Final Thoughts: Sniper Elite V2 (Xbox 360)

As someone who obsessively gravitates towards the sniper rifle in shooters, Sniper Elite V2 was right up my alley. I hadn’t heard of the series prior to checking out the demo, but after a few gruesomely satisfying head shots I was sold.

Sniper Elite V2 (Xbox 360) by 505 Games released 5/1/12

Price Paid: $15.00 (Picked up Black Friday 2012 at Best Buy)

Recommended Buy Price: $20 – $25 (or wait for the Silver Star Edition for $30)

Time Played: 19 Hours according to Raptr.com http://raptr.com/tengaport

Difficulty: Sniper Elite

Achievements: 30/41

Glitches / Crashes: None

Will I Buy A Sequel: Probably

Will I Buy DLC: No – but I may grab the Silver Star Edition at some point.

Sniper Elite V2 puts you behind the scope of Karl Fairburne, a special operative from the Office of Strategic Services. Your mission, track down & eliminate the Nazi scientists behind the V-2 ballistic missile.

With a sniper rifle as your primary means to an end, you set out across a war-torn Berlin in pursuit of your targets. Sniper Elite V2 is all about staying out of site, finding your vantage point, lining up your shot and the pulling the trigger. If done right, and your shot connects the game treats you to Sniper Elite V2’s biggest hook a violently graphic kill cam. Just see below:

BOOM! Headshot!

The campaign takes you through 10 chapters (plus a prologue) where you lone wolf your way against hordes of enemies. The AI isn’t the smartest of the bunch, but they have the sense to eventually rally and flank you if you give up your position. The game equips you with a few gadgets such as land mines and trip wires to help cover your back as well as a machine gun and side arm for when the shit hits the fan. Still, it’s best to remain out of sight and pick your enemies off at a distance.

When playing on Sniper Elite difficulty (which I HIGHLY recommend) the game isn’t as easy as choosing your target and pulling the trigger. Sniper Elite difficulty forces you to factor distance and wind speed/direction considerations into your shot. You’ll need a steady hand along with some intuition to have any hope of dropping targets 200m.

I found myself getting a good handle on the distance, but often had trouble gauging the wind from the visual clues (or lack thereof) . No biggie, if I missed my first shot I could usually correct on the second as long as I didn’t spook my target too much. Cadet & Marksman difficulties do not hold to same challenge, so plan your play through accordingly.

One more thing you’ll need to factor into your shots regardless of difficulty is the sound your rifle makes when fired. This isn’t some Tom Clancy: Ghost Recon deal here. Your WWII era firearms make big bangs when the triggers are pulled so waiting until you have noise masking your shot is another element you’ll need to take into consideration.

Staying hidden, lining up your shot, accounting for distance & wind and then waiting for the right moment make Sniper Elite V2 more methodical & tense than your average, run & gun shooter. When you execute a perfect shot from across the map though, and see your handiwork unfold in the game’s graphic kill cam it’s an extremely gratifying experience.

The graphical prowess of Sniper Elite V2 probably isn’t going to rock your world and it can feel clunky at times but the sniping is so satisfying that those deficiencies hardly impacted my enjoyment at all. I ran into a few frustrating sections, but was able to power through my keeping my cool and steadying my aim.

After completing the campaign I started eyeing up the DLC options because I wasn’t quite ready to hang up my rifle just yet. Going to hold off though for now and maybe revisit the game when the upcoming Silver Star Edition is released.

There is  a Zombie infested Sniper Elite campaign coming to PCs which I really hope finds it’s way to consoles as I am eager for more of the franchise.

If you enjoy sniping and are looking for a great budget title to get in a few kills, you’d be wise to take aim at Sniper Elite V2. Two thumbs up.