I praised Sniper Elite V2 in my original review when it was released back in 2012 as being a ‘sleeper hit’ of the year and was anxious to take another dive into the game with remastered graphics in 2019. Sniper Elite V2 Remastered on the PlayStation 4 does not disappoint and is a treat to those who are fans of the series.
The highlights for the original Sniper Elite V2 graphics were the ‘kill-cam’ slow-motion animations which showed enemies being shot with graphic detail. The original Sniper Elite V2 (on the Xbox 360) wasn’t much of a treat to look at when it came to the environments which lacked detail but that has been remedied now with the remastered version. This time around you’ll be able to witness plenty of detail in your surroundings in the Sniper Elite V2 Remastered version which may even encourage you to explore more and recover lost ‘gold bars’.
Sniper Elite V2 Remastered features overhauled visuals with support for 4K and HDR which helps enhance the gameplay experience. I think the biggest improvement is in the environment and not so much character design as those are mostly viewed in brief cut scenes. The Sniper Elite V2 Remastered version also includes all of the previously released DLC, adds in photo mode, and 16 players online (Nintendo Switch 8 online) with 7 new characters from Rebellion’s Zombie Army series.
While I’m enjoying playing as Karl Fairburne once again – taking down enemies as part of World War II – I can’t help but wonder if it would have been possible to also tweak some stuff in the button layout for Sniper Elite V2 Remastered. As was before – I often find myself picking up guns when I’m trying to search dead bodies (the same button is used) and I would love to remap some of the other controls to fit my preferences. There’s also the occasional clipping on the screen where you may find your body halfway between the floor and some rubble – of course, these things are common even in AAA video games.
It’s worth noting that the Sniper Elite series comes from independent developers Rebellion and now you can own Sniper Elite V2, Sniper Elite III and Sniper Elite 4 on most current generation consoles and PC. Also worth noting is that if you have played Sniper Elite 4 and never played Sniper Elite V2 that some game mechanics like melee are missing from the earlier game. Sniper Elite V2 is available now for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.