By now, you're probably thinking that just about every possible World War II shooter has been made. Well, apparently, you were wrong. The folks over at Rebellion are developing a WW2 shooter that puts you in the roll of a very specialized soldier-the sniper. Sniper Elite will put the rifle in your hand and challenge you to defeat the enemy from a distance...or die trying.
Now, most WW2 games have had sniper rifles as one of the weapons, but no game has done them quite like this one is setting out to do. Often seen as the tool for "campers", Sniper Elite turns the sniper rifle into the powerful and difficult weapon that it truly is. Nerves of steel are required to enact the "one shot, one kill" philosophy of the sniper. In addition to fighting enemy soldiers, you have to factor in certain elements such as wind, which is dynamically generated each mission, gravity and your soldier's own nerves.
Let's back up a bit and set the scene, shall we. The war in Europe is drawing to a close. Russian troops have invaded Berlin and the Secret Service has sent you in to lend a hand against the Germans. In addition, the Russians are in the midst of developing their own atomic bomb and, with the end of WW2, the Cold War is about to begin. You must balance the two sides of the current war and the one about to begin and protect your own hide and country while doing so.
Now that we know why we're doing what we're doing, let's get back to the how. Your sniper rifle will allow you to shoot targets up to 1000m away; that's a full kilometer or over half a mile. It's not so easy however, even though you are a well trained sniper, you must focus for each shot. Your posture will affect every shot, so if you are trying to snipe someone on the run, the chance for an accurate shot will be much less then if you were to lay prone, calm your breathing, and take a steady shot.
Just how accurate is your weapon? Well, suppose that soldier in the distance is surrounded by a few others. Shooting one will alert the others to your position, so what do you? See that grenade on the soldier's belt? I'll bet it would make a nice explosion if struck by a sniper's bullet. Well, that's what you can do! Taking careful aim, you can use pin-point accuracy to create incredibly devastation. Another example, and one that most snipers do not relish, is a tank bearing down on you. Now, your little bullets won't do much to a heavily armored tank...but that little gas-cap may not be so well armored. A well placed bullet at the gas-cap has the potential to ignite the tank's fuel and make one fiery explosion!
Modern sniper's rarely go out alone, however. While you have the option to do so, it's always best to take a spotter with you. Cooperative play allows for just such a scenario-with one player being the sniper and the other the spotter. In addition, online multiplayer will be included, allowing for typical deathmatch and other scenarios.
In addition to your rifle, you also have access to other side-arms-should the enemy find your position and get a little too close. By using stealth and moving from position to position, however, you can try to elude them to make your job that much easier. In addition, you can set trip-wire's to take out a suspicious enemy while you're making your way to safer ground.
While WWII games are a dime a dozen, this one looks to offer a new wrinkle on the standard gameplay. By employing stealth, strategy and realism to your standard shooter, Sniper Elite could become a big hit when it hits PC, PS2, Xbox this holiday season.
I've been playing games ever since I was a wee lad. My favorite games as a child were the classic Pitfall and a game called SNAFU, which was a sort of puzzle game along the lines of Tron Light Cycles. I've had most of the major console systems since the early days and have a wide range of tastes of games and I'm always eager to give a new one a try.
