PS2 Underrated Gem: Sniper Elite

This is a series of gameplay vids I’m doing highlighting overlooked games for the PS2.

Sniper Elite is quite simply put the ultimate sniping game. Though it’s gameplay setup has been done before in other games before, this game is the most realistic to sniping game to come along period. I’m not saying that it’s 100% realistic to using a real sniper rifle and real scope (no game is nor do I believe will ever be on account that it wouldn’t make for good gameplay), but it’s the only game that I’ve seen that accounts for bullet drop.

You know those little notches on a scope that are just there for decoration in pretty much every game that has a sniper rifle in it. Unlike those games, in this game you really have to use them.

This makes for an a lot more realistic an experience. Most games seem to think that scopes always shoot where they’re aiming and the bullet always hits perfectly. What you shoot at 50 yards will be the same at 100 yards, and in real life, that’s quite simply not the case.

This is the only game I’ve played that doesn’t treat a sniper rifle in that way. You actually have to think about your shots. It makes it a lot more strategic.

The game’s gameplay away from the sniping is also just as fun and compelling. It’s mission based, and is very addictive. You can go through each level stealthily, or balls out run and gun as you so choose. The enemy A.I. is very good. They’re not just the same stupid stand still and shoot. They go for cover, and they don’t pop out of that cover in regularly timed intervals like in most other games. This sometimes makes it hard to tell where you’re getting shot at from.

The action takes place in a World War II setting. Your character is an OSS operative, and in the game you’ll be fighting both the Wehrmacht, and the Red Army soldiers. If you’re into that setting, then you should be interested in this game’s atmosphere.

Overall the game has a lot of cool features including Online play for the PS2, and there are even occasionally still some people playing it.

The only negative I can think for some people may be the game’s difficulty at times, and it’s less than stellar graphics (regardless of how many time I try and tell people that graphics don’t matter, the message just doesn’t get through).

Sniper Elite is also available on the Xbox, and PC. I can’t vouche for whether or not there’s anyone still playing those versions online anymore, but those who may be interested in how many people are currently playing the PS2 version click this gamespy link:

http://archive.gamespy.com/stats/mods.asp?id=918&s=1

This link tells you how many people are currently online on the North American servers in the game at the very moment you link to it.

The link comes courtesy of http://www.onlineconsoles.com/