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

[avhamazon locale="US" asin="B000BHEQ1G" linktype="pic-text" picsize="medium"]

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

[avhamazon locale="US" asin="B002SRP9VI" linktype="pic-text" picsize="medium"]

Click here to leave this page about Sniper Games and return to the homepage.