It shouldn’t be, but watching a bullet shatter bone and burst through internal organs is incredibly satisfying.
As a reward for pulling off a killing shot from hundreds of yards away, it’s gruesomely thrilling. And now you can experience it by playing a remastered version of Sniper Elite V2 on either PS4, Xbox One, Switch or PC.
Released way back in 2012, Sniper Elite V2 doesn’t differ that much from more recent Sniper Elite offerings at its core. You play as Karl Fairburne, a one-man army tasked with a dangerous mission, and the action that unfolds is of the third-person shooter variety, with plenty of stealth mixed in for good measure. But compared to its successors, Sniper Elite V2 Remastered feels old.
Over the course of a campaign that spans over ten missions, you’ll sneak from one vantage spot to another, thinning down enemy numbers. Initially, you’ll probably want to try to take the stealthy approach, eliminating your foes without a fuss with your silenced pistol or a swift melee attack from behind. But stealth will only generally get you so far. Eventually you’re going to have to go loud, and that means getting your rifle out and popping some skulls.
It’s because of this flow between stealth and long-range firefights that Sniper Elite V2 Remastered‘s combat still feels varied and entertaining, even though it doesn’t grant you the biggest arsenal in the world. And it’s bolstered by the occasional close-range situations that occur, calling for quick reflexes and snap decisions to remain alive.
There’s also an element of strategy to the gameplay of Sniper Elite V2 Remastered. Making good use of the traps available to you is advisable; placing a tripwire or two in the doorways or corridors leading to your sniping position does a great job of clearing up those trying to sneak up on you. And incapacitating an enemy who’s out on the open instead of outright killing them is a good tactic to lure others out of cover.
Compared to those in the newer Sniper Elite games though, Sniper Elite V2 Remastered‘s missions feel very linear. They sometimes give you a little leeway as to how you get from point A to point B, but you still very much feel like you’re following a path that takes you through multiple shooting galleries. It’s hard to not miss the openness of the newer games, and the enhanced traversal options introduced in Sniper Elite 4. Still, once you’ve got into your head that this is indeed an old game given a spruce up, you can have a lot of fun.
There’s nothing quite like pulling off a long distance shot that eliminates an enemy tank, for instance, or detonating an enemy’s grenade as it sits around their waist. As a sniping simulator, Sniper Elite V2 Remastered can stand toe-to-toe with its sequels. Though there are other issues that bring it down a little, like occasionally getting stuck on objects in the environment, and the AI sometimes being a tad daft.
But none of Sniper Elite V2 Remastered‘s problems should stop you from enjoying its campaign, which is likely to last just under 10 hours for most players. After that, there are multiple difficulty modes and collectables to entice you to go though it again, and online co-op is available which really changes the experience up.
There are some separate modes to keep you occupied, too. Kill Tally is essentially a horde mode which throws waves of enemies at you, while Challenge tasks you with completing objectives. There are multiple maps available in both modes, and your progress is tracked via leaderboards for added competition.
New to Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is a suite of competitive online modes for up to 16 players. Along with the usual Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag offerings, there are some such as Distance King that provide a more unique experience. Anyone who has played the latest Sniper Elite games online should know what to expect.
There are other new additions to be found in Sniper Elite V2 Remastered, too. There’s a decent photo mode that allows you to capture all those brilliant shots and share them with your friends; the Xbox One version has keyboard and mouse support; and characters from Zombie Army Trilogy are now playable in many modes. All the DLC released for the game is also included, giving you more missions and more weapons to go at.
So Sniper Elite V2 Remastered has obviously had some work put into it. It’s not just a quick port job. The only problem is, when Sniper Elite 3 and 4 are both so much better to play and have more varied locations, why would you want to play it? Nostalgia, maybe? Or maybe to simply kill a bit of time before Sniper Elite 5 arrives?
Sniper Elite V2 Remastered undoubtedly feels old. And from time to time you encounter the odd issue that could do with being polished out. But it doesn’t stop the game from being engaging. There are some interesting situations to find yourself in as you battle your way through its campaign, which is enjoyably challenging. And the X-ray kill cam is simply fantastic as always. Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is far from being the best Sniper Elite game you can play right now, but it’s still worth your time if you want to see bullets travel through bodies in gory detail.
Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is available on PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC. We reviewed the Xbox One version.
