Sniper Elite V2 - Boxed - PS3

Sniper Elite V2 is both a sequel and a remake of Sniper Elite. It brings back Karl Fairburne, the protagonist of the first game, and is set in the same time period as the original title. However, the gameplay and levels are completely new, so it's only a remake in the sense that it reimagines the character and setting of the original game. Fairburne is an American agent of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), disguised as a German sniper, who is deployed in the final days of the Second World War in 1945 during the Battle of Berlin. In the original game, he was after information on the German nuclear weapons programme. In this game, he must hunt down German V-2 rocket scientists.

This shooter is played from a first-person perspective and prioritises tactics and stealth over direct firefights. In many missions, you must enter a location covertly and observe movement patterns before acting. It's possible to crawl and throw stones to distract guards, but grenades are also available. A threat indicator shows how exposed Fairburne is. If he isn't careful, an alarm will be triggered, and then the enemy threat becomes overwhelming, partly due to limited ammunition. In many scenarios, it's also necessary to retreat and then flee. A safe escape is aided by laying tripwire mines, setting booby traps, or dragging away bodies. It's also possible to sneak, take cover and quickly pop back out. Nearby enemies can be taken out with a suppressed pistol. In most situations, especially for kills at long range, a sniper rifle is used. At that moment, the camera switches to a first-person view. Accuracy is affected by heart rate, breathing (which can be steadied), gravity and distance, as well as general ballistics. The level of ballistic realism can be reduced via a difficulty setting. In some missions there are fights against enemy snipers, and in these cases even their scope glints, which shine in sunlight, can be used to give away their position.

The various game modes include single-player, co-op and competitive multiplayer. Co-op games include Kill Tally, where endless waves of enemies must be killed in a race against the clock; Bombing Run, where an area must be searched for parts to repair a broken-down vehicle before the location is bombed; Overwatch, where a sniper works together with an agent to mark targets; and the entire main campaign, which can also be played together with a friend.

Compared to the first game, this title includes elements of contemporary shooters, such as point rewards for actions and kills (similar to the Modern Warfare games) and a slow-motion kill cam for long-range hits, featuring an anatomical cutaway X-ray view similar to the one used in Mortal Kombat 2011 to depict bone-breaking attacks. It shows exactly where the bullet enters the body and what damage it causes to the organs. The player is encouraged to pull off difficult shots, such as shooting an enemy through the eye. Other features include white silhouettes showing where enemy soldiers were last seen, and the ability to tag fighters to get their position and additional targeting information. The mission environments aren't completely open, but guide the player in one direction with a certain degree of freedom. Alongside the main objectives, hidden bottles and gold bars can be collected.