Sniper Elite V2

Snipers were among the most feared units on the battlefield, since you never knew where they were and a single shot could take out anyone, regardless of their rank or experience. However, not everyone was up for the job, since it requires a lot of patience and dexterity to become a skilled sharpshooter, not to mention the fact that you are almost always alone and without backup.

Sniper Elite V2 is the sequel to a successful first part and it aims to improve on every aspect, as well as provide you with a more engaging experience and a more realistic setting. As you might suspect, the action takes place at the end of the second World War and you play a sniper by the name of Karl Fairburne, who's task is to prevent the Soviets from acquiring the secrets of the V2 rockets.

Throughout the story, you get to visit a lot of authentic locations throughout Europe, as well as sneak through devastated cities in order to blow up various objectives, or take out important people. Naturally, you are always accompanied by your trusty rifle, although there are many more weapons available and you can just as easily employ them instead, rather than waiting on the rooftops for the target to wander by.

This second episode stresses the importance of being invisible, since you are severely punished by the AI if you are reckless and reveal your position to the enemy. Hence, in case the foes are aware of where you are and you do not move, they slowly make their way to your position and assault you from up-close, which, on higher difficulty levels, almost always means certain death. You can, however, make use of the cover system in order to defend yourself, although it is never a good idea to let them know where you are.

Speaking of difficulty, it can be adjusted using the dedicated slider and it has a great impact on the actual gameplay, rather than just make the AI hit you with every shot. Thus, increasing the difficulty also unlocks the realistic ballistics, which means that wind and gravity have a drastic effect on the bullets and you are required to adjust your aim depending on the weather conditions and the distance to your target.

Unlike its predecessor, Sniper Elite V2 is much more refined and realistic, which makes for interesting scenarios and an intense gameplay experience. The heavily improved graphics engine does a good job at rendering the desolated landscapes, while the slow-motion kill sequences are always a pleasure to watch.