elite V2’s story never stood up as being memorable. Instead, it was a bullet fest with nothing more to offer than blood, which wasn’t a bad thing.

Sniper Elite III is no different as the story is narrated by Karl, an American soldier heading after the Germans that have infiltrated their way into Afrika, creating Afrika Korps. The campaign is again unmemorable, but the gameplay is consistent and spot on. There are 8 chapters in Sniper Elite III keeping you in the heart of the action from beginning to end.

A few noticeable changes in Sniper Elite III that stood out were the A.I. and the red dot when aiming down targets. The A.I. is much more responsive in comparison to V2 as enemies spot you more realistically. With that in mind expect to die a few more times by the Germans and their tanks.

With X-Ray vision making a comeback it was a little odd to see the infrared laser go way, replaced with a focus lens (based on your playing difficulty). Whether you decide to just shoot first and ask questions later or utilize your environment by masking your shots, the kill cam makes it all worth it.

Each kill has the most gruesome, yet entertaining assassinations ever. As the bullets begin to penetrate, enemies’ transition to an x-ray vision showing the internal damage that takes place. Skulls crack, eye balls separate and that’s just a tease to the full experience. You can also take down tanks and trucks when aiming down their weak points.

Weapons are customizable in Sniper Elite as you earn parts as well as new guns while ranking up and completing chapters throughout the campaign.

Karl doesn’t have to face the battlefield solo this time around as co-op has been added into the mix allowing a second player online to join you on your mission. Other multiplayers options are available as well such as Deathmatch, Overwatch and Survival which allow you to kill enemies in waves similar to Halo, Gears and Call of Duty Zombies (which is more fitting, taking down Nazi’s).

The issues run into with Sniper Elite III are the same that plagued V2, a forgettable story and sniping concept that only shines for so long. After a while the experience grows tiresome. Not to mention a few glitches here and there; for example, when hiding enemies their bodies almost every time fell into the ground, under the map;  Or killing an enemy to have their body float in air. These errors didn’t ruin the overall experience, but it effects the expectation.

Sniper Elite III has everything needed to make a game leave you with a lasting impression in terms to the experience, but the story itself, especially because of the excess dialogue, never allows you to clearly understand what’s going on. To be fair, Sniper Elite did release cheaper than the average AAA title and it’s worth every bullet!

The Scores

Gameplay: 3.5/5

Visuals: 4/5

Audio: 3/5

Controls: 4/5

Value: 3.5/5

Overall Rating: 3.5/5