Sniper Elite 4 Review – Most Polished Yet

I have had the pleasure of taking out Nazi for many years in the previous two Sniper Elite video games so I felt qualified enough to mount up once again for the Sniper Elite 4 review. The first time I jumped into Sniper Elite it was for the second game called Sniper Elite V2 (2012) on the Xbox 360 and the thing that stood out the most for me was how reliant your soldier was on his sniper weapon. I remember not being able to perform hand-to-hand combat with an enemy unless you snuck up on them. The Sniper Elite franchise is stylized and clever and developers Rebellion made even more improvements in 2014 when they released Sniper Elite 3. Sniper Elite 4 is the newest entry in the series and is the most polished and user-friendly version of the game yet.

In Sniper Elite 4 you play as Karl Fairburne deep inside of enemy lines in Italy 1943 during World War II. The gameplay is third person perspective over-the-shoulder but most of the time you’ll be taking in the action through your binoculars or the scope on your sniper rifle. One of the highlights of the combat is Rebellion’s kill-cam perspective which slows time down and shows the bullet firing through space and tearing through body parts, crunchy and breaking bones along the way. Stealth is a very important aspect of the Sniper Elite series as well so you want to make sure to use covering sounds to mask attacks and take advantage of foliage and buildings to sneak around. Sniper Elite 4 seems to have been upgraded in its ability to scale walls, lean off ledges and climb chains and ladders with more agility. Though Karl can sprint and climb much easier then past games – don’t expect the sort of flexibility from someone like Nathan Drake in Uncharted.

Sniper Elite 4 Review Final Thoughts:

Sniper Elite 4 isn’t a game for everyone as I’ve noticed over the years that most gamers prefer shooting and blasting their way through a level more so than sneaking and using stealth. If video games like Dishonored or Metal Gear Solid V are your cup of tea then you will adapt quickly to Sniper Elite’s learning curve. I developed a tactical method of combat in the game where if I was spotted from far away I would quickly retreat to a new cover position and then take out the enemies who swarmed to my previous location. Since I had Sniper Elite 4 early I wasn’t able to check out the co-op play or multiplayer elements but those things didn’t interest me that much in previous games. I enjoy being the ‘lone wolf’ in Sniper Elite 4 and creeping around to listen in on conversations and gather intel before trying to outmaneuver my foes to gain a military advantage in the war. Be warned if you have a short attention span or do not enjoy stealth games then Sniper Elite 4 will most likely not be your thing. If you have patience then you will enjoy Rebellion’s latest entry in the Sniper Elite franchise.  Sniper Elite 4 is available on 2/14/2017 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxHGHRHeXn8