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02-01-23, 06:16 PM | #1 |
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Sniper Eliite 5 Review
Review of Sniper Elite 5
I like sniper games and I like submarine games. Probably because they are very similar. A submarine is, after all, just a super soggy sniper. It is all about hiding, tracking and attacking in a disciplined manner. Bluf: SE5 is a fun sniper game to play. I think it is worth the money, but if you can get it on sale, even better. Lots of killing of snotzies (hate those guys) in different and fun ways. It is not a perfect game and there are still a few bugs but I have not found them to be especially bothersome. A lot of the online critiques of this game seem focused on realism. SE5 is as realistic a sniper game as SH4 is a realistic submarine game – Realistic in some ways, not realistic in others. It is, after a video game. In that light here are my opinions of SE5 – The good, the bad, and the ugly. The good – aspects of the game where I think the developers have done a good job and improved the game since SE3/4
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02-01-23, 07:32 PM | #2 |
Soaring
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Thanks for the extensive review! It shows that you like this series.
I do not know SE, but the reading has made me curious. I have set it on the Steam Wishlist for a future sale to maybe pick it up then.
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02-02-23, 07:57 PM | #3 |
Weps
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I've been thinking about giving this a try. Thanks for the in-depth review! That's always helpful when considering a new title.
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02-07-23, 04:43 AM | #4 |
Lucky Jack
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I bought Sniper Elite 5 over the weekend and have now played the first two missions and half of the third. There would be a lot to complain about, but I'll stick to the game's poor progression in this post.
I'm one of those for whom a "carrot" is important in games. It gives me a reason to keep playing and play missions again. The carrot in Sniper Elite 5 is one of those wilted, pathetic looking ones that gets left in the shop and thrown in the trash at the end of the day. The game has two progression systems. One is XP which you get by doing missions, simple challenges (shoot someone from x meters away) etc. XP is used to unlock skills, of which there are 27 in total divided into three categories; Combat, Equipment and Body. Sounds cool, doesn't it? Well, no. Out of the 27 skills, I've deliberately chosen only one that I know will help my style of play. The rest I've chosen just to use my skill points for something. There's even a setting in the game that if you turn on, the game automatically uses your skill points. Tells you something, in my opinion. Well, that was XP. It's not (as far as I know) used for anything other than skills. Skills, of which 26/27 are useless for my taste. Another progression system in the game is collecting new weapons and parts. The main way to collect these is to find workbenches in missions. Usually there seem to be three workbenches per mission, one per weapon type (pistol, smg, rifle). If you find a pistol bench, you unlock parts for the pistol, etc. Another way to get new gadgets is through the kill challenges in the missions. Kill a certain person in a certain way and you get a new weapon. Some parts seem to be locked behind specific weapon challenges. EDIT: Forgot to add that you also unlock stuff by simply completing a mission. The progression of weapons and parts is also problematic. Usually, in games where sound is a big part, equipment like a suppressor isn't given until later. In Sniper Elite 5, you get the rifle suppressor as early as the second mission. By the third mission, every weapon you have is suppressed. In SE5, you don't have to agonize over the first missions with inferior equipment, and thus you don't return to those missions later to avenge the wrongs you've experienced with better weaponry. So, to recap: XP is only used for skills and weapons/parts are obtained through challenges and exploration. Let's get back to that carrot. I found all three workbenches in the first mission and did the kill challenge as required. For what reason would I like to play the mission again later? I've already gotten everything it has to give, except for playing on the hardest difficulty level. Since SE5 borrows quite a lot from the Hitman series, let's compare the progression system between the two. In Hitman, each map has its own XP progression system (location mastery) which is fulfilled by replaying the map and doing different challenges ( of which there are tons). Most maps have 20 levels of mastery and the levels unlock different things, like new starting locations or new equipment that you can use in other maps. Different challenges can also reward you with new gadgets. Also note that I use the word "map" instead of "mission". In Hitman, each map covers several missions/play modes, some of which give new challenges to complete. And that's how easily the game gives the player a "carrot" to chase through for multiple playthroughs. That SE5 fails so utterly here is hard to fathom. Linking XP with weapon/parts unlocks would have gone a long way. Heck, even unlocking cosmetics with XP would have been tolerable compared to what's in the game. SE5 is still an ok game. I just have a lot of disagreeable things to say about it. But I think that's enough (for now). Last edited by Dowly; 02-07-23 at 05:44 AM. |
02-07-23, 05:51 PM | #5 | |
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For the challenge. You can fulfill the objectives in a different way just by changing your approach. You can unlock different starting locations which changes the game experience. I am on my seventh or eighth play through and each play though is a little different. There are also the objectives you can uncover by exploring the map. If you limit yourself to only the primary missions, you are not experiencing all that the game offers. I agree that replaying the same mission at the same difficulty could be dull, but every play though I change the difficulty. The thing I like about the SE games is that there are several ways to achieve the same objectives. I have 443 hours and I still have not explored everything.
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02-11-23, 06:25 AM | #6 | |
Lucky Jack
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*clears throat* So, I'm now on the 5th mission of the game and I can't shake the feeling that things have been left halfway. Let's start with a mission where one of the optional objectives is to destroy an antenna mast. The main way to destroy it is to go inside the coastal bunker (on which the mast stands) and destroy the antenna's electronics, but if you listen to the guards talking it turns out that the antenna cables are in bad shape and if two of them fail, the whole mast will go down. Sounds like a clever opportunity for a little sniping, doesn't it? Wrong! You can't shoot the cables to pieces, you have to cut them with cutters. Where can you find cutters? At the bunker. Where are the cables? At the bunker. Sure, you'll need a crowbar to destroy the electronics, but that too can be found near the bunker. The game gives you two ways to do something, but neither way is easier or harder. The only choice is: Do you prefer a crowbar or bolt cutters? In the same mission, you'll find a safe with the combination you need a few feet away on a table. Why? The information you find in the safe could have been left on the table. Sure, you'll have to shoot the lock off the room door using armor-piercing bullets, but I suspect all players at this point in the game already have them with them from the start of the mission. *** The glass bottles used to distract enemies is another thing that makes you wonder. Unlike in Hitman, for example, you can't use just any bottles. The only way to get more bottles is to find them around the map, and they have to be the exact same bottles. Why do away with throwing stones and replace it with such a gamey system? A system that makes no sense. The elusive glass bottles. Only empty bottles found in these boxes can be used. *** In-game cutscenes will always show your character with their starting weapons and uniform, regardless of how you've customised your character and what weapons you're using. Games have shown your character wearing proper gear during cutscenes for a very long time. No reason to leave it out in a game published in 2022. Fairburne in a cutscene and immediately after. *** In SE5, the sniping doesn't feel so much like a half-finished job as an afterthought. I don't mean how the sniping works, the shooting, but where the rifle can actually be used. So far, the fourth mission has been the only one where I've felt like I could incorporate sniping into the otherwise stealthy gameplay that is the main focus of SE5. There are plenty of sniping nests, but in the missions so far they've always felt forced. They feel as if the game makers just wanted a few spots per map where the player could perform a precision brain drain method before being sent deeper into the mission where the rifle is less useful due to the short distances. Sure, from these nests you can clear areas of enemies you might go into later, but it never feels necessary. The submachine gun as well as the pistol will do the job just as well up close. I mentioned earlier the fourth mission of the game. Of the ones I've done so far, I think it's the best because the rifle remains an effective option throughout the map. Even though the other maps have been more open, the factory area in mission four is made so that you'll constantly find ways to use the rifle in addition to other weapons in a natural way. The area could easily have been made into a maze where the rifle is useless, but thanks to the verticality of the map and the large factory halls open at both ends through which you can force-feed lead to the Germans, the map is a real pleasure to play. The only downside was the lack of enemy snipers. I think there were one or two enemy snipers in the mission, although the map would have been perfect for more. The beginning of mission three is perhaps the worst case of offering sniping for the sake of offering sniping. All of the objectives are in Mont-Saint-Michel, past the bridge, where the rifle is far less useful due to narrow winding streets and small interiors. This entire starting section could be removed without it affecting the mission itself. Last edited by Dowly; 02-11-23 at 12:56 PM. |
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02-15-23, 04:43 PM | #7 |
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I am on my seventh or eighth play through using different weapons and tactics and I am still entertained.
But I tend to replay games a lot. But I just checked my Steam account and I have 12,725 hours playing Civ 6, so I think I have a problem. Crikey, that's 1.4 years! I think I got my money's worth out of that game. And I wonder why I ain't got no life.
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02-16-23, 10:26 AM | #8 | |
Ace of the Deep
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12k is amazing. My most-played Steam game is EU IV with 3,500 since 2014. But I've likely sunk more in to Falcon 4. And Civ 6 is a good game. I've dropped hundreds in to it, and again for Civ 5, but 12,000 is astounding. On topic.... I could never quite get in to the Sniper Elite series, and I tried. Sniper games are right up my alley. Any games that have solo play centered around stealth are my jam, and why I come 'round here for sub sims. Same deal. I prefer the Sniper Ghost Warrior series for my sniping over Sniper Elite. It's first person too. Turn off all the silly bullets cams and HUD stuff and the series is a solid tactical sniper experience. There are two basic versions, the Sniper Ghost Warrior main titles, and the Contracts spin offs. An alternative for anyone who doesn't find SE suits them.
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02-16-23, 05:03 PM | #9 |
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There is a guy on Youtube who does SE4 and SE5 missions with no or only the required killing, just sneaking on authentic difficulty. It is quite impressive despite the editing that you are not supposed to notice.
Still some of the moves he pulls off is quite impressive. I might try the ultimate sneaking game play next play through.
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02-16-23, 05:07 PM | #10 | |
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I find that starting position one or the more enjoyable ones. One of the few times you can pull off 600 meter snipes. By sniping all you can, it will make sneaking on the parameter a lot easier. While it does get a bit cramped, there are still places where you can wait and snipe from about 100 meters, the rest you have to shoot a lot closer. The northern section of the map has some nice sniping areas 300-400 meters, which is nice. But I agree there is far too much reliance on the SMG for my liking. In SE3 and 4, I rarely used my SMG, but in SE5, I use it a lot.
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02-16-23, 10:12 PM | #11 |
Lucky Jack
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02-17-23, 03:21 PM | #12 |
Fleet Admiral
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Search Youtube for Core2TOM that's the name of his channel
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07-21-23, 09:56 AM | #13 |
Weps
Join Date: Oct 2011
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I bought Sniper Elite 4 (Italy) with all DLC for $8 and change during the Steam Summer Sale. It's grand fun!
Based on my experience with SE4, I want to add SE2 Remastered, SE3, and SE5 eventually. I also have Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2. That too is very good. |
07-22-23, 10:48 AM | #14 |
Captain
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Is this a third person game? I can't stand them.
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07-22-23, 11:49 AM | #15 |
Ace of the Deep
Join Date: Feb 2006
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Yes, it is, and one of the reasons I suggested Ghost Warrior as an alternative to Sniper Elite. I don't like third person either, but I'll still do it if the game is good enough. Witcher 3 and Hitman WoA being a couple examples. Even in GTA and RDR2 I played exclusively in first person even if it is a bit clunky and there are disadvantages to playing first person, particularly situational awareness in PvP.
The Ghost Warrior series, including the Contracts spin-off is pretty good when you sum up the parts. Nothing in isolation will blow your socks off, but taken as a whole it is a solid tactical sniper game. Turn off the bullet cams and HUD elements and it's right about where I want it to be.
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