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Sniper Games

01 Jun

Sniper Games for the PC

Gamers love shooting games, make no mistake, but sniper games hold a thrill of their own.  The challenge of living up to the motto of “One shot, one kill” and the hand eye coordination this requires presents a unique test of the gamer’s skill.

Of course, some players dislike snipers, calling them cowards, but in reality sniper tactics are a normal part of war.  This is no less true in any game that simulates battlefield environments.  Many online gamers call sniper tactics “camping” and will often ask for server sys-ops to take action against players engaging in this tactic, shame this isn’t an option on a real battlefield.  ;)

There are a variety of sniper games available for the PC of varying quality.  Here is a brief tour of the true sniper games available on the PC. Some titles have not been included here as sniping is only a small part of the game.

It should be noted that because of their subject matter sniper games are for a mature audience and gameplay can be graphic.

World War II Sniper: Call to Victory

Probably best avoided.  Animations are erratic, there are a number of bugs that falsely cause a mission to end in failure and the graphic quality is lacking.  Good points?  Well, it is really cheap to buy…

2/10

Sniper: Path of Vengeance

Poorly made and executed “hitman” style game.  Anyone expecting tension can forget it.  The only tension in this game seems to be will it crash again before I finish this mission.  Another reviewer described this game as having more bugs than the Amazon rainforest and I have to agree.

1/10

Marine Sharpshooter 3

Marine Sharpshooter 3 has a fair bit to recommend it.  Graphics are OK, if dated.  Gameplay is fast and straightforward.

Unfortunately continuity is lacking and things you would expect a game like this to do well it mostly does badly.  An example of this is the ability of enemies to spot you at almost any distance if they happen to looking your way.  It appears not to matter if you are prone, standing or in cover either.  When you combine this with the fact that sometimes enemies don’t appear to notice they have been shot (2-3 shots on target to get a kill sometimes) the fun can quickly be lost.

4/10

Marine Sharpshooter 3 Gameplay Video

Marine Sharpshooter 4

This is another military sniper game and you even get a spotter, but that is where the good news ends.  The spotter is basically useless.  He will only tell you target is dead long after you killed them.

There is no bullet physics, so you hit what you place the crosshairs over.  It doesn’t matter if the target is 10 yards or 1,000 yards away.  You can shoot through trees and your reticle even magically changes colour to tell you that you are targeting an enemy.  As the game isn’t as buggy as some I give it a 2, but that really is its only saving grace.

Marine Sharpshooter 3 was probably better overall.

3/10

Sniper – Art of Victory

This is an average sniper game set in WW2.  Graphics are dated, but do the job.  The ability to pick up weapons dropped by dead enemies is nice and can add some variety to missions.

My biggest concern in this game is the Chrome game engine which doesn’t seem to handle long distances very well, which is kind of important in a sniper game.  At longer distances most things are obscured by a kind of fog, this is fine as far as it goes.  The problem comes when an enemy steps out of this fog, seemingly from nowhere and immediately starts shooting.  If the fog allowed silhouettes or something to give a partial sighting this would be a lot better.  This fog effect isn’t a problem in buildings though and is the only reason the game gets a rating as high as it does.

There is also an issue with movement and terrain modelling.  You often find that you cannot fire through gaps in railings for instance.  Similarly, a building might have a large window, yet you cannot climb through and must use the doorway.  This poor terrain modelling/pathing spoils the game and makes it feel very much like you are playing “on rails” as you must go a particular way.

5/10

Line of Sight: Vietnam

Here you play a US sniper against the Viet Cong, although it is also possible to play against Russian forces too thanks to player developed mods.  LOS: Vietnam is a reasonably old game as it was released back in 2003, but despite its age it is still offers some really good, fun, gameplay.

There is no breath or heartrate simulation like there are in the best games in this genre and the AI at times seems to be either psychic or has X-ray vision, but for all that this is a great game for a budget price.  Sound effects are good and extremely atmospheric, graphics are good for the period, but not up to the standards of modern games (2010).

However when you realise this game costs as little as £5 ($7-8) then perhaps you can see it offers great value for money and is a decent introduction to the world of sniper games.

7/10

Sniper Elite

This probably the best of the sniper games available for the PC.  The graphics are not up to the standard of the top FPS shooters today, but they are good enough to allow you to enjoy what the game is all about – being a solo sniper.

Sniper Elite employs all the relevant factors when computing bullet physics and this means you need to allow for gravity, elevation, wind speed and direction, your own heart rate and breathing, posture while taking the shot and other factors to successfully hit your mark.  You can also use the sound of exploding mortars to cover the sound of your shot – brilliant.

The game suffers from none of the usual problems with psychic enemy AI’s or ridiculous terrain problems blocking your path for no good reason.  As far as I know the game is also bug free, if it isn’t then all I can say is that I never found any.   There is also apparently a small problem with sound effects looping on some cards, but again I did not experience this (Soundblaster).

Sniper Elite Gameplay Video

Overall the game offers great gameplay with a sensible AI.  The missions are well thought out and realistic.  Bullet physics and aiming are really good – probably the best in class, especially at high difficulties.  Sound is great, which is important both for atmosphere and sometimes for trying to work out where the enemy is – use headphones if possible.  Mobs move and patrol properly.  The only thing that really lets this game down is the slightly dated graphics.

Note:  As this game is a few years old it was made to run on XP.  Some players have complained about its compatibility with Vista.  As I understand it, it is possible but difficult to get it running on a Vista PC, but as I use XP this wasn’t an issue for me personally.

9/10

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Sniper Games – Upcoming Release

Sniper: Ghost Warrior

This looks very promising but will not be released until the end of June.  The game promises true bullet physics, breath and heart rate factors and a real AI for your spotter with whom you must co-operate to be successful in the missions.  Combine this with an option for online play and it really sounds like a winner.

The advertising trailers do not show these aspects though and merely seem to be “place the cross hairs on the target and pull the trigger” style of gameplay.  Perhaps the videos only show the game on a low difficulty?

It is certainly the case that the graphics look great, but until it is released there is no way of knowing how well it will actually play.  If the AI is rubbish then it won’t be the first time a game has been spoilt like this.

Overall though it looks great – I just want to see how it plays first.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior Gameplay Video HD

Pre-Order Sniper: Ghost Warrior on Amazon

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Resident Evil 6

30 May

Resident Evil 6 – News

The Resident Evil (RE) series of games has been with us since 1996 and has been an almost constant success story since that time. The releases of RE on various platforms has sold over 40 million units since its debut.  Capcom can surely take pride in what has been a great commercial success and a delight to gamers all over the world.  The world of computer gaming does not stand still however and now possibly the most frequently asked question is: “When will there be a Resident Evil 6?”

In order to answer this question we first need to look at the events surrounding the current edition of the game.  Resident Evil 5 received a lukewarm response from game reviewers although the game itself was the most financially successful in the series to date.  Unfortunately for Capcom Shinji Mikami, the original creator of the series, left the company in 2007.  The producer that took over from him, Jun Takeuchi, spoke of feeling “extreme pressure” following in Mikami’s shadow and no doubt that pressure only increased with the mixed reviews the fifth release of the game received.  While some fans might be cheered to hear it Takeuchi has effectively ruled himself out of producing a future Resident Evil 6 stating that he would only do so after “two Olympics had passed”.  For most gamers, this comment translates as “never”.

Jun Takeuchi - Producer of Resident Evil 5Assuming that Takeuchi is serious about his delay before wanting to get involved in the development of another in the Resident Evil series then this leaves the field open for a new producer to take up the mantle.  The reason for this is simply that Capcom must surely be as eager as fans of the game themselves to see a new release and waiting eight years for a sequel is just not a serious option.

So what kind of game will Resident Evil 6 be?  Fans of the early games would no doubt be happiest to see it stay as an atmospheric third person horror/survival shooter.  More bloodthirsty fans might like the current direction with more guns and action and less role playing style elements.  The only problem with this direction is the cool reception it has already received and it is unlikely that a company as successful as Capcom will be keen to go against fans interests.  The fans are paying customers after all.

Resident Evil 6 – New Directions

So what kind of game will Resident Evil 6 be? It is highly likely to be an online game as this format has already been tried and has proved to be successful.  Will we see new 3d graphics?  Perhaps this is most likely to be decided by the success or failure of the new format in cinemas and already scheduled games than any direct decision by Capcom.  While fans would most likely want to see a return to a more RPG game style of play rather than a shooter style the only ones who know for sure what a future Resident Evil 6 will look like are Capcom themselves and they just aren’t saying.

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Resident Evil 3

30 May

Resident Evil 3 Review

I admit I am a sucker for old time video games and Resident Evil 3 is one of those games that just makes me smile.  What could be better than spending time blasting zombies and trying to stay alive while doing it?  Well OK, I admit there are actually lots of things that are better, but you know what I mean. :)

For anyone that has never played any of the Resident Evil series of games they are sort of zombie based first person shooter.  There are lots of role playing elements to the story but basically the object is to survive and commit mass zombicide.  There has been a spin off movie, sound track and series of books as well as the video game itself which has been released on a variety of platforms including the PC, Dreamcast, GameCube, PS3 and Playstation Portable.  Graphics on the PC version are probably the best of the series.

Resident Evil 3 was slightly less successful than Resident Evil 2 in financial terms (selling about 3.5 million copies), but it received much better reviews than its predecessor and rightly so.  Just goes to show what us games reviewers know, huh?  To be fair the game is a great deal of fun and was advanced in its day instituting novel character moves and keyboard shortcuts.  It is still worth playing today, especially as a modern PC can give excellent frame rates even at maximum settings and this makes the game play like the designers intended.

The game deals with a period before Resident Evil 2 and a period a few days after that game.  The storyline expands upon event surrounding the outbreak of the T-virus in Raccoon City and the eventual fate of the infected population.  This plot was also used and expanded upon when the movie was made and was probably a good idea overall, although it might have offended a few purists expecting a direct conversion from the game.

Resident Evil Gameplay

One novel idea in the game is that of an enemy bad guy called Nemesis who pops up at regular intervals throughout the game.  Unlike previous enemies he can follow you up and down stairs, into rooms etc and cannot be dealt with until the end of the game.  This forces players to use some brains as this is an enemy that cannot just be blasted.

Jill vs Nemesis Gameplay Video

Resident Evil 3 also includes an unlockable mini game called The Mercenaries – Operation Mad Jackal.  Completing this minigame grants the use of weapons for the main game with infinite ammo and also some new costumes for Jill.  Several completions will unlock and epilogue sequence that tells the story of the characters after the destruction of Raccoon City.

Resident Evil 3 was a great game at its release and if you like slightly retro games, it still is.  When you consider how low the price is now the game is available as a budget title then buying Resident Evil 3 for your gaming platform is a good choice.

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