Sniper Elite III
Producer: 505 Games
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Platform: Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Rating: Mature
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Bloody Good Time
Written by Jesse Seilhan
Sniping gets a lot of grief in the online gaming community. Some see it as the ultimate display of patience and skill, using a single long-range weapon as an extension of justice and punishment. Others view it as a cheap tactic that removes the player from all harm and allows campers to pad their stats without getting their hands dirty. Wherever you fall along that scale, it’s tough to deny the truly harsh conditions real snipers during the 20th century and prior endured. Few games attempt to tackle the plight of real snipers, but the Sniper Elite series has always filled that gap by making realistic and difficult games that put you into the scope of a World War II sniper. With Sniper Elite III, the landscape is Africa, the enemy are Nazis, and you have to win the war one bullet at a time.
This might be stating the obvious, but this game is not a Call of Duty clone. It’s a third-person shooter that mainly has you wielding a sniper rifle, although you can take out a variety of pistols and machine guns for when the going gets tough. Those are always a last resort, as this game is best when played like a Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell entry, using stealth and calculated planning to achieve silent victory. These are old, noisy weapons that make a ruckus when fired, so the game allows you to create distractions that mask the rifle fire, like setting off generators or causing explosions elsewhere that sync up with your shot. When heard, the hunt begins, as the enemy starts moving in on your position. Using mines and other explosives as traps helps create both massive death and a handy diversion, as the enemy won’t see your cross-map bullseye coming while his friend is exploding elsewhere.
The game features a fairly lengthy single-player campaign, with expansive levels that can take more than hour each to complete, depending on how meticulous you are. There are tons of collectibles strewn across Africa, from vintage playing cards to weapon upgrades. Your kit can be modified and the rifle itself can be swapped, upgraded, and customized to your liking after earning various improvements. Having a well-balanced loadout, with both explosives and medical supplies, is key to taking down some of the tougher missions, such as destroying a tank or two. A highlight was breaking a POW out of a fortress that then had to be completely cleared before he could walk away safely. The last portion of that level had a ton of explosions, letting you rain hell down upon the courtyard without any danger of being noticed.
The best part of this game, depending on how bloodthirsty you are, is the gratuitous amount of x-ray used when a bullet pierces the enemy. Skulls, spleens, lungs, hearts, and even testicals explode in a collage of blood, bone, sinew, and pain as the game slows to a crawl to show off every excruciating detail. It’s something straight out of Mortal Kombat, but the sheer force and repetition of each killshot makes it some of the most brutal entertainment seen all year. If you can stand watching that level of extreme violence, have a bit of patience for slower games, and enjoy a good romp through World War II history, there really isn’t a better game for you. While you don’t get to fly any jets, punch any robots, or call in a nuclear strike, Sniper Elite III is still a fun shooter worth its weight in lead.