Calculating Every Kill in Sniper Elite V2

Modern shooters train modern gamers to shoot first and ask questions later. Forget about tactical infiltration, enemies flow forth like a dam bursting and the first on the trigger walks out of the skirmish alive. There are exceptions, with the pendulum swinging to extremes like Red Orchestra 2 and its realistic interpretation of war, but the titles filling cash registers around the world are twitch-based and less calculated in terms of planning an attack. Walking a different path, Sniper Elite V2 looks to put patience and planning at the forefront of the war experience.

Sniper Elite V2 takes place in the dwindling days of World War II. Berlin is on fire, and Russian forces are storming in and staking territory as the Germans crumble. Although the V2 in the title sounds like a sequel, Sniper Elite V2 is actually a "reimagining" according to Rebellion, the developer, and the V2 is a reference to the German's V2 Rockets. It's up to the player and their rifle to stop the Nazi's last stand.

Sniper Elite V2, as its name would hint, is all about sniping. Unlike the original Sniper Elite, Sniper Elite V2 also accounts for close-range combat (which felt impossible before). With an arsenal of silenced pistols and machine guns, there are times when enemy soldiers are close enough to touch and the game accommodates that. But let's be honest, if you're machine-gunning your way through the Brandenburg Gate, you're doing it wrong.


The factors involved in firing a bullet vary wildly, especially at higher difficulty levels. At the highest setting, players must watch smoke for indications of wind, hope a particular bullet can puncture wood, guess how far a bullet will drop depending on the distance and attached muzzle, and hold their breath at the right moment before pulling the trigger. And on certain levels, like Andy Dufresne busting out of Shawshank, thunder plays a critical role in masking gunfire. It's the unison of ballistic factors that makes Sniper Elite interesting. Sure you'll get a red indicator telling you how far your bullet will drop on easier settings, but the hardcore can truly test their skills by ramping up the realism.

Where realism falls from the muzzle is in Sniper Elite's bullet cam. Depending on distance, a great shot will trail the bullet from the rifle to the target, rewarding the shooter with a gruesome, X-Ray-style cutaway that reveals bursting internal organs a nd a spray of blood. As a pillar of the original game, the over-the-top animation can be entertaining, but when overused it's a gratuitous immersion-breaker.


In addition to the bullet camera, clearly-marked, bright red explosives in different situations stand out amidst the rubble. Need to deal with a tank at a distance? Good thing those gas cans are strapped to the back. And if you're spotted and duck around a corner, a white-outlined ghost marks the point where enemy soldiers think you are. These elements are less about the physics and more about being a game, but from the demonstration I saw, that's okay. Sniper Elite V2's shooting is as difficult as you want it to be even if it still needs to be an obvious game in some respects.

Sniper Elite V2 hits PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 in early May. Anyone clamoring for a slower-paced, calculated war experience might be in for a treat when the shooter arrives in a few months. Are you ready to head back to World War II?

Peter writes for IGN's Xbox 360 team. You can follow him on Twitter and MyIGN.

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